We are still just a little less than a year away from the release of James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and it still may be a while before the film's first official trailer is released -- but earlier tonight the film delivered its debut footage to an exclusive audience. Marvel Studios held its special San Diego Comic-Con presentation this evening, and as the event drew to a close, Gunn and his excellent ensemble cast took the stage to introduce a clip and a sizzle reel to the hungry audience filled with fans.
Arriving first, the clip began with the Ravagers from the first movie seemingly orchestrating some kind of mutiny on-board their ship, taking both Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Yondu (Michael Rooker) and throwing them in a cell -- telling them that they will be delivered to the Kree in the morning. As the alien pirates walk away, we see that they have also managed to capture Baby Groot, who is locked away in a birdcage. One of the Ravagers asks if they can kill the tiny tree creature, but their new leader explains that he is too adorable to kill.
Later, while everyone is asleep, Baby Groot manages to find his way back to Rocket and Yondu's cell, and they put the little guy on an important mission. Yondu explains that there is a prototype head fin locked away in the captain's quarters, and that they need it in order to escape. Unfortunately, Groot being a baby means that he doesn't quite understand what this means, and as a result repeatedly brings back the wrong items. After a hilarious montage that sees him coming back with Yondu's underwear, a toe, a mechanical eye (that Rocket actually wants to keep, thinking it will be funny), and a desk, the little Groot eventually does find the prototype fin, and after that point it's ass-kicking time.
Once he has the prototype fin attached to his head (as seen in the image above) Yondu once again has the ability to control his special arrow with a whistle... and it's a power he uses liberally. Escaping from the cell with Rocket, the blue alien begins to take sweet, sweet revenge against the Ravagers. As the tune of "Come A Little Big Closer" by Jay & The Americans plays over the action, the three heroes casually stroll in slow motion through the ship, with Yondu whistling and basically killing everyone in sight, bodies falling down at every angle through the depths of the space vessel. Even little Groot has the chance to get revenge against the mutineers, chasing one Ravager down, tripping him up with his arms (which he grows out to a distance), and then throwing him off a railing. The scene is a pure example of writer/director James Gunn's personal sensibilities, and it's hilarious and wonderful.
Head to the next page to learn about the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 footage that was shown at San Diego Comic-Con!
The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 sizzle reel is a bit harder to write about, given that it was more a collection of multiple, quick scenes than an extended look at the 2017 blockbuster, but it was every bit as fantastic and funny as you want it to be. Revealing a second track from Awesome Mix Vol. 2, being set to the sounds of "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac, the footage began with Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and Gamora (Zoe Saldana) standing on what looks like a giant platform in space, with the latter member of the team prepping a rifle for combat. This strikes the man also known as Star-Lord as being weird, as he was under the impression that she preferred blades over guns. She questions his questioning, wondering how their supposed to "take down an interdimensional beast" with a sword, to which Quill quips, "Don't look at me like I'm an idiot, you're the one being inconsistent." When it's time for battle, Star Lord exclaims, "Showtime, A-holes!" which gets a nearby Drax (Dave Bautista) all kinds of pumped up.
Changing things up, the footage then found the Guardians going before the people known as the Sovereign, with Peter explaining to his teammates that they should tread lightly, given that they are easily offended. Of course, just because he was given a warning doesn't mean that Rocket is actually going to watch what he says. Lo and behold, as soon as he is introduced to the gold-colored alien race, he says to them, "You know, they told me you people were conceded douchebags, but that isn't true at all!" -- throwing them a sly wink at the end.
Following a montage of clips showcasing quick action and space adventure, the next notable scene came a few moments later, with Peter and Rocket having an argument. The half-human/half-alien makes the mistake of calling his diminutive buddy a "stupid raccoon," which seriously pisses him off -- but Peter apologizes and calls him a "trash panda" instead. This befuddles Rocket for a moment, as he can't actually tell if that name is better, to which Peter responds by laughing and saying, "It's worse. It's so much worse."
Another montage starts up -- giving us a quick look at Sylvester Stallone as a Ravager and Drax screaming, "Screw you, spaceships!" -- but perhaps the best moment in all of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 footage came at the very end. Kurt Russell's character, who is identified as Ego by a title card, arrives on the scene explaining that he's spent years looking for his son, Peter, and also details a bit of how he came to get together with Peter's mom. Curious about humanity, he created his own version of biological life for himself down to the most minute details. Curious how a "glowing being" could make a baby with Peter's mom, Drax is prompted to ask if Ego made himself a penis, which makes Star-Lord all kinds of uncomfortable. But the strange alien assures the warrior, saying bluntly, "Yes, Drax, I've got a penis. It's not half bad!"
Though all of the footage shown and announcements made during the Marvel Studios panel at San Diego Comic-Con were amazing, it'd be hard to argue that the footage from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 wasn't the best material shown. It looks like James Gunn has crafted yet another bizarre, funny sci-fi adventure for comic book movie fans, and we should be in for a real treat when it arrives in theaters in May 2017.Guardians Of The Galaxy 2 Comic-Con Footage Is Weird And Hilarious
