I am very much on the fence about Marvel’s upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy. While I welcome the departure from the usual “guys in capes/iron suits” motifs that characterize the earth-bound section of the Marvel Universe, I have yet to see anything to convince me that Guardians of the Galaxy will be worth the ticket price. The stars and producer of the film, however, would like all of us naysayers to know that Guardians is both going to be a very different experience, but also remain in the same general universe we know and, maybe, love.
In a new featurette that premiered during Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D last night, stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, and Bradley Cooper (alongside Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige) assure us all that Guardians of the Galaxy is going to be all kinds of awesome. While there’s no new footage of the actual film, the featurette gives us plenty of talking heads explaining how Guardians exists in the same universe as the rest of the Marvel films, but takes us into the untraveled realm of outer space, introducing us to outlandish characters who are not quite as good as your average superhero.
Not be entirely cynical about this, but I have yet to see a behind-the-scenes featurette in which the stars didn’t claim that their film was completely different from everything else ever made. Marvel seems to be walking a fine line between assuring those outside the Marvel fandom that we’ll still enjoy Guardians of the Galaxy, and those inside the fandom that the film will still provide a different take on the Marvel Universe. I don’t know that they’ll be able to appease, or convince, everyone, but they’re certainly making a strong attempt at it.
You can watch the featurette below and make up your own mind. Then, take yourself along to the theatres on August 1, when Guardians of the Galaxy opens. Really, the only measure of whether a film works is when you’ve seen it for yourself.
