Trailer Analysis: 'The Guardians' Are Back and Better Than Ever

Mrinalini Basu ’19 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
Marvel just dropped the first taste of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, in the form of a ninety second teaser. Written and directed by James Gunn, the film stars Star Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Yondu (Michael Rooker), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and an even more adorable Groot (Vin Diesel). So it looks like the whole crew is back and ready to kick some serious space ass.
The movie, which is set to release May 5th 2017, will be set two months after the events of the first film. True to style, Marvel has revealed incredibly little about the story of the film, but we do know a few things. The film’s plot will be centred around themes of family and how roots influence a person, set around the hunt for Quill’s father, who was revealed to be Ego the Living Planet (Kurt Russell) at Comic Con earlier this year.

The teaser hints at a few things, the biggest of which are probably the introduction to a new Big Bad and the search for Peter Quill/Star Lord’s father. We get to see some good old fashioned group banter, the humour we know and love, as well as some exciting stuff. So let’s break this down.
So, it’s the same cast, the same vibe and the same old-but-not-actually-old ship. We see the return of many familiar faces, and so far, no new introductions. Quill and Gamora get some pretty sweet suit updates and we see Nebula with a new head piece, though there is no news yet as to whether or not she also has a new hand. Yondu is also back, still with his arrow and his brooding. Rocket still has his rocket launcher and his Groot. The dynamics of the team seem to still be very much the same.
A lot has changed though. Drax seems to be significantly less literal. He even goes so far as to use an analogy. He seems less filled with rage, giving out a lot more love, which Quill seems less than happy with. It also seems that whatever small ounce of romance there was between Quill and Gamora has somewhat dissipated, with Peter still pining and Gamora seemingly occupied with other things.

Which brings us to the shot of Gamora attacking someone or something with a sword. This is the only part of the teaser that lines up with the sneak peek footage that the GotG team released at Comic Con in July. We can, therefore, assume that Gamora is attacking Ayesha, a High Priestess of a perfect race in a Golden City, played by Elizabeth Debicki. Gunn has already confirmed that she will be the main villain of the film. Other conflicts will probably include Nebula, who fled the scene at the end of the last film, and Ego as previously mentioned.
Another interesting conflict hinted at in the teaser is that, it seems the Ravagers, a group of bounty hunters that once worked with Quill, have imprisoned Rocket and Yondu. It isn’t clear when or why they turned on their leader, but it seems that Rocket and Yondu will be teaming up for at least a small portion of the film. Which brings us to potentially my favourite new development – Yondu’s red mohawk. Gunn has finally introduced the character’s signature mohawk in the form of a red, possibly technologically enhanced, bill on his head. This is definitely a call back to the comics and fans are speculating it will help Yondu control his beloved arrow.

The teaser is jam packed with little snippets, cut short enough to provide just a drop of what the film has to offer, and no new hints at the plot. The first film’s anthem serves as the background music, though it has been remixed to add a distinct ominous air to the trailer. The only real surprise is that Baby Groot is definitely part of the team, and not only that, he has his own costume.
James Gunn has answered almost no questions, though he responds to fan comments pretty frequently on his Facebook page. One thing we do know is that this is merely a small glimpse at what is to come, and that we can expect a full trailer “before Christmas.”
So get ready folks, the full trailer could drop any time in the next nine weeks.