Marvel fans have been looking forward to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 since the final moments of the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie in 2014. Each subsequent trailer that has been released has given fans a deeper look inside the expanded world of the galaxy’s least qualified superhero team with a big focus being put on the addition of Yondu (Michael Rooker), as a full-time crew member and the evolution of the first film’s standout character into Baby Groot (Vin Diesel).

Today the Japanese trailer dropped and it does feature a couple longer creature shots than its American counterpart, which is not only visually cool to behold, but seems to indicate the larger scale threats that the eponymous Guardians of the Galaxy will be facing when the movie releases later this year. Yondu is not featured in this trailer, unfortunately, however the little alien plant that is in everyone’s heart and mind, Baby Groot, gets an awful lot of screen time.

Viewers can see that Baby Groot is going to be an integral part of Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and, much like his adult counterpart from the previous film, will be carrying the lion’s share of the comedic responsibilities opposite Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper). In the trailer he can be seen hilariously misunderstanding the instructions he is given and threatening the safety of everyone within several yards of him.

There is also a great visual homage back to the first film. Baby Groot can be seen perched on the shoulder of Rocket as he fires into a crowd and the camera pans in a circle around them – this shot is an immediate callback to the shot from the first movie where Rocket is on Groot’s shoulder, firing into the prison crowd. Director James Gunn seems determined to prove that his second Marvel movie will be both similar and different than what audiences have already seen from him. There are also hints throughout the trailer that Groot will retain his responsibilities as the muscle of the team – taking down enemies with his specific set of skills.

Guardians of the Galaxy has cemented itself as the Marvel franchise with some of the liveliest trailers. On both the domestic and international fronts, audiences can expect a handful of jokes and good action beats that will both excite them for the coming feature and keep from giving away too many spoilers. The trailer’s focus on Baby Groot is a smart move, since he is the character on every fan’s mind and the interactions seen here with Rocket Raccoon are sure to entice fans into the theaters.

On the other hand, there isn’t much in this international trailer besides Baby Groot. Very little has been revealed through other trailers that are in any way indicative of what the plot is. This leans quite heavily on the more comedic aspects of the property, leaving the question of: have the movie’s funniest moments already been seen months in advance of its premiere? Despite all of the fun there is very little substance in this minute in half.

Next: Karen Gillan: Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Shows a New Side of Nebula

Source: Marvel Studios

  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Release Date: 2017-05-05