Guardians Of The Galaxy Extended TV Spot Blows Up In Your Face

By Brent McKnight | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

Last night’s NBA finals between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs was memorable because the best player in basketball, LeBron James, sat out the last four minutes of the game with a cramp, watching his team lose by 15 points. For the less sporty among us, the event was notable for another reason, because it marked the debut of two new TV spots for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. The first, shorter spot leaked out yesterday, and it was good. But now the comic book studio has released the longer, extended look.

While the first video showed off a lot more new stuff, including fresh bits with Glenn Close’s Nova Prime, this look is more in line with the earlier trailers and teasers. It hangs onto the new tagline: “So here we are. A thief, two thugs, an assassin, and a maniac,” which is just too good to leave out now that we’ve heard it. There’s not too much you haven’t already seen, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a damn fine time.

When Marvel first announced that Guardians would be their next movie, it struck many of us as a risky move. While it plays a big part within the comic book universe, this isn’t a title that most of the general movie going population is familiar with. Regardless of how good the movie is, and everything we’ve seen makes it look fantastic, it’s hard to gauge how it will fare at the box office. While most Marvel movies have a similar feel, this could be something different. Writer/Director James Gunn seems like he has infused the film with his trademark sarcastic sense of humor. Marvel is a juggernaut right now, and if their promotion machine is able to make this a hit, they can do just about anything.

Guardians of the GalaxyAnd this might be my favorite thing, just in general. How can you not love an anthropomorphic raccoon piloting a space ship out of a massive explosion. This brings a tear to my eye every time.

Guardians of the Galaxy is being post-converted to 3D and will also play in IMAX. Given the scope and scale of the action, neither of these things should be a surprise to anyone. Gunn is personally overseeing both of these conversions. He shared this on his Facebook page:

[T]he 3D experience promises a little something extra. Unlike many directors, I’ve been actively involved with converting every shot to 3D, making sure it works perfectly for the story and the film, making sure it’s spectacular and immersive without being silly, distracting, or overly showy. 3D conversion was once far inferior to shooting in 3D, but over the past couple years new technology has allowed us incredible control over the 3D effects, making it equal to or in some cases greater than shooting in 3D.

With many of these IMAX post conversions, the prints (or whatever you call a digital copy of a movie that theaters show these days) usually just stick to the film’s original aspect ration. But in this way, too, Guardians will be a little different. Gunn says:

As an EXTRA benefit for those who see the film in IMAX 3D, we will be changing aspect ratios throughout the film in a way that makes the experience even fuller and more encompassing. I’ve personally chosen all the places where the changes occur and, again, I love how it’s coming along. The changing aspect ratios in this case are actually a part of the storytelling.

While switching from small to big in this manner is unusual, it isn’t entirely unheard of. Christopher Nolan did this in The Dark Knight Rises with nice results. You’re sitting there, watching Batman do his thing, then all of a sudden boom, shit gets huge and massive. I look forward to having a similar experience that actually makes use of the full sized screen. If nothing else, this promises to be an experience.

Guardians of the Galaxy stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Lee Pace, Karen Gillan, Michael Rooker, Glenn Close, John C. Reilly, and more, and opens everywhere August 1.