Will Rocket Raccoon Make or Break new Guardians of the Galaxy movie?

Will Rocket Raccoon Make or Break new Guardians of the Galaxy movie?

A talking raccoon in a battle suit? Really? Epic fail or stroke of cinematic genius?

Editorial Opinion
By SuperPopSTOP - Feb 10, 2013 11:02 AM EST
Filed Under: Fan Fic
Source: Guy Colston

Animals make TERRIBLE superheroes!


Ok, I said it! Batman used to have a Batdog. Now there is a Batcat & Batcow residing in the Batcave. Superman has Krypto, the super dog. Thor was turned into a frog. Only a handful of times in the history of comics have we seen an animal earn respect as a sidekick or in its own title. Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers comes to mind, as well as the preteen targeted DC Super Pets.

Who in their right mind wants to read tales of animals in comics?

It begs the question of why we read comics in the first place? We enjoy engaging story lines, plot twists and the visual stimulation of our heroes in action! We look forward to a little eye candy with borderline eroticism!
Over the top explosions, death, destruction and good old fashioned mayhem make the artwork in comics worth the cover price!

Fans of action movies are no different than comic fanboys(and girls). We all pay the price of admission to a fantasy that saturates our senses! We drown in the suspension of disbelief and watch as our heroes fly, climb walls and exhibit powers and abilities beyond those of mortal men!

Rocket Raccoon in a live action movie will be received on screen about as well as ALF or a gang of muppets! Or will he? My first reaction to the news that Marvel Studios was seriously producing a Guardians of the Galaxy motion picture was disbelief. How could they make such a huge blunder? The Marvel Universe is overflowing with characters much more worthy of cinematic glory!

As time passes and I reflect on the advances in CGI, I find myself conflicted. Didn't the movie TED make its mark at the box office? And what of the talking beasts in the Narnia films? Perhaps the powers that be are wiser than my closed mind can grasp and they know what they are doing after all. If this raccoon has half of the on screen presence of TED, he might overshadow his costars and steal the show! Only time will tell.

Now, instead of fearing the ridicule that my gut warned me was eminent, I look forward with great anticipation to the release of Guardians of the Galaxy! Director James Gunn brought us the Scooby Doo franchise, Dawn of the Dead(2004), Slither(2006) and Super(2010). He also wrote the video game Lollipop Chainsaw. No stranger to the eclectic mix of action, comedy and horror that most of the Nerds of Earth relish, lets hope he delivers a truly unique blend of celluloid flavors that like a good appetizer, wets our appetite for Marvel Studios second phase entree...Avengers 2!
DC & Marvel Team Up In Awesome Fan-Created Infinite Crisis Video
Related:

DC & Marvel Team Up In Awesome Fan-Created "Infinite Crisis" Video

Bill Cosby Says He Wants To Be In A Superhero Film
Recommended For You:

Bill Cosby Says He Wants To Be In A Superhero Film

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

marvel72
marvel72 - 2/10/2013, 12:08 PM
its hard to say,i haven't got a problem with him being in the film but its the general public he could be excepted like yoda was or they could just think his a stupid idea & not bother with the movie.
ForeverPowerful
ForeverPowerful - 2/10/2013, 12:18 PM
Maybe its just my limited knowledge on Guardians, but I was shocked when I heard they were making it. I don't mind them making it, just it seems odd that that would be one of the first things they would do, especially in front of big names like Black Panther and AntMan. I think its either going to be surprisingly good, or it'll be mixed to negative. Hopefully he can pull it off, Marvel's on a role.
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 2/10/2013, 12:18 PM
Most of the people that hate on Rocket Raccoon have never read a comic with him in it. He's a fan favorite character for a reason.

Also, you cant compare him to Krypto, or Batcow, or Batdog, or whatever the hell. Rocket Raccoon is not someone's pet. He's an alien with his own personality, and his personality is awesome. He's also a heavy weapons expert, a strategic genius, and has the same kind of gruff attitude that is on par with Wolverine.

However....the general audience will probably not give it a chance for all the reasons that are mentioned in this article. Unfortunately, this movie will probably only appeal to fans of the GOTG comics, and even those are a little obscure. Marvel has been trying to hype their popularity, but I just know if it will be enough.

Its the one movie that makes me nervous about phase 2 simply because i really dont think the general audience will go for it. I hope im wrong though, because GOTG are highly underrated, and awesome characters.
Ghostt
Ghostt - 2/10/2013, 12:56 PM
Rocket raccoon is cinematic genius. I am relieved to have a CBM that sticks its finger up at the concept 'grounded in reality'.

Very excited for this movie!
BritishKnight
BritishKnight - 2/10/2013, 12:59 PM
If you want to make a CGI character work you have to remember that comedic moments and screen time should be used sparingly. That's why Yoda works better than Jar Jar Binks. That's also why the Hulk works better in the Avengers movie then any of his solo films.

I'm not too familiar with Rocket Racoon or Guardians of the Galaxy as a whole but I'm sure if they ground the film around Star-Lord and his journey then the rest of the team will work fine on film.
TayDee
TayDee - 2/10/2013, 1:25 PM
Yoda. Thats all that needs to be mentioned, nothing else.
BigDamnHero
BigDamnHero - 2/10/2013, 2:32 PM
@dellamorte1872 James Gunn wrote Dawn of the Dead, Zach Snyder directed it.

On topic, I love GotG, and really think that if done properly Rocket Raccoon could steal the movie. Gunn and Marvel have to embrace the absurdity of the character, but not take it too far and just turn him into a comedy sidekick. It's a tough balancing act, but I have faith they'll nail it.
gmoney0505
gmoney0505 - 2/10/2013, 3:34 PM
We have seen alot of characters that are not human talk and people take them seriously. SO why should anything be different about this character if he is a raccoon. Its a damn alien people.
NovaCorpsFan
NovaCorpsFan - 2/10/2013, 3:47 PM
Dude RR is a wisecracking badass, there is no need to worry, kids will eat him up and us fanboys will be ecstatic, can't wait to hear "Unfeasibly Large Gun!"
SuperPopSTOP
SuperPopSTOP - 2/10/2013, 4:13 PM
Guess I stirred the pot a little with this article. Hope I didn't ruffle any feathers, lol!
Yes, Rocket is a great fictional character and I have enjoyed his depiction in the comics.
That said, whether or not he will translate well to the silver screen remains to be seen. I for one hope that Marvel "nails it" and finds a formula that works.
Thanks for the comments!
SpoonWielder
SpoonWielder - 2/10/2013, 5:27 PM
Honestly I think Rocket Racoon is gonna become Marvel's pikachu. I can see him being backpacks and on pencil toppers, Disney's gonna merchandise the crap out of him.
SpoonWielder
SpoonWielder - 2/10/2013, 5:29 PM
I think with James Gunn's somewhat wacky writing, and with Kevin Feige reeling him in when necessary, this is gonna be a great movie. And Rocket Raccoon will be the highlight.
BIGBMH
BIGBMH - 2/10/2013, 5:47 PM
I'm unsure. A lot depends on the script and the actor they have portraying him.
NovaCorpsFan
NovaCorpsFan - 2/10/2013, 7:59 PM
James Gunn knows how to handle a team movie with CGI elements thats why he got the job. I'm referring to Scooby Doo btw.
GuardianDevil
GuardianDevil - 2/11/2013, 1:31 AM
My thing is that I don't know why they'd choose this movie before they do others...

Ive never been a huge guardians fan but I have read the comics, out of the five they are using for this film I like Rocket Raccoon in a Yoda sort of way, but I don't know if he'd be a good addition to the MCU...he might make it seem totally corny and even more cheesy than it already is, it's not even that I think they won't do a good job but it's that I don't think audiences are ready for a raccoon superhero.

I like Star-Lord and Drax too, they'd be cool. But my biggest fear is Groot, yeah comic guys respect him, but as I think that audiences aren't ready for a raccoon superhero they definitely aren't ready for a superhero that looks like a tree, how would a general audience respond to that?

But I can't believe they are doing this before they are doing Giant-Man, Black Panther and Ms. Marvel, all three are better characters than anyone in GOTG and all three are more essential to the Avengers than the guardians.

fortycals
fortycals - 2/11/2013, 5:16 AM
IMO the main reason we are getting GOTG before BP or Pym, is that it opens the door for marvel cosmic. Marvel's cosmic characters may not be the most popular, but they have a very dedicated fan base. Their cosmic line under DnA might not have seen big numbers by comparision, but it was very,very consistant. With the intro of BP and Antman you just get more avengers. With GOTG you get a whole new brand.

Now on RR, it all depends on which route marvel takes him. If they go for chuckles he will fail horribly. Yes RR is a funny guy, but not because he's trying to be funny. Its the combo of cute furry animal mixed with hard charging(flark spewing) personality, that makes him funny. It shouldnt be a comedian voicing RR, but a badass.
fortycals
fortycals - 2/11/2013, 5:18 AM
Also if any company knows how to make popular talking animals its Disney.
AC1
AC1 - 2/11/2013, 1:17 PM
From a marketing standpoint, it'd be best if Marvel either a) Marketed the hell out of Rocket Raccoon just to cement to audiences the type of character he is, or b) didn't advertise Raccoon at all, and left him as a surprise character in the movie who doesn't appear on any posters or film trailers, so the idea of a 'talking raccoon' doesn't taint anyone's preconceptions.

And he needs to be voiced by someone unexpected, gruff, and otherwise brilliant as both a 'bad ass voice' and someone with decent comedic timing. Just really strange, surreal, off the wall choices like Ray Winstone, Tom Hardy, Michael Ironside, Michael Madsen, John C McGinely... hell, even someone completely unlikely like Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, or Christopher Walken if Marvel could convince them! Just imagine Rocket Raccoon talking with any of those voices!
UltimateTypeface
UltimateTypeface - 2/11/2013, 4:50 PM
Good comment @ghostt!

What made Avengers great was that Joss embraced the Comic book source and celebrated these great characters we have loved for decades. He didnt water them down or make them more realistic(read boring)-im looking at you Nolan.

I've been swatting up on all the latest cosmic stuff -GoG, Thanos, Nova etc it is awesome shit and will make the MCU even more epic.

Rocket and Groot will steal the show, mainstream peasents will be blown away.

Although I have a soft spot for Gamora and Drax too.

I hope they translate them well
AmazingFantasy
AmazingFantasy - 2/12/2013, 9:15 PM
Kids and Teens are going to LOVE Rocket. Trust me if you know who he is and his own personality ( he isn't a pet or simple raccoon in space) He is a really bad ass and fun character that Disney could market the shit out of.
View Recorder