I saw this movie in 3D, (wearing my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles glasses, they also have a Star Lord version!) with an audience that found it as funny as I did. When a joke was said or Dave Bautista’s character Drax would laugh, nearly everyone was laughing out loud, and when everyone is up for that, (much like at a stand up comedy show, good ones anyway), you feed off the energy. The same can happen with scary/thrilling movies. Two of my favorite theatre going experiences was seeing The Ring (2002) and Jaws (1975, thank you cinemas for replaying classics, even if the dvd menu pops up at the end of the screening, aka not using film reels). I watched the first volume of Guardians in theatres more than once, watched the blu-ray with my wife, and then we went to see Vol. 2 on opening night. Most films I see in theatres are at off peak times to avoid the crowds, (specifically so no one has a chance to kick my seat), and I still remember lining up outside for over an hour before Batman Begins in 2005, (we got to pick our seats ahead of time for this showing).

The Guardians of the Galaxy originally appeared in a Marvel comic book in 1969, written by Arnold Drake and drawn by Gene Colan. Over the years, as with nearly all comic books, the characters get changed, replaced, and finally altered for the live action film version. I really wanted to see Hugh Jackman as the Wolverine in a yellow and blue costume like in the comics, then I saw a version online, I’m good now…he looked like a furry…so you always have that to fall back on Hugh. Speaking of furries, I am curious how much of the charm these films have are in the source material and if I read them now, would I be able to not hear Bradley Cooper’s Rocket (racoon) voice when I did? Like The Fate of the Furious (released the month before) and the first 2 of the Disney era Star Wars films, (Episode 7: The Force Awakens and Rogue One), we are seeing some of the highest production value films being made in the world, (all were made for at least $200 million each). A huge budget does not guarantee a good film but it does mean they will probably reach the most audiences. At least their ad campaigns will and for this film, that included Doritos chip bags with a built in music player, just plug in headphones and you get a taste of the film’s soundtrack. Totally appropriate for a film like this with such a heavy importance on the track list. Much like the Trainspotting movies, which had 2 soundtracks for the first film, and whose sequel came out 2 months prior to this Guardians.

Budget – $200 million

Writer/Director James Gunn returns for both duties on this film, and looks to do both again for Vol. 3. These movies make too much money (and are too popular) to not make more. I first noticed James’ work when he wrote and directed Slither (2006) starring Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, and Guardians actor Michael Rooker. Chris Pratt has been flying up the in demand charts after starring in the tv show Parks and Recreation, Jurassic World, and providing his voice in The Lego Movie (2014, the same year as the first Guardians). Keeping busy, two of his films were released in 2016, The Magnificent Seven with Denzel Washington and Passengers with Jennifer Lawrence. Zoe Saldana is also a go to for the action heroine with large roles in the Star Trek films (2009-2016), Colombiana, and Avatar (arguably the best 3D film to date). Painted blue for Avatar and green for Guardians, it would take 4 hours (down from 5 in the first film) to be ready to begin filming for the Guardians sequel. Dave Bautista, whose makeup took about 1.5 hours, continued his acting career after the WWE with a meaty in the James Bond film Spectre and is keeping busy, with the sequel Blade Runner 2049 coming later this year.

I found Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 to be more of the same fun as in the first and that is good thing! They hit the ground running as we already know the characters, (please take note Batman and Spider-Man writers) and added the appropriate number of new characters to this franchise. What has hindered and sometimes ruined superhero franchises is trying to do too much, too many plots, and have too many characters, (seriously, Batman and Spider-Man writers take note). Introducing a father and son dynamic, while continuing to explore a sister rivalry, keeps the ridiculous action grounded with elements we can all relate to. An element I really respond to in this franchise is having big laughs in the middle of action scenes while not losing the pace and intensity. Striking the right balance is how I normally determine if I like the film or not, (maybe it’s the Gemini in me to have balance). As with all Marvel Studio films since Iron Man in 2008, this is a pop culture reference film. Which I normally don’t find to be my favorite route for spoken comedy but it is certainly entertaining. I did like seeing a brief shot of the handheld football game from my childhood that Star Lord uses. My favorite song from the soundtrack is “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac. The build up and the beat gets to me and like the brilliant trailers for the first film, I will not be able to hear the song again without seeing images of this film in my mind.

IMDB – 8.1    Box Office Mojo    Wikipedia