5/4/17

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

A sequel, huh? That means it will be bigger, louder and longer (15 minutes) and still flirting with the outer limits of a PG-13 rating (language). Bottom line? How can we resist; we have loved them from the get-go. Plus, Chris Pratt is officially a movie star.

Writer/director James Gunn ("Guardians of the Galaxy"), still drawing from the Marvel Comics source, collaborated with a committee of writers to bring us this new chapter (a third is already in the works) in the on-going saga of this fighting crew-for-hire. They just finished a successful job for a planet but Rocket stole some batteries. Now their customer is mad at them! In addition, our hero and his motley team have decided (in their spare time) to solve the mystery of Quill's unnamed father.

Here is part of the irresistible cast:
  • Chris Pratt ("Passengers") Peter Quill aka Star-Lord has his work cut out for him. Wrangling this team is no easy task and their relationship problems have certainly made it no easier: father-son, sister-sister, human-alien, raccoon-twig. The fact remains that he is the greatest pilot in the Universe (modesty has never been an issue).
  • Zoe Saldana ("Avatar") Our capable Gamora may LOOK green, but trust me, she is experienced and trustworthy...unlike her sister Nebula
  • Dave Bautista ("Bushwick") Burly Drax is back and we need him more than ever. And we forgive him for being a bit simple. "Do me! Do me!" 
  • Vin Diesel ("Fate of the Furious") Baby Groot is just a twig but he has an important role in this one. See how it happens. "I am Groot." 
  • Bradley Cooper ("Joy") Our Guardians wouldn't be complete without sticky-fingered, tough-talking, machine-gun-toting Rocket! This time his animators have outdone themselves: His nuanced acting is the BEST. 
  • Sean Gunn ("Gilmore Girls" I KNEW he looked familiar!) Kraglin is back but he is just as timid and loyal as always. 
  • Michael Rooker ("The Walking Dead") Yondu raised Peter after he was orphaned. How WELL he raised him seems to be the question. 
  • Kurt Russell ("Deepwater Horizon") Ego is WHAT? 
  • Elizabeth Debicki ("The Man From U.N.C.L.E.") Ayesha is the unflappable leader of a world Rocket has just insulted. Now she wants revenge.
With flashbacks to the courtship of Quill's parents, we hear a lot of references to the 80s, both television and that wonderful "Mix-tape Vol. 2." If you don't read about upcoming movies, the many cameo appearances will come as a big surprise (except for Stan Lee, we INSIST on him!). Naturally, this is a Marvel production with all the quirks we have come to expect. And watch that closing scroll: We laughed out loud more than once.
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Check this out (contains a spoiler):