Teaser trailer:
https://twitter.com/Guardians/status/788772521122201600
https://youtu.be/2WhQcK-Zaok

First(?) poster:
https://twitter.com/Guardians/status/788759366061162496

i can't frickin' wait. looks amazing from that teaser.

Don't need to watch another trailer. Didn't even really need to watch this teaser. I'm in.

hope they'll face a better threat this time, apocalypse err..ronan the destroyer was fucking awful

https://twitter.com/Marvel/status/805181301502283776

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMTntxvok1M

This Baby Groot thing is interesting...

But Dave made that scene go.

like I think Groot surprised a lot of people and seemed to be the talk of the first. But Dave was hilarious in that first one. If he gets half as many lines in this one I will be happy.

>https://twitter.com/Marvel/status/805181301502283776

I can't wait.

side note, bautista looks softer than the previous movie. age catching up or he need to up his dose.

https://youtu.be/CaLNiC-bKHQ

https://twitter.com/Guardians/status/828382829415325698

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duGqrYw4usE

FUCK, I mean obviously these Marvel flicks are on the cutting edge of special fx, but this just looks breathtaking.

And Fleetwood Mac in the trailer? I'm all the way in.

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duGqrYw4usE
>
>FUCK, I mean obviously these Marvel flicks are on the cutting
>edge of special fx, but this just looks breathtaking.
>
>And Fleetwood Mac in the trailer? I'm all the way in.

It's just as good as the first.

There are a lot of surprises.

Sit through the credits.

Y'all know what you're getting at this point.

Go see this in IMAX 3D

The first is mos def better as the second time it's flaws stand out more (it's less focused than the first). Still it's fun and worth a watch in IMAX 3D.

seeing it Thursday night (forgot I bought my ticket a while ago)

(SPOILERS)





























seeing Yondu go got me right in the feels.

V.

won't add anything else until folks have posted about it for a week or two.

The first half of the film was either bickering or someone laughing big as a punchline. I feel like the laugh gag worked half the time.

It's definitely flawed and not as good as the first film but I had fun and enjoyed myself. The ending brings it home; one of the stronger third acts of a Marvel film.

Probably the biggest flaw story-wise is that a lot of things just happened. Secrets are held and revealed somewhat haphazardly. Key relationship defining facts are just offered up with little concern for the impact or consequences. Part of me wonders if certain facts shouldn't have been given to the audience earlier.

I loved it and enjoyed the fuck out if it but damn, there is a good 40 minutes of things happening with no one doing a single thing to me the story. It's like they were sitting right next to us watching it unfold

>The first half of the film was either bickering or someone
>laughing big as a punchline. I feel like the laugh gag worked
>half the time.

the writing didn't let any punchlines breath. and most were bad to begin with. it's like the characters were trying too hard to be themselves.

back

They went to it a little too often. And I'm glad we see Groot is growing up in the post-scenes credit; I wouldn't want another movie of Baby Groot. Too cool for school, rebellious Groot could be a lot of fun.

definitely weaker than the first. But it was funny. Baby Groot was a let down. By the third act I was bored of him. Drax killed in this one. Especially the running ugly joke. I really loved the colors. I know they switched up to a different camera specifically for the colors. Especially after watching that grey ass Wonder Woman trailer. Nice to see all those vibrant colors. Solid sequel. Was a bit disappointed in the music. This time it seemed as they were trying to recreate the music magic from the first one and it just didnt work. I dont know the songs were good but the music wasnt a part of the story like the first one.

>definitely weaker than the first. But it was funny. Baby
>Groot was a let down. By the third act I was bored of him.
>Drax killed in this one. Especially the running ugly joke. I
>really loved the colors. I know they switched up to a
>different camera specifically for the colors. Especially after
>watching that grey ass Wonder Woman trailer. Nice to see all
>those vibrant colors. Solid sequel. Was a bit disappointed in
>the music. This time it seemed as they were trying to recreate
>the music magic from the first one and it just didnt work. I
>dont know the songs were good but the music wasnt a part of
>the story like the first one.

on the music thing specifically, i personally think it was due to song choice...i just think that some of the songs they picked for v2 simply weren't as 'great' as the picks they selected for v1. Obviously its all subjective, one mans 'ok' song is another mans 'great' song...but for ME thats what it came down too...many of the v2 songs just didn't ring as 'gems' for me, (a few were, but several just weren't.) In v1 pretty much ALL of the songs were on point 'gems', so thats what made the musical difference for me...'gem' songs=magic.

but i have always loved that song since i was little. that whole intro felt like the movie staff just showing off. i liked it more than the first intro actually.

>definitely weaker than the first. But it was funny. Baby
>Groot was a let down. By the third act I was bored of him.
>Drax killed in this one. Especially the running ugly joke. I
>really loved the colors. I know they switched up to a
>different camera specifically for the colors. Especially after
>watching that grey ass Wonder Woman trailer. Nice to see all
>those vibrant colors. Solid sequel. Was a bit disappointed in
>the music. This time it seemed as they were trying to recreate
>the music magic from the first one and it just didnt work. I
>dont know the songs were good but the music wasnt a part of
>the story like the first one.

That was my initial gut response afterwards "that was Good fun"...

(Spoilers...



Drax stole this one, he's my fave thing in Vol 2...i loved every scene with he and the Antenna Girl (she was great too)

Visuals were on point (loved the colors and environments)

Characters personalities were consistent and true...

I aint gonna lie, Yondu and Rockets connection kinda hit home emotionally...
as did Yondu & StarLords...as did...

There were several nice surprises etc...

it was good good fun no doubt about it...

now, i do agree with few above posts that say that 'overall' it was a little less focused than the first. thats true. and i also agree and think they may have gone for 'the funny' just a teeny weenie bit too much...not to the point to were it made it a bad experience or anything like that, but just enough to make it seem noticeable that they were 'trying'....most of the humor was still satisfying enough though....Drax's especially...

as i mentioned above in the tread, the music choices in this one were hit-or-miss for me....totally subjective i know, but for ME they didn't pick enough true musical 'gems' this go round to make the soundtrack as impactful as it could have been...in vol1 they nailed the music choices from top to bottom, and that gave that 1st movie an EXTRA dash of unexpected magic for me...

(oh and yeah, i'm ready for teenaged Groot for sure. 'Cute baby Groot' has had his 15 minute run + ) ;)






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https://www.facebook.com/officialmeshell?fref=ts
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RIP David Williams:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Williams_(guitarist)

And agree with what others are saying, re: going back to the same few wells too often. But that initial battle sequence against the space bug was as good as any MCU battle this side of Civil War.

Are the Guardians gonna crash land in Wakanda, or something? I thought this would've been their chance to get the Infinity ball rolling.

Positives

-More of an emotional heft; there were emotionally hitting scenes in the movie that approached the Logan level of feels

-While all comic book movies boil down to 'we gotta save the universe!' I love how strong the themes of family/interpersonal relationships and self actualization were quite strong and not lost in the mix

-Best third act and 'antagonist' that Marvel has had in a minute

-James Gunn shows the first wasn't a fluke and not only does he have the best visuals in Marvel but one of the best in Hollywood in general.

Negatives

-It's unfortunate that with all that emotional heft they tried to take the edge off with some 'been there, done that' jokes and pixar cute Groot. Ironically when the comedy works it WORKS (Drax stole much of the show).

-While when you get to the bottom of it all the the plot is quite simple (same with all comic book movies) but it sure as hell wasn't simple to get there (same with all comic book movies). Because of the great pull of emotional heft and the semi-stale comic relief it felt more unfocused then the first...but not too much that its a detriment to the movie though. Still highly recommended.

It's kind of cool that Marvel is letting James Gunn, who hails from Troma (!!!), pretty much do whatever he wants in these movies.

Everything works, the actors, the setting, the comedy, the new characters... Top notch. Not sure if it's better than the first Guardians, but they are nearly neck and neck IMO.

I particularly love see the Watchers (and Stan Lee FTW!) and the original Guardians of the Galaxy (give me a movie with Sly Stallone, Michelle Yeoh, and Ving Rhames, and we've got the Expendables in the MCU).

I'm stunned that Marvel has maintained a streak like this since 2008. Iron Man, Captain America, The Avengers, even Doctor Strange seemed like wins from the start, but getting stuff like Thor, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Ant-Man to work is something pretty special.

The entire movie is about love of family. Every scene. I can't think of an exception-- every scene is about the families we choose in life and the prices we pay for letting ego stand in the way of embracing those families. Starlord and his dad, Rocket and Starlord, Gamora and Starlord, Gamora and Nebula, Yando and Starlord, Yando and his Ravagers, Yando and the larger collective of Ravagers, the Sovereign and the price they pay for attempting not to lose face. Even Drax and the nipple irritation gag reflects the theme! The whole thing is almost *too* on the nose with the villain they selected.

All the way down to the Baby Groot antics-- they're busy bickering at one another and pushing each other away, but Groot, who made the ultimate sacrifice for them last film, is parentally protected by every Guardian at every turn. It becomes more than just cuteness shtick-- it's a simple and effective way of showing us how it's easy to love someone/something who gives you that unconditional, selfless expression of love, but it's a lot harder to love others who struggle with that selflessness. I thought it was one of the more brilliant ways of balancing theme and corporate action figure/stuffed animal interests that I've seen in some time.

I thought it was still a remarkably tight film for Marvel-- every scene has thematic relevance, every scene has payoff in this film (save for the post-credit scenes, but whatever). On top of this, it's very exciting, very funny, and astonishingly well-acted-- it's easy to give Pratt shit for just charming and swaggering his way through films as of late, but he has some tricky tonal shit here that he really nails.

And Drax is maybe the best character in the Marvel Universe-- he embraces how much we love when heroes do stupid and dangerous shit *and* he manages to make us laugh at that impulse.

I've only seen it once, so maybe I'll find some scenes that *don't* work for me-- some of the gags may have been hammered a little hard, but that was true of the first film as well, so I don't mind-- but after one viewing, it seems like this Guardians trilogy might end up the crowning jewel of the MCU. They stand alone, they have very little of the "let's tease the next film" shit, they are beautifully shot, smartly written, badass in their action scenes, and overall immensely rewatchable. I'd put Guardians 1 and 2 above any of the 1 and 2s in the MCU so far.

I actually think it might be better on second viewing because then the audience will actually know what's going on with Ego's kind of seduction of Peter Quill and Yondu's race to save Peter.
On first viewing, the hints were there but Peter and Ego playing father and son felt aimless and, honestly, The Sovereign storyline felt disconnected. I felt like I was switching channels between two different stories.
And Mantis went from almost explaining Ego's evil plot to not doing so for half an act for no real reason. Gamora pretty much literally stumbled upon the answer that finally got Mantis to tell the story she was going to tell Drax.
Plot-wise, you could pretty much cut Nebula out altogether and not make a huge dent in the story.

Thematically, I also felt that it pulled some punches. I'd say the theme was The True Meaning of Family rather than The Love of Family.

Yondu is an interesting case because he's a guy who turned his back on family (Ravagers) by grabbing up Ego's kids, then when he found someone to call his son, he turned his back on his crew, always doing what was best for Quill than what was best for his crew. The film went the easy route by making Taserface a cruel, evil person but within the theme, he and the other Ravagers were 100% right to mutiny - Yondu didn't have their best intentions at heart.

Similarly, I thought the happy hug moment between Gamora and Nebula fell flat because Gamora was pretty much never really a sister to Nebula. Nebula was the wronged party, Gamora has her moment and apologizes... and then lets her sister fly off on a suicide mission vs. Thanos and Gamora goes back to her real family. To fit thematically, there needed to be a confession by Gamora that her family was the Guardians, not Nebula. She should have been sorry for not being the sister she was looking for, not acting like "Ok, NOW I'll be your sister." Again, it's a reason why I think they could have cut Nebula completely. Focus on Gamora struggling with her feeling that she's losing Quill to his father in a sense and have her seeking out the truth about Ego instead of running away from an attack by Nebula.

Again, I enjoyed the movie but I think it would have been better if they had exposed Ego's plot to the audience earlier and they didn't need to have so many layers of "FAMILY THEME!"

it was alright but this sits in the bottom section of Marvel movies for me where the first one is near the top. The first half I didn't enjoy that much. Last battle was pretty good tho, just don't think this movie will hold up well on repeat at all.

The opening battle/dance was perfect.

The effects were out of this world good - this should win a lot of technical awards.

Even the cliched "we're family" and "we're the same" speeches worked well enough.

I really enjoyed it.

First off, bravo (again) to James Gunn for being able to weave so many pieces together in an intricate yet meaningful manner. He utilized the foundation of the first to create the ever-present theme of family and then created multiple other threads to provide depth into each character. The balance of the films are their true strength imo....the humor, the style, the fun action, and the depth.

If the third continues the lineage of the first two, it will be the best trilogy in the Marvel universe. Will definitely watch it again while in theaters.

.
.

"The unexamined life is not worth living." - Plato

Mainly the same stuff everyone has said is what I felt coming out of the theater.

A little too long, so there are some pacing issues, and though 95% of the comedy was on point, they forced a few as well. For instance, the whole Groot finding the object Yondu and Rocket needed gag went on a little long....

But the visuals and some of the shots in the film are freakin' outstanding.

Great entry into the MCU. Well above average, and the MCU just keeps on winning.
______________________________________________________________________________

cscpov.blogspot.com

"There's a fine line between persistence and foolishness..."
-unknown

"To Each His Reach"

.
.

"The unexamined life is not worth living." - Plato

***Spoilers***

Sure, it's brightly colored and set to a light, airy 70’s soft rock soundtrack but this movie is as dark as they come from a storytelling standpoint. It’s not dark from a fantasy standpoint either, as it’s all rooted in very real and relatable human issues. In fact there’s a startling amount of abuse in here that seems to go beyond standard hero/villain dynamics.

-Rocket’s self-loathing. He reminds me a lot of Jackman’s Wolverine in this regard. There’s a depth to his loneliness that comes across very well. He’s essentially a “thing”. A science project. It’s one thing to be different, but to be so consistently reminded of just how different you are, it can make for an incredibly difficult existence.

Like many things in this film, that weight is muted through humor, such as when Mantis mistakes him for a pet dog or when Quill fires off one of the funniest insults in all of the MCU when he calls him a “trash panda”, but those are deep cuts for Rocket.

-The revelation of Yondu trafficking children to be murdered by their father.

-Ego having kids for the sole purpose of furthering his plan of universal genocide and murdering them for being unable or unwilling to serve said purpose.

-Quill is one of those children. Not only that, he finds out pops didn’t just leave his mother… he murdered her.

-The revelation of the extent of the horrific physical and emotional abuse suffered by Nebula as a child and Gamora’s unwitting complicity. Lose a fight, get a body part torn out and replaced with mechanical parts.

-The way the Ravagers treated by baby- toddler?- Groot. It’s awful enough given his inherent cuteness but when you realize Groot is a sentient being and view him the way you would any human child, that’s a gut wrenching scene.

Strip way the bright colors, fun soundtrack and all the jokes and this is an incredibly morbid film. Keep the same story and dialogue for Rocket but replace Bradley Cooper with Jackie Earle Haley and he is, quite literally, a whole different animal.

Frankly this is the template for what a sequel should be.

I see some tepid reviews but this is one of the most multifaceted films in the history of the genre and I think time will be kinder than the initial reviews seem to indicate. Gunn pulls of an incredible elemental balancing act here.

-Everyone got meaningful screen time.

-Multiple threads from the first film got a proper and sensible payoff. I.E, despite Yondu’s status as a villain, Ravagers in both films become increasingly angry at Yondu for being “soft” in the way he deals with Quill and here we see why. He got a well-executed arc that upset me for all the right reasons.

-At least two satisfying redemption arcs that I can think of off top.

-Every character is likable and deeply relatable in ways that, IMO, absolutely surpass their Avengers counterparts. Every character grows from their first iteration to some degree, except perhaps Drax.

This isn’t to say the movie is flawless or above criticism, but there’s an awful lot to gush about. There are plot and story issues but so many elements are so well balanced at such a high level, those flaws look incredibly minor by comparison. It’s easily the best character piece in the MCU and I’m not sure it’s close.

scenes like the opening and Yondu's escape were just exquisitely shot and presented. production design was beautiful as well.

overall a letdown, though. in the first movie the characters were irreverent and funny and lovable -- this time it was if they were self-aware of their reputations, and had to remind everyone how irreverent and funny and lovable they are. which failed.