Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

[Spartan Girl]

Saw it and loved it. I needed lighter fare after Civil War, and this was definitely it. Except for killing off Yondu. :( But he got a helluva funeral.

Baby Groot dancing while the others were fighting the giant monster has to be the funniest opening credits in a long time.

LOL at everything Drax did from bragging about his turd sizes, pranking Mantis by tricking her into petting his "crappy puppy", asking Ego if he had a penis, and him being so blasé about hearing about sex ("My father recounted the story of my conception every winter solstice"). Dave Bautista, you are a treasure.

Rocket is a little a-hole, and I love it.

Funniest sequence had to be Yondu and Rocket trying to get Baby Groot to get the fin. Their reaction to the severed toe was gold. But I'm with them: I don't even wanna know how that happened.

"I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!"

So many cameos! Stallone! Hasslehoff!

Totally knew Ego would be a bad guy just from his name. But giving Peter's mom a tumor?! Messed up.

Teen Groot is the best thing since Baby Groot.

Edited May 6, 2017 by Spartan Girl

[AimingforYoko]

2 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

I also just remembered how sad it was that no one in my theater reacted to Adam in the cut scene. 

Whippersnappers. I'm sure he'll show up in Infinity Wars.

[Silver Raven]

Dammit, this damn movie made me cry. Why did they have to kill off Yondu?

"I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!"

Ego's planet was ugly.  And Young Kurt Russell was perilously close to Uncanny Valley.

But damn it, I loved this thing.

Edited May 6, 2017 by Silver Raven

[MisterGlass]

Saw the movie today and enjoyed it.  Some of the drama was a little one note, and it was a little slow in places.  It wasn’t a thrill ride like the first one but there was a lot that I liked.

Michael Rooker actually won this for me.  Marvel commits to killing another character and it’s someone I liked.  He had a good sendoff though.  I thought there were hints of a paternal relationship to Peter in the first movie, and it worked for me here.  Yondu and Rocket taking out the Ravagers on the ship was a cool scene.  I liked the little insert of Yondu teaching Little Peter to shoot, and the gift of the Zune was great.

I liked that they leaned into Baby Groot in the opening fight scene, and just shamelessly threw the shamelessly cute character into the foreground.  I was laughing so hard when Baby Groot kept trying to fetch the spare fin to the prison cell, and I lost it when he showed up with a severed toe.  I’m a sick person.

Kurt Russell mirrored Chris Pratt’s character well, though I loved David Hasselhoff’s cameo.  I was waiting for him to turn evil, but killing Peter’s mother I didn’t see coming.

Stallone, Ving Rhames and Michelle Yeoh would make some spinoff.

I am perfectly fine with them not tying this into other Marvel movies because I think there is too much of that in the other movies.  The Guardians can just do them.

On 5/5/2017 at 1:42 PM, Demented Daisy said:

1. Peter Quill's mother was 'fridged.

The treatment of the female characters in this film was horrible.

I suppose she was fridged, but I didn't find it egregious here.  I think it's because of the first movie, and Peter coming to terms with her death, and her role in his life.  She wasn't killed specifically to hurt Peter; Ego killed her for his own reasons.  I was glad that Nebula and Gamora spent most of their time together, rather than dwelling so much on Gamora and Peter.  Nebula had some good moments in taking over the Ravager mutiny and exacting a tribute from them, and in wiring herself into the mining ship to power it and take out the enemy ships.  I would like Gamora to take more of a lead in the next one.  The other characters are large than life (and louder in the case of Drax) so it is hard for her to stand out as much.

On 4/30/2017 at 7:59 PM, Danny Franks said:

I think my favourite was "triangle faced monkey"

I laughed but then felt bad because Rocket was feeling his face self-consciously.

[Maelstrom]

I thought this was a blast. The first one was great and so was this one, in a slightly different way. Sequels shouldn't be just bigger redos of the first movie, and I'm so glad that this movie seemed to understand that. Whereas the first one was about strangers coming together, this one was about misfits learning how to be family. I really appreciated the greater focus on character development in this one, instead of the focus most of these blockbusters put on increasingly twisty plots and set pieces that add nothing to the emotional journey of the characters. Kudos, movie, for taking what was ultimately so great about the first one (a bunch of a-holes traveling the galaxy together) and giving us more of it.

2 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Dammit, this damn movie made me cry. Why did they have to kill off Yondu?

"I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!"

I know! Yondu's death gave me the feels, as the kids say. He was a fun side character in the first one, perfectly embodying the unofficial Guardians' creed of being an a-hole but not 100% dick. But here he got a surprisingly meaty arc and I really came around to him. I thought they did a good job of fleshing him out in limited time, tying together his arc with Rocket's (their takeover of the Ravager's ship is one of the most badass scenes in the Marvelverse IMO) and I loved his final scenes with Peter - I only wish we could've gotten more scenes of the two of them together. I've never seen any of Michael Rooker before Guardians, but damn he is impressive. It's a close call, but I think he might've won the movie in my book.

And "I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!" has to be the best line in a movie that's overflowing with quotables. Though "trash panda" has to be a close second. (how many different animals was Rocket called in this? Trash panda, fox, triangle-faced monkey, crabby puppy - I feel like I'm missing one. I have to chuckle that the only one he takes offense to is when Peter calls him a raccoon.)

I also enjoyed Gamora and Nebula's relationship being explored, and look forward to seeing Nebula's inevitable return in Infinity War and/or Guardians 3, whichever comes first. I liked Mantis a lot, since IMO the empath is a trope that's vastly underexplored in most sci-fi/fantasy. Even though Drax came in last in the Emotional Growth Lottery (understandably, since there's only so much time they have to work with) I appreciated that he still had a serious moment or two, such as telling Mantis about his family. Also, hearing Dave Batista laugh makes me laugh every time. He's a comedic gem, he is.

Speaking of comedy, the scene of Baby Groot repeatedly failing to bring Yondu and Rocket the fin was so ridiculously OTT it circled back around to being utterly hilarious. Especially the tangent about hats. And the severed toe. And not to mention the fact that he apparently managed to drag a giant metal desk who knows how far across the ship without crushing or waking the (likely hungover) Ravagers. Though seeing them torment Baby Groot until they made him cry actually kind of broke my heart a little. Yes, I'm a total softie.

On a personal note, I thought the music was much improved from the first one. I spent over a decade working a job that forced me to listen to classic rock radio all day, and have come to hate most of it so much that I can't stand to watch the first Guardians without my finger on the mute button. So I really, really appreciated TPTB using some perhaps lesser-played songs (because if I have to listen the f*cking pina colada song one more time in my life I will go psycho like Drax on the Space Squid.)

Definitely going to have to find a way to see this in the theater again before it's gone.

(ETA - wow, this post turned into a novel)

Edited May 7, 2017 by Maelstrom

[Matt K]

That was easily one of the best superhero movies period.  I found it a significant upgrade from the first movie.  This time most of the characters and villain were relatively fully developed characters.  And as mentioned above, David Batista was MVP of the movie which I did not expect.  And it was funny.  I was laughing throughout the movie (and had trouble stopping when Drax made it clear he's famous for his massive turds).  Ego was a great villain and the Sovereign while not as fleshed out (didn't really need to be) were a hoot, especially the video game sound effects.

Supposedly Adam Warlock is going to be in the next GoG movie, so really looking forward to that.  Oh and I don't know if anyone else had the issue, but for some reason my theater didn't show any previews, it just went right to the Marvel Studios logo (not really an issue as most movies suck, not interested in seeing a preview for the Emoji movie for example).

[absnow54]

5 minutes ago, Maelstrom said:

And "I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!" has to be the best line in a movie that's overflowing with quotables. Though "trash panda" has to be a close second.

These were my top two jokes as well. Number three was Drax musing how Peter's mom had sex with a planet without getting crushed.

I still prefer the first movie over this one, only because I really liked the first one. It was still a worthy sequel, although I found the pacing to be slow in the middle, and realized that I didn't care about Peter's arc at all when they cut back to it after Yondu and Rocket's epic escape. It was nice to see Yondu and Nebula's roles expanded, but cruel to pull out the Cat Stevens in the end. Great, now I have something in my eye again.

[Silver Raven]

Adam Warlock was involved in fighting Thanos, so hopefully he'll be on the side of the Guardians.

[Lugal]

15 minutes ago, Maelstrom said:

how many different animals was Rocket called in this? Trash panda, fox, triangle-faced monkey, crabby puppy - I feel like I'm missing one. I have to chuckle that the only one he takes offense to is when Peter calls him a raccoon.

Trash Panda was awesome. There was also rat, and the exchange where Rocket referred to himself as a raboon then Groot corrects him. I think the Sovereign may have called him something else.

 

16 minutes ago, Matt K said:

Oh and I don't know if anyone else had the issue, but for some reason my theater didn't show any previews, it just went right to the Marvel Studios logo (not really an issue as most movies suck, not interested in seeing a preview for the Emoji movie for example).

You didn't miss much.  I got a preview for the latest transformers movie, The Last Jedi, The Hitman's Bodyguard (which did look kinda funny), marvel's the defenders and Thor Ragnarok (which is way cooler on the big screen)

[starri]

6 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

I laughed at Howard the Duck's cameo but, didn't hear his voice.

"Until you go duck, you're out of luck."

I was very impressed.  It didn't have the shiny newness of the first movie, but kept me thoroughly entertained and had me squarely in the feels at the end.  I was also quite happy to see that they managed to give emotional arcs to basically all of our heroes, and still not short-change Mantis, Nebula, or Yondu in the process.  And Marvel has been hurting for villains in general, and Ego turned out to be a great one.

My husband, a bit of a curmudgeon, laughed throughout the entire movie, and even gave me a "Well, it was better than the first one."

[benteen]

1 hour ago, Silver Raven said:

Adam Warlock was involved in fighting Thanos, so hopefully he'll be on the side of the Guardians.

More than that, he was basically the commanding officer in the fight against Thanos.

[phalange]

Saw this tonight and absolutely loved it. I think it had a few more serious moments than the first movie, but they worked well. I figured Peter's dad wasn't who he seemed to be, but him so nonchalantly saying he was the one who caused Peter's mom to get sick was shocking. Yondu dying was something else I didn't see coming, and I teared up when all the different factions of Ravagers showed up to honor him. I also loved all the scenes with Gamora and Nebula and I'm really glad we got see more of their relationship in this one. Nebula revealing that what she really wanted this whole time was for Gamora to treat her like a sister was really sad. 

Like most everyone, "I'm Mary Poppins, y'all" was probably my favorite line. Rocket being offended, not at being called a "trash panda," but simply a "raccoon" was great, as was him telling Groot, "We need to have a talk about your language." I liked Peter being all impressed that the Zune holds 300 songs. At the end of that scene, someone in my theater loudly whispered, "What's a Zune?"

And of course, Baby Groot stole the show. His dancing in the beginning when everyone else was fighting the alien, how he kept waving to his friends, his hatred of hats, the severed toe, and somehow dragging an entire desk across the ship without waking anyone. It was a sweet little moment at the end when he sat with Peter and listened to the music. Angsty Teenage Groot playing video games and leaving his room a mess was hilarious. 

[starri]

4 hours ago, phalange said:

Like most everyone, "I'm Mary Poppins, y'all" was probably my favorite line.

"Ow! My nipples!"

[Morrigan2575]

9 hours ago, Lugal said:

 

9 hours ago, Matt K said:

  Oh and I don't know if anyone else had the issue, but for some reason my theater didn't show any previews, it just went right to the Marvel Studios logo (not really an issue as most movies suck, not interested in seeing a preview for the Emoji movie for example).

You didn't miss much.  I got a preview for the latest transformers movie, The Last Jedi, The Hitman's Bodyguard (which did look kinda funny), marvel's the defenders and Thor Ragnarok (which is way cooler on the big screen)

That's so wild. I had so many previews I lost track

Valarian and the 1000 Worlds, Transformers, The Kingsman, The Mummy, Thor: Ragnorok, Spider-man: Homecoming, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Dunkirk, a 2 minute sneak peek at the new Pirates (which won me over).

I think I'm missing 1 or 2 trailers.

[VCRTracking]

4 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

Valarian and the 1000 Worlds, Transformers, The Kingsman, The Mummy, Thor: Ragnorok, Spider-man: Homecoming, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Dunkirk, a 2 minute sneak peek at the new Pirates (which won me over).

I had the same trailers at my theater. I think it was 25 minutes after the official time the movie started!

[starri]

I think I got Transformers, Kingsman, Thor, Spider-Man, Last Jedi, Mummy, and Wonder Woman.

My husband said the movie actually started twenty minutes after the scheduled start time.

[theredhead77]

I'm not a comic book person, don't know the mythology behind this series and only saw the original because my ex had it at home and knew I loved Chris Pratt. I loved vol.2. It was a fanatic adventure. I laughed, I cried, I squeeded and I swooned.

Stallone threw me off. I'm super bummed I missed John Crichton Cameron Mitchell Ben Browder.

I presume Baby Groot is in the comics and damn, he just screams marketing tool, but I want a Baby Groot. Can someone refresh my memory about why he only says I am Groot? I recall it being in GotG but my Google skills are broken. I did find out that Vin Diesel did the voice, pretty much unaltered. 

[Danny Franks]

15 hours ago, MisterGlass said:

 

I laughed but then felt bad because Rocket was feeling his face self-consciously.

That just made me laugh even more. Rocket is one of those characters who is so bombastic and outwardly sure of himself, that he's never funnier than when people are poking fun at him. I say this even recalling how it upsets him deep down, to be seen as "a thing" or an animal. I suppose he's not dissimilar to the rest of them, in that he has plenty of issues under the surface that are still used as fodder for jokes.

Also, I laughed because the best Nebula could manage was "triangle faced". It's like she wasn't even insulting him, just describing him.

10 hours ago, phalange said:

 I also loved all the scenes with Gamora and Nebula and I'm really glad we got see more of their relationship in this one. Nebula revealing that what she really wanted this whole time was for Gamora to treat her like a sister was really sad. 

This thread was one of my favourite bits of the movie. I really liked Nebula in the first one, and liked her even more here. Yes, she's a psychopath who resorts to violence as her first choice at nearly every occasion, but Karen Gillan gives her so much personality. Being Thanos' daughter must be bad enough, what with him having killed her family and with him torturing her mentally and physically, until she was little more than a killing machine must be bad enough, but then it's also clear to her that she's not even Thanos' favourite or most valued daughter/killing machine. 

But she also interacts well with the other members of the crew. Her constant eye-rolling, sneering reactions to Drax or Rocket being idiots were great.

[Robert Lynch]

This movie was top-notched all around. The music, the action, the characters...just everything. Not to mention how much I enjoyed more than the 1st one. But even as I am typing this, do you think Stan Lee will have the same longevity like Betty White has? I surely hope so. 

[starri]

5 minutes ago, Robert Lynch said:

But even as I am typing this, do you think Stan Lee will have the same longevity like Betty White has?

She's only about a year older than he is.

[Grumpymonkey]

I liked this one better than the first. Both are great movies, but I'd go back and see this one in the theater again I had such a good time. Enjoyed all the characters, liked them all being more fleshed out. It was visually a stunning film, good music, funny and hit all the right emotional notes for me. Well done. 

[Racj82]

On Fri May 05 2017 at 1:42 PM, Demented Daisy said:

Really disappointed.  Mileage varies and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but these were the problems I had with the film:

1. Rocket steals from the people who hired them.  The female leader of the planet spends the rest of the film trying to get their goods returned and she is portrayed as a villain for doing so.  
2. Either stripper or prostitute fembots, I couldn't figure out which.
3. Quill gets angry with Gamora for, essentially, friendzoning him.
4. One of the sources of comedic relief is a male character constantly berating a female character for her hideous appearance, even going so far as to almost becoming physically ill when he imagines having a sexual relationship with her.  One of the biggest laughs in my theatre was when he said that she was beautiful... on the inside.
5. Nebula has hated Gamora for years because Thanos made them fight each other and Gamora always won.  Thanos then punished/improved Nebula.  But she always blamed her sister instead of her father.
6. Peter Quill's mother was 'fridged.

The treatment of the female characters in this film was horrible.

1. No one is ever okay with Rocket stealing the batteries. Nobody. Those people are never portrayed as villains. No one is ever mad at them for them actions because they are justified. They just happen to also be opposition to our heroes. Who as we already established are the worst heroes ever.

2. I don't care about this one way or the other.

3. Quill never got angry about it. He also knew that it was very clear that there is something there between them but he couldn't understand why she was resisting. We as audience members are also curious. My whole thing is just it feels like they were keeping them separated just because. 

4.Drax is a asshole to everybody. This wasn't a new development. The humor came from the fact that he was dead wrong not what he was saying. But, Drax is too crude to not voice his opinions.

5. She does clearly blame thanos. She also blames gamora for not defending her as a sister. Instead of sacrificing a win so her sister wouldn't get hurt she just kept winning. She was in too much pain to see gamora's side of it and sibling issues are rarely logical. Their arc wasn't about thanos it was about the sisters. They obviously both hate thanos for everything he did. If she didn't blame thanos she wouldn't be headed to kill him.

6. I hate this term as a catch all term in general. Starlord as a character exists because of the loss of his mother and his father not being around. It's not just about a woman being fridged. If he wasn't a loner he wouldn't be who he was when we first met him. 

The whole movies explores the emotions the everyone fights to show in the movie and how they deal with them. Drax is fueld by his pain even though he can't show it like a normal person. He was also raised to be literal but never seemed to learned normal emotions or how to express them. Rocket acts out over his jealousy and trust issues. Gamora remains closed off. All nebula knows how to do is fight to express her pain. Yondu knows better than what he shows of himself but felt too far gone to change. Etc. Etc.

Ego has none of these issues. So, the moment anyone of these issues blocks his goals, he is unable to process them. He just removes the problem. Love is a problem. He knows no better. The guardians would be bad people without each other. For Peter, his mother was everything. For who, she was a distraction. It's truly sad but it also shows how our experiences and the people in our lives shape who we are and the absence of those things creates evil. That's what I saw when I watched the movie instead of just whether or not another female character was killed. 

[revbfc]

I wasn't surprised at all that Ego was responsible for Meredith's brain tumor.  I assumed as much after the last movie.  What I was surprised by was finding out that Ego did it on purpose.

[VCRTracking]

1 hour ago, Racj82 said:

3. Quill never got angry about it. He also knew that it was very clear that there is something there between them but he couldn't understand why she was resisting. We as audience members are also curious. My whole thing is just it feels like they were keeping them separated just because. 

She also threatened to break Mantis' jaw if she touched her and knew her feelings, so it isn't just Peter. She's hostile towards anybody when they try to get her to open up.

Quote

I hate this term as a catch all term in general. Starlord as a character exists because of the loss of his mother and his father not being around. It's not just about a woman being fridged. If he wasn't a loner he wouldn't be who he was when we first met him. 

The more appropriate trope is "Death By Origin Story". Other examples are Batman, Spider-Man, Superman, Daredevil, etc.  "Stuffed in a Fridged" is a term where the villain deliberately kills someone close to the hero just to hurt them.

Edited May 7, 2017 by VCRTracking

[starri]

I thought Zoe Saldana, who I like, even if she's not the most charismatic actress, was a lot more open this time.  Possibly because Gamora actually got stuff to do.

And the scenes between Gamora and Nebula were so CLOSE to passing the Bechdel test.

[Grace19]

On 5/6/2017 at 2:51 AM, peridot said:

My theater cracked up when they did referenced the 360 hero-view from the Avengers, and a huge boulder knocked out Mantis. 

She's one tough cookie.

This scene killed me, lmao

[tennisgurl]

I absolutely loved it! I adored the first movie, and while that one had a faster paced plot and seemed more fresh and original, I thought this one also improved on the first movie in many ways, and I came away desperately wanting to see it again. Most importantly, it did what a sequel is supposed to do, it expanded the story and the universe, and showed that the characters had developed, while allowing them to develop further.  

I thought that Ego was actually one of the best villains Marvel has had in ages, with a really unique backstory and goals, and managed to actually be both charming AND scary. His speech about killing all of Peters half siblings was chilling as hell, and his powers were really cool to watch. I knew he was bad news, no matter how nice he seemed to be at first. The whole time he and Peter were bonding, I was like "Don't get too attached Peter, your dad basically has SUPERVILLIAN tattooed across his forehead".

Damn it, Yondu dying hit me right in the feels. MR was awesome, and I'm glad they gave her more to do this movie, even if they had to go and kill him off. He wasn't just Blue Space Merle this time around, even though I liked him a lot in the first movie too. I'm super glad they delved more into Peter and Yondu`s father/son relationship that was more strongly implied in the last movie. He didn't seem like he was exactly a good parent, but he did clearly love Peter as his own, and did as well as he could as an asshole space pirate. Plus, we got more Space Kirk! Awesome!

Speaking of bigger parts, we got more Nebula, which was awesome to see, and she and Gamora got to work out their sister issues, at least a bit. I'm glad they had most of Gamoras plot being about her sisterly relationship with Nebula, and not her romance with Peter. That being said, I did enjoy the slow burn on Peter/Gamora, I think they have lots of chemistry. I think that if Peter really though that Gamora didn't have romantic feelings for him, he would back off and just hit on space babes all the time, but its just so obvious that she is into him, and he's confused as to why she wont take their relationship further. But she has trouble opening up to people, so, it was really nicer for her to just put her arm around him at the end instead of a kiss.

Peter was just having a fuck of a day. Chased around by assholes, his ship got crashed, he finally found his dad, only to discover that his dad is a monster who killed countless people, including his mom, the has to kill his evil bio dad, then watches his adopted dad die. At least he got some new tunes! Chris Pratt is hilarious, and thought he did a good job with more dramatic scenes too.

Drax is a treasure. He is mainly a source of hilarious lines, but he also had some nice dramatic beats, and I liked his friendship with Mantis. Speaking of, Mantis was fun, and I think she will be a nice addition to the team. While most of the team is snarky or belligerent (except for Goot), she seems sweet and sheltered. I also think she could have an interesting relationship with Peter, considering she was raised by his bio dad, making them kind of adopted siblings in the way that Nebula and Gamora are, just they didn't grow up together.

I haven't even gotten to all my thoughts on the movie yet, but I will have more later, I'm sure, but it was super great, I still love the characters, and it was a ton fun, while also having some great emotional moments and character beats. You got me again, Marvel.

Edited May 7, 2017 by tennisgurl

[starri]

"I finally found my family."

"I thought you already had."

<sniff>

[tennisgurl]

Also appreciated? That totally plot relevant scene of Peter taking his shirt off to change into another shirt near the beginning, with the camera lovingly focusing on Chris Pratts very impressive abs. Say what you will about Marvel, they are consistently equal opportunity when it comes to shameless fanservice.

[Spartan Girl]

21 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Also appreciated? That totally plot relevant scene of Peter taking his shirt off to change into another shirt near the beginning, with the camera lovingly focusing on Chris Pratts very impressive abs. Say what you will about Marvel, they are consistently equal opportunity when it comes to shameless fanservice.

Except we have only seen Chris Evans shirtless in only one movie. Seriously, next Avengers movie, have Cap lose his virginity so he can finally take his shirt off again!!

[Morrigan2575]

2 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Except we have only seen Chris Evans shirtless in only one movie. Seriously, next Avengers movie, have Cap lose his virginity so he can finally take his shirt off again!!

Here here. Although Civil War did give us that glorious bicep porn shot ?

[tennisgurl]

They have been kind enough to only give poor Steve shirts that are WAY too tight for him for quite some time now :)

[VCRTracking]

The fruit thing with Nebula still makes me laugh. I saw the payoff coming a mile away but I still loved how she acted all badass with "Hello boys." ate the fruit and immediately spit it out and said "It wasn't ripe". It's one of her few funny moments.

The line reading  "I'm gonna build some weird shit!" is one of the reasons I'm grateful they cast Chris Pratt in this part.

Edited May 7, 2017 by VCRTracking

[Lantern7]

Good movie. Not sure if it was a half-star better or worse than the original. I will say that the letdown isn't as present as it was for Iron Man, Thor, and The Avengers. I mean, everybody's more quippy, and a lot is put on Groot's tiny shoulders, but it's still fun.

Anybody else think that this took place a short time after the original GotG? We went from "1980" to "34 Years Later," so that's where my mind went. Meaning that when the Avengers eventually go to space, the Guardians could look a lot different. Minimum, Groot would look like something voiced by Vin Diesel. I don't want to think about Teenage Groot. "What th- . . . sap?!? Man, that's what we have bathrooms for!!"

Also: if the story is set in 2014, you think the gang from Agents of SHIELD got involved? I imagine Phil Coulson leading a convoy to where energy readings were detected, see the giant blob, say, "Hell, no, I ain't dying again," and hauled ass away.

Nice for the writers to try and make Ego into a flesh-and-blood character, especially that the canon is a planet with a beard. Does Kurt Russell qualify as being anywhere near the same league as Tom Hiddleston? I mean, Ego was a good villain. What I didn't need to see was graphics of his many, many couplings.

Thought: if Doctor Strange was Green Lantern done right, you think maybe this was a jab at Ang Lee and Hulk? I liked that movie, but Peter battling his  ludicrously-powered father? You gotta think. And maybe Rocket's a fill-in for the Hulk Dogs. Okay, probably not.

RIP Yondu. Didn't think the fin was removable. Now I'm wondering how much fanart there will be of Norman Reedus painted blue and red. Here's a poster I made back in 2014 using the motivation engine:

While I'm posting stuff, maybe you can help me. Last week, I went to a comic show and got a GotG-themed mystery pack. Who is this supposed to be? I thought it was Ayesha, but it's not gold.

As for the multiple endings: I knew about "Adam," though I'm not really into the heavy space opera characters. Didn't recognize that Sly's pals are based off the original Guardians, even though they predate the popular versions by at least three decades. Michelle Yeoh, Ving Rhames, and the least embarrassing Lex Luthor of the 21th Century?!? Dang. And we got Watchers! I mean, their heads weren't huge, but maybe they're supposed to look like the original did in the Galactus/Silver Surfer arc in Fantastic Four. I feel bad that they gotta listen to Stan ramble.

ETA: If you get a "Pint-Sized Hero" pack, there is a 1-in-24 chance of getting Taserface. Just thought y'all should know. I got a Rocket (1/12) yesterday. As luck would have it, I already had another raccoon-based hero on my desk.

[Grace19]

This movie is so much fun, I think I love it more than the first one which was among my top three marvel movies.

The thing I loved most about this is that the team felt so much like a family, it was believable and natural the way they fight and make up. I didn't just love the guardians, I also loved and enjoyed all supporting characters including Yandu's right-hand man. Lots of funny, heart-warming and heartbreaking moments.

Peter was as awesome as always.

Gamora and Nebula; I loved that Gunn explored there relationship more, Nebula broke my heart when she told Gamora that she jut wanted a sister. I liked Nebula in the first movie, but I loved her here. I'm glad she wasn't killed off, I hope she joins the team in volume 3.

Rocket always pull at my heartstrings, I couldn't help simultaneously laughing at him and getting offended on his behalf with the names everyone kept calling him. I was touched when he shot Gamora and said he was not ready to loose two friends.

Drax and Mantis were so entertaining, they make a good pair. Drax didn't get much to do this time around, but I enjoyed his character.

I didn't love or hate Yandu in volume 1, but I came to care about him here and it broke my heart when he died.

Ego was great, one of marvel's best villains. Russel killed it. even though he appeared mostly in human form, I never felt for once that he was human. He was so alien, even more so than green Gamora or drax. the way he just carelessly mentioned klling Peter's mom was chilling, like he couldn't comprehend why peter was upset. Great acting.

Last but not the least, Groot. I looooove baby groot, I just want to steal him away from the guardians and keep him forever. He was so adorable.

Funniest scenes for me were

Groot dancing
When Groot brought the severed toe, I almost died laughing.
When the camera did a 360 degrees and Mantis get knocked down on her ass
Drax wondering how Ego impregnated Peter's mom
I am Mary Poppins y'all

This movie is all around fun. Marvel is not easing up at all, they want to keep me their bitch forever. Bring in Spider-man: Homecoming.

[Maelstrom]

Lantern7, James Gunn has said in interviews that Vol. 2 is set about two months after the first movie, hence Groot still being a baby and the team still figuring out how to work together. IIRC, when the Guardians appear in Infinity War next year, it will be set currently, in 2018, so there will have been four years between the events of Vol. 2 and whatever goes down in Infinity War.

[Racj82]

As much as enjoy the fast and the furious franchise, they don't have shit on the guardians in terms of making a crew of outcasts your family. This is family. They all have binds with one another and bicker often but reasons other than just because they need a joke. Half of the furious gang barely talk to one another. This is a real makeshift family.

[Danny Franks]

50 minutes ago, Maelstrom said:

Lantern7, James Gunn has said in interviews that Vol. 2 is set about two months after the first movie, hence Groot still being a baby and the team still figuring out how to work together. IIRC, when the Guardians appear in Infinity War next year, it will be set currently, in 2018, so there will have been four years between the events of Vol. 2 and whatever goes down in Infinity War.

Well that's yet another reason to be annoyed at Marvel's determination to force everything into a single, bloated climax of a movie. Four years? Four fucking years of the Guardians adventuring, bonding, arguing and doing stupid stuff, and they'll skip it all just so they can shove a dozen other characters into one movie?

The worst movies Marvel have put out have been the big, central ones. Age of Ultron and Civil War were both badly conceived and overstuffed, leaving me with a bitter aftertaste. There's no way they'll pull off the trick when they're shoehorning all the Avengers and Spider-Man and Ant-Man and Doctor Strange and probably Captain Marvel into one movie, alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy and Adam Warlock. Sigh. 

[Racj82]

21 minutes ago, Danny Franks said:

Well that's yet another reason to be annoyed at Marvel's determination to force everything into a single, bloated climax of a movie. Four years? Four fucking years of the Guardians adventuring, bonding, arguing and doing stupid stuff, and they'll skip it all just so they can shove a dozen other characters into one movie?

The worst movies Marvel have put out have been the big, central ones. Age of Ultron and Civil War were both badly conceived and overstuffed, leaving me with a bitter aftertaste. There's no way they'll pull off the trick when they're shoehorning all the Avengers and Spider-Man and Ant-Man and Doctor Strange and probably Captain Marvel into one movie, alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy and Adam Warlock. Sigh. 

Uhh, what?

Even excluding my own opinions about which marvel movies are better, Thor 2 and Iron man 3 have always been the most poorly received marvel movies over time. They are also super unmemorable. Ultron has its problems but it's not the worst thing they put out and civil war is very well loved. It's not like the movie will Be about all those people. Civil War works because it had a central story about iron man, cap and the winter soldier surrounded by a cast. It had a central focus while ultron was more about set pieces.

[starri]

I also doubt Adam Warlock will be in Infinity War.  That's kind of an intense character to drop into a plot-heavy movie, plus they haven't introduced the Soul Stone yet.  I assume that's coming in Ragnarok.

[MisterGlass]

It makes some sense if this movie is set two months after the first.  Ego wouldn't have wasted time trying to find Peter after the rumored infinity stone incident, and Yondu's crew is still holding a grudge that he let Peter get away scot-free with the infinity stone leaving a troll doll for Yondu as compensation.

The more I think about it the more impressed I am that James Gunn was able to sell them on this awesome character piece.  I liked the movie to start with, and the more I think about it the more I like it.

18 minutes ago, Racj82 said:

Civil War works because it had a central story about iron man, cap and the winter soldier surrounded by a cast.

I'm actually still a little miffed that they made an Avengers movie and called it Captain America 3.  It's fine for what it is, but it wasn't the direct sequel that The Winter Soldier earned.

I do worry about the movies losing individual personalities with the constant team ups. 

4 hours ago, starri said:

And the scenes between Gamora and Nebula were so CLOSE to passing the Bechdel test.

I called them as passing.  They talked about battery theft, unripe fruit, and a cave full of skeletons.

[benteen]

Watching this again on Saturday, I as surprised by just how little action is in this fi, particularly once the Guardians crash land.

Quote

And the scenes between Gamora and Nebula were so CLOSE to passing the Bechdel test.

I call it a complete pass.  She talks to Nebula about family, not whether or not she's hot for Peter.

I got to see all the big coming attractions.  The Mummy, Spider-Man Homecoming, Star Wars The Last Jedi, Thor Ragarnok, Transformers The Last Knight.  I'm glad I didn't see another preview for Dunkirk.  I must have seen that same trailer a dozen ****ing times.

Edited May 8, 2017 by benteen

[Lantern7]

Trailers for me: Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Basically a catalog of Disney's future hits.

I heard somebody suggest a holiday special. Given that Drax is red and green, I welcome that. Would Groot have to be decorated? Would he want that?

ETA: Did a search. The blond mini figure I got is Ayesha. But wasn't she golden-hued throughout the movie?

ETA2: Here are the sketches I got after the original movie. I'm contemplating Canon Ego with Kurt Russell's face. Too weird?

[dwmarch]

I just got a job at my local cable company and because they are awesome and love proving it, they rented two theaters and invited everyone. So I got to see this movie Saturday morning for the price of free and even got a ticket for small items from the concession which basically pays for my Social Club membership for the next six months right there! In any case, as regards the movie:

Baby Groot was awesome. His dance routine at the beginning, his attempts at bringing back the fin, his big bowl of candies and the way each character took turns holding him (with Gamora even cuddling him at one point!). He was weapons-grade adorable. Who would ever have thought a tiny tree could be so awesome?

Yondu was not my favorite character in the first movie but he totally stole this one. Since I love hard takedowns, seeing his arrow slice through most of his old crew was an amazing scene. His funeral brought the tears.

Speaking of all that slicing, my coworkers brought their kids to the movie and I can't help but think this is not a kid-friendly movie. There were some brutal scenes in it like the loyal Ravagers being shoved out an airlock or the mass murder scene that I thought was so cool. Plus you've got Drax asking if ego has a penis (and Ego confirming it!) and a lot of use of adult humor and language. Not kid-friendly at all, unless you want your kid telling people they're a bunch of conceited douchebags and asking them if they have a penis.

I howled at the Zune reference, since I'm one of the six people on Earth who proudly rock a Windows Phone. I'd love it if there was some 90's gangsta rap on there and I'd love to see how Peter Quill reacts to that!

I am having trouble deciding which was funnier, "trash panda" or "I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!"

 

[Proclone]

I really enjoyed the first Guardians, but I honestly thought this one was better.  Ego was certainly a better villain than the Krill, whatever-his-name-was, or even Thanos. I thought Ego was certainly more frightening and way more compelling. While the first one was enjoyable because of the humor and characters, this one had real emotional impact because of Ego's connection to Peter.  I liked that in many ways it was a smaller movie than the first.  Yes, they saved the galaxy again, but it was way more character focused than the first and pretty much all the characters got to grow (maybe not Drax).

I actually really liked Gamora and Nebula and I wasn't a huge fan of either character in the first one.  Gamora just seemed to be a bit of a walking sterotype, bad ass green space chick, and Nebula was just kind of annoying to me.  Gamora seemed more like a complete character in this one while still being a bad ass, and Nebula seemed less like a petulant child and actually had some fun lines.  I liked that they got to explore their relationship.  And the hug at the end actually felt earned.

I didn't particularly like the idea of Gamora and Peter as a couple in the first one, but I thought they had good chemistry in this one.  And I really liked that they showed that Peter shared things with Gamora, the story about Hasslehoff, and the flash of him playing music for her.  It makes they seem more like a real potential couple and not just designated love interests. 

Edited May 8, 2017 by Proclone
hit save too soon

[Bruinsfan]

Yeah, the slow burn is definitely the way to go with this pairing rather than the sudden-makeout-with-your-lost-love's-niece or go-directly-from-flirting-to-breaking-up-over-no-kids/no-future approaches.

[benteen]

10 hours ago, dwmarch said:

 

Speaking of all that slicing, my coworkers brought their kids to the movie and I can't help but think this is not a kid-friendly movie. There were some brutal scenes in it like the loyal Ravagers being shoved out an airlock or the mass murder scene that I thought was so cool. Plus you've got Drax asking if ego has a penis (and Ego confirming it!) and a lot of use of adult humor and language. Not kid-friendly at all, unless you want your kid telling people they're a bunch of conceited douchebags and asking them if they have a penis.

I howled at the Zune reference, since I'm one of the six people on Earth who proudly rock a Windows Phone. I'd love it if there was some 90's gangsta rap on there and I'd love to see how Peter Quill reacts to that!
 

Yeah, I saw kids as young as 4 or 5 when I saw Guardians Vol. 2 and this is definitely not an appropriate movie for them.

I'm not a music person so I totally didn't get the Zune reference.  Though now that I understand it, it's quite funny.

I wonder if there are still any spawn of Ego that he hasn't killed and if Peter will meet a half-sibling in a future movie.  In the comics, he has a half-sibling but his father is the emperor of a galactic empire.

[tennisgurl]

Its totally obvious that Tim Gunn was inspired by Farscape, so it was really appropriate that Ben Browder had a cameo here. I think its most obviously shown in the Gamora/Peter relationship, which has a lot in common with the John/Aeryn relationship. I mean, we have goofy but badass pop culture loving Earth guy who thinks with his heart, and stoic badass alien woman who rolls her eyes at Earth guys antics while pretending not to find him charming, kicks ass, and was raised to be a soldier, only to rebel and fall in with a rag tag bunch of criminals. Its not a perfect comparison (Peter isn't a fish out of water in space like John, as he's been in space since he was a kid, and isn't fully human, and Gamora is more obviously alien and actually WANTED to rebel) but its totally there. Granted, Peter and Gamora aren't anywhere CLOSE to the epic love of John/Aeryn, but its only been two movies, maybe they will get close eventually.

[Proclone]

On 5/5/2017 at 1:42 PM, Demented Daisy said:

Really disappointed.  Mileage varies and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but these were the problems I had with the film:

1. Rocket steals from the people who hired them.  The female leader of the planet spends the rest of the film trying to get their goods returned and she is portrayed as a villain for doing so.  
2. Either stripper or prostitute fembots, I couldn't figure out which.
3. Quill gets angry with Gamora for, essentially, friendzoning him.
4. One of the sources of comedic relief is a male character constantly berating a female character for her hideous appearance, even going so far as to almost becoming physically ill when he imagines having a sexual relationship with her.  One of the biggest laughs in my theatre was when he said that she was beautiful... on the inside.
5. Nebula has hated Gamora for years because Thanos made them fight each other and Gamora always won.  Thanos then punished/improved Nebula.  But she always blamed her sister instead of her father.
6. Peter Quill's mother was 'fridged.

The treatment of the female characters in this film was horrible.

1. It was acknowledged in the movie that Rocket was an ass for stealing the batteries, but the Sovereign didn't just pursue the Guardians in an attempt to get their property back or even to serve justice. They reckless chased them and risked all their ships to kill them because they felt slighted.  Not exactly a noble bunch either.  And they weren't trying to get their goods back, they expressly say that they are perfectly willing to blow up the batteries (and their fleet with them) to kill Rocket and the rest of the crew.

2. I'm not sure what the problem is?  That robot space prostitutes exist in this universe?  That scene was about two seconds long, and we know nothing about the circumstances.  The robot certainly didn't seemed like she was being abused, she seemed bored if anything.

3. I never really read Peter as angry exactly, just frustrated.  Gamora did seem to run a bit hot and cold at times, so I can't completely blame him. 

4. Once again I'm not sure what the problem is?  And alien character has a different beauty ideal and no filter.  Besides the joke is how much of an asshole Drax is without realizing it.  It's not really a commentary of Mantis's character at all IMO.  It's just another variation of the joke of him being so blunt, just like him telling Peter he needs to find someone as pathetic as he is.  And maybe I'm really weird but I found Drax's "You're beautiful...on the inside," both funny and kind of sweet since you know he absolutely means it.

5. This oddly felt very true to life to me.  Abused children often identify with their abuser.  Instead of seeing Thanos' actions as evil and abusive, Nebula blames her sister, never acknowledging that Gamora was just as abused as she was.  Like I said in my other post, I was really glad to see them work on some of their issues and I liked the hug at the end.

6. I wouldn't call it 'fridged really.  If Gamora was killed to spur Peter into some sort of action then I'd say she was 'fridged and I'd be pissed.  On the other hand, Peter's mother being dead wasn't something new and I always figured that being with Peter's father had something to do with it (I assumed just being close to him might have caused cancer, not he necessarily caused intentionally) to begin with, so I don't see the reveal of Ego killing her as such a shock.  Plus I like that Peter seems to be one of few superheros who's hung up on his mother's death instead of a father figure's. 

You're certainly entitled to feel how you feel about the movie, that just my take on your points.  I also think that everyone has to realize that these characters are thieves and assassins that have come together.  They are morally grey character to begin with.  They'll always be a shade or two lighter than the villains but they aren't meant to be shinning examples of moral superiority, unlike some other superheros are.  And while the movies do want you generally to root for them, I don't think either movie expects or even wants you to think their every action is right or good.

[Unusual Suspect]

Well, I've had Fleetwood Mac on endless loop since I got home from the movie.

This was a very satisfying sequel that added texture to the first movie. It was gloriously colourful, moving and funny. I love these a-holes.