Friday, August 11, 2017

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Vol. 2 Lands At Home



Jeri Jacquin

Finally arriving on 4K Ultra HD, Bluray, DVD and Digital is our favorite heroes as writer/director James Gunn, Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Pictures bring GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Vol. 2!

Zipping through the galaxy once again being heroes, Peter Quill aka Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Baby Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) are helping Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki) keep their power source from being stolen.

After an epic saving, their reward is the one thing Gamora has been wanting – her sister Nebula (Karen Gillan). On their way out the door, Rocket can’t help but grab a few power capsules thinking no one will miss them.


Not even out of range, Ayesha and her people attack Quill’s ship and they may not get a chance to jump through space. That is until an unusual craft assists them right before they manage to escape only to crash land tearing up the ship. Moments later, the same craft lands as Ego (Kurt Russell) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) introduce themselves.

Shocking Quill a tad is the announcement that Ego is his father. Trying to explain everything, Ego convinces Quill to come with him where all will be revealed. Taking Drax and Gamora, Rocket stays behind to repair the ship and babysit Nebula.

Also looking for the guardians is Yondu (Michael Rooker) as Ayesha makes it known she wants them all. Even that goes into chaos when Yondu and Rocket come together to put a traitorous band in its place.

Landing on Ego’s planet, it is a beautiful place and the story of what happened between Ego and Peter’s mother Meredith is explained. Peter also learns that he is the son of a god with powers he can call upon. Gamora knows there is something not right about it all, especially with Mantis seemly secretive.


As the story begins show its true meaning, Peter is joined by Gamora, Rocket, Yondu and Nebula along with Baby Groot to set things right again but not without great cost.

That’s not about to stop the Guardians!

Pratt as Quill has this role down to perfection. He covers everything from a hero to a kid needing to know who his father is and everything in between. With his Guardian family he knows they accept him for all his idiosyncrasies and the penchant for his mixed tapes (which we all are!). I just love watching Pratt go for it every moment he is on screen and listening to everyone cheer for their favorite Star-Lord.

Saldana as Gamora is keeping her emotions in check with Quill and even more so with a sister who is driving her crazy. Trusting her instincts about everything she gang is going through, it becomes clear that the history with Nebula is something that has always needed to be talked about. Oh sisters – they can hate each other but one good brawl always sets things right.

Cooper voicing Rocket is arrogant, guarded, hilarious and yet has a soft spot for all his guardian buddies. He may be a Guardian but he still has his old habits that need to be kicked. Diesel as the voice of Baby Groot, I mean really, what else can be said here about the awesomeness that is Groot. “I am Groot” – we’re done!


Bautista as Drax has a chance to really show serious comedy here although what he laughs at isn’t as funny until he laughs about it. He is the powerhouse the group needs and he doesn’t hesitate to stand up for his buddies. I love the scenes between Drax and Mantis. Klementieff as Mantis is endearing, sweet and giggly funny.

Debicki as Ayesha is clearly a woman who has anger and power issues. Gillan as Nebula tries to work on her anger issues but when you’ve been angry as long as she has, it’s difficult.

Rooker as Yondu brings his blue-ness back to irritate Quill and the gang. It is the scenes with Yondu and Rocket that are pretty amazing. This is a role that looks so easy for Rooker to play because he has a swagger that is distinctive and an attitude that would give anyone pause.

Russell as Ego is always a thrill to see. Nothing seems to be slowing this actor down and being the god/father to Quill finally gets to tell the whole story – and I mean the whole story. Russell gives us the charm and flashy smile to bring us into his world and I don’t mind visiting at all.


Other cast include Sean Gunn as Kraglin, Tommy Flanagan as Tullk, Laura Haddock as Meredith Quill, Chris Sullivan as Taserface and Sylvester Stallone as Stakar Ogord.

Marvel Studios has released sixteen films since 2008 in what is known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel is built on a library of over eight thousand characters featured in a variety of media content for over seventy years. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.marvel.com.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Vol. 2 is a five tubs of popcorn out of five film. I mean seriously, would you expect anything less? I am not always on board to all things in the Marvel Universe but the Guardians franchise is definitely worth every second on screen.

This ensemble has brought a uniqueness that I enjoy with characters that are relatable with their flaws, awesome in their survival/fighting skills, care for one another, humor and how each one protects Baby Groot. Come on, you know that’s cute! The special effects are just amazing and add to the story instead of being used to just dazzle.


It must be said that the soundtrack for GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Vol. 2 is just as frakken awesome as the first film. There is no way, absolutely no way to not tap a foot or even sing along because each song fits the scene perfectly. It adds to the fun as if the film needed any but I’ll take it!

I don’t know what you are doing this weekend but if it’s not seeing GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Vol. 2 on Bluray, DVD and Digital HD then you must be in a coma! This film is funny, action packed, endearing, hilarious, and yes Baby Groot steals every scene he is in – I mean is that shocking? Hardly.

The Bluray, DVD and Digital HD include the Bonus Extras of Guardians Inferno Music Video – join David Hasselhoff and special guests for a galactic ‘70s disco dance party, and Hilarious Deleted Scenes, Outrageous Gag Reel.


Also Bonus Round: The Making of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Vol. 2A four-part behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film with The Director’s Chari with James Gunn, Reunion Tour: The Music of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Vol. 2, Living Planets and Talking Trees: The Visual Effects of Vol. 2, Showtime: The Cast of Vol. 2 and finally the Audio Commentary by director James Gunn.

In the end – you only get one chance to save the galaxy twice!


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