Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 releases in theatres nationwide this upcoming weekend (May 5th, 2017) and I was lucky enough to watch an early screening of it! The many perks of having worked at a movie theatre is having the opportunity to watch employee screenings before they are released to the public. I promise there are no spoilers that aren’t already known from the movie trailers. Based on the Marvel Comic written by Arnold Drake and drawn by Gene Colan, Guardians of the Galaxy is an action-packed comedy about a man named Peter Quill (played by Chris Pratt) who was abducted from earth as a child from space pirates led by Yondu Udonta (played by Michael Rooker). Twenty-six years later Peter steals an orb that is assumed to be very valuable and Yondu sets a bounty on him for his capture. Another character named Ronan sends an assassin named Gamora after the orb as well. In this across the galaxy man-hunt, Peter (who insists being called Star-Lord) acquires unlikely companionship with four different misfits of the universe becoming the “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
The sequel opens with a battle against the guardians and what looks like a space monster. Peter, Gamora, Rocket Raccoon, Drax and baby Groot are back! Fighting off monsters of the galaxy and listening to sweet tunes from the 1980s. In the first movie, there is no mention of Peter’s Father and only his mother. Questions are answered in the sequel and Peter finally learns about his father who is surprisingly well-known among the galaxy. There have been hints of foreshadowing sprinkled throughout the first movie and the official trailer reveals a family reunion between father and son. One of the biggest themes in the story line is family – no matter what race (humans, aliens, or raccoons), disagreement, or problem any of them have, they will always band together as a family and kick galactic butt. Sequels don’t necessarily have the best track record for matching the glory of the original but GOTG Vol 2 was still very entertaining to watch.
After the initial excitement of seeing some of my favorite characters on the big screen again, some of the story arcs didn’t seem to fit along with the plot. It just seemed like they threw something in there as filler and as a viewer, it just seemed pointless and confusing. The beauty of Guardians is that they do offer multiple story arcs within the main plot but some just fall out of line. There are characters that join the rag tag group of guardians we all know and love, including Yondu and Nebula who were initially enemies in the first film and a new character named Mantis. She is just as clueless with the intricacies of social interaction and social cues as Drax, which makes for hilarious dialogue. Baby Groot is just as cute as ever and the team combined makes a big, hilarious, dysfunctional, galactic family. There is even a cameo of Howard the Duck in the movie instead of the post-credit scenes this time! Overall, the film is worth the watch if you’re a fan of the first and you’re guaranteed to have more than a few laughs.
Photo Courtesy of Marvel Studios
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Linda Page
Student Author - Spring 2017
Linda Page is a Senior at Gulf Coast State College and is pursuing her B.A.S in the Digital Media Program. She will be graduating in the fall and could not be more excited for what lies ahead. Linda decided to study Digital Media because she has a desire to pursue a career in the ever-growing technology field. Digital Media is so multifaceted and is perfect for someone who is interested in various aspects of technology like Linda. After graduation, she hopes to travel the world and find a job that suits her. In her spare time, she loves improving her photography skills, eat all the food she possibly can and binge watch netflix originals.
