WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
It's time. It's officially here. I went on opening night to see the Guardians of the Galaxy double bill which didn't get me home till 3 in the morning. It's taken me a week to write this post just wrapping my head around the movie I have been waiting three years for. The original Guardians of the Galaxy was a shock to the system, nobody knew what to expect. It became an instant classic and a revelation and even propelled Chris Pratt into leading roles. Years ago, these kind of comic book/sci-fi movies would not have came close to the highest grossing movie of the year and now it's what people spend their year counting down to. James Gunn has successfully brought a rather unseemly group of thieves to the forefront of the MCU and for a movie to follow that amount of success is a lot of pressure. However he managed to create an '80s light-and-laser show combined with a nerdy party with rude ass jokes and an adorable as hell baby Groot and all the Fleetwood Mac that was missing from the Marvel Universe. Arguably one of the best movies in the entire MCU as it focuses on it's character development with a genuinely moving emotional arc instead of prepping the future of the Marvel Universe. Without further ado, let's dive into the movie!
In the opening scene we are introduced to Kurt Russell as Peter Quill's dad and we get to see Laura Haddock reprise her role as Peter's mum and we get more of an insight into her character. The scene following this we pick up with the Guardians two months after the events on Zandar. We get to see our favorites back in action with Christ Pratt as Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket, Dave Bautista as Drax and of course Vin Diesel as Baby Groot (obviously digitally edited to make him sound so much cuter). Plus how can you not love an entire opening scene purely dedicated to Baby Groot dancing to ELO's "Mr. Blue Sky". Of course we still get to see Michael Rooker as Yondu and Karen Gillian as Nebula who are both so good in this movie but we are introduced to a few new characters like Taserface and Mantis. Mantis is an empath, hyper-attuned to the feelings of others but her main job is just to help Ego sleep. Since the events of the first movie, Yondu has been exiled by the head of the Ravagers for his intergalactic child trafficking. We have a sub-plot to the movie about Star-Lord and Gamora and their will-they-won't-they relationship. With Gamora's relationship with Quill taking a rather slow pace, her relationship with her sister does at least improve. They might start off literally trying to kill each other they achieve an impressive dramatic resonance. The fact that nebula is revealed to be an enraged, disappointed second child that was desperate to impress her adopted father and sister feels so much more relatable. The breakout character of the movie that I think took most people by surprise is the fleshing out of Yondu. The character who once terrorized Peter Quill's life as a child sacrifices himself to save our Star-Lord. I also really enjoyed seeing his relationship with Rocket develop and break down some of the walls Rocket had been building over the years. Michael Rooker has appeared in every James Gunn movie to date and it is heartbreaking to think he won't be a part of the next installment, here's hoping he'll be back as a flashback. With so much going on in this movie, it's amazing how James Gunn was able to develop each character individually as well as the group dynamic.
The story mainly focuses on Star-Lord slowly embracing Ego as his long lost father, whose absence is what made Peter into everything he is as a person. Kurt Russell is so perfectly cast it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role, not only that, he actually looks like he could be related to Chris Pratt. Russell's persona has perfectly been integrated into the character of Ego and only elevated it to make him a god. He makes the perfect villain compared to Ronan in the last movie, when I first watched it most of my theories played out but as soon as I watched Ego reveal he's been fathering kids all over the galaxy and even KILLED PETER'S MUM I was genuinely shocked. The lesser of the villains in my opinion but at least made it out alive is Ayesha and the Sovereign. I just don't find them intimidating in the slightest, I don't know if it was the comedic value that was added to the characters but at least they don't try to be intimidating like Ronan. It will be interesting to see how the sovereign will be used in future movies, but i'm more interested to see how much more the team can grow rather than them defeating the sovereign.
Since the movie gained a larger budget than the previous one, the visual effects are bigger, better and flashier. We get introduced to even more worlds, blow one up in the process and get a greater vision of the universe that is Marvel. The biggest achievement I believe the movie had with visual effects is of course Baby Groot. We get to see Groot show more emotion than ever without him even saying a word. The audience falls hard for a character that only ever mutters three words but the artists behind Groot make you feel so protective over him.
The fight sequences are elevated to a whole new level, from Yondu killer all of the Ravagers with his arrow to Star-Lord becoming FREAKING PAC-MAN to defeat his dad. We start off seeing the team do what they do best by defeating an inter-dimensional being whilst trying to babysit Groot. The battle scene with the sovereign reminds me of past battles only with the enemy not being in any danger whatsoever. The body count for the movie was surprisingly high for a Marvel movie, especially the scene when the Ravager's are all single handily killed by Yondu.
After waiting for this movie for years, I can say it didn't let me down. The only thing I would say is that when the first movie came out no one expected it to be the hit it was, when the second movie came out everyone expected it to be a huge hit. So I wasn't as surprised with this one as I knew it would be fantastic but that is literally the only negative thing I can say if it can even be considered negative. To top off a perfect movie the fact that the soundtrack features music from my all time favorite band, Fleetwood Mac and many other fantastic songs. The original soundtrack had some surprising songs on it that I didn't expect to become some of my favorite songs of all time. The album for this movie had more songs on it that I recognized so like the movie I wasn't completely surprised but it didn't stop me loving it any less. I am all the more excited to see the team get together with the Avengers and everyone else in Infinity War, just think about Groot interacting with Hulk!
Easter Eggs
When it comes to comic book movie Easter Eggs, it's going to be hard for any other movie to beat Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as there was hidden references around every corner. Unlike the first film, the second installment in the franchise not only has loving touches to show what's coming, but also to pay tribute to what and who was lost. Whether your a die-hard comic fan or just a lover of Star-Lord and the rest of the team, there is Easter Eggs for everyone.
#1 Yondu gets his fin
One aspect of the first film that comic book fans wished was different was Yondu missing his iconic head fin and instead had a red mohawk. We got to see this play out in the new installment as Yondu finally gets to use his prototype fin. It is also revealed that his fin helps control his infamous arrow.
#2 Eternity
This may be an easy one to miss and will most likely go over the heads of regular moviegoers. As Ego attempts to convince Peter to join his mission by a press on his forehead, Peter's eyes are replaced by starscapes, allowing him to see the ends of the universe. whilst Quill is in awe he utters the word "Eternity" which given that he is observing all existence that makes sense. However in the Marvel Comic Universe, "Eternity" is an actual figure, one of a number of beings existing before and beyond all creation. The concept of all time and reality within the universe is embodied by Eternity, representing a cosmic force on a scale few can understand. Since the first movie showed a temple mural depicting Eternity along with Infinity, Entropy and Death surrounding the six Infinity Stones, the chances of Peter just using that word by chance is pretty slim.
#3 Peter's Grandfather
Whilst the blob that is Ego is spreading across Missouri, it lifts up an SUV onto it's front tires and nearly consumes the vehicle with the driver and passenger inside. Luckily they manage to escape as the driver is Peter Quill's grandfather, played by Gregg Henry dawning old age make-up. Gunn has mentioned previously that he wanted to show Peter's grandfather alive and well during the first movie however it is nice to see him in this movie knowing Peter does still have blood relatives living.
#4 Howard the Duck is back!
When fans went to go see the first Guardians movie, the last thing they expected to see during the end credits is Howard the Duck. Some moviegoers might have wondered what the big deal was waiting around to see a humanoid duck in a suit drinking a cocktail but comic fans were taken back to the comic series and the rather odd movie starring Howard the Duck that James Gunn openly hates. After the Collector's collection was destroyed, he apparently didn't try to reassemble it as we see Howard enjoying free life on Contraxia, drinking and telling his stories to anyone who will listen.
#5 End Credits Easter Eggs
If you stuck around to the very end of the credits then congratulations you have learnt how to properly see a Marvel movie in theaters! Some of these easter eggs are cute, funny tidbits but some give us a small insight in the direction of the MCU in the future.
Sean Gunn
The first end credits scene shows the Ravager Kraglin, who of course is played by director James Gunn's brother, Sean Gunn. In this scene we see him wearing one of Yondu's head fin's and practicing whistling to control Yondu's arrow that was given to him by Peter after Yondu died sacrificing himself to save Peter. Before Yondu dies he tells Peter that he controls the arrow with his heart not just through the fin and whistling. This might be considered as one of the fun, jokey end credits scenes but it could also imply that Kraglin might take over from Yondu's role of the lawless Ravager in the future MCU movies. It's also rumored that Sean Gunn will appear in the upcoming Infinity War so we might see him even sooner than GOTG3!
The OG Ravergers
The second post-credits shows Sylvester Stallone's character, Stakar Ogord assembling ravager leaders from across the galaxy to carry on Yondu's mission. In the comics, Ogord AKA Starhawk is just one of many heroes to claim the Guardians name however in the movie he is one of the original and most elite leaders of the Ravagers. One of the Ravagers you might recognize from earlier in the movie is Martinex played by Michael Rosenbaum. You might not recognize Rosenbaum in this form as his character is made out of hard, diamond-like crystal. In the comics, Martinex T'Naga was a descendant of human ancestors on the planet Pluto, or rather former planet. The Pluvians were however wiper out leaving Martinex as the only survivor. One of the Ravagers that is hard to miss is Charlie-27 played by Ving Rhames. Charlie-27 has a similar backstory to Martinex in that he was human engineered to survive on Jupiter instead of Pluto. It's no secret due to his size and appearance that he is a super-sized, strong hero with military training. One of the more interesting additions to the team is Aleta Ogord, played by Michelle Yeoh. Aleta is actually the sister of Stakar, he was adopted by by the Ogord family and eventually gained power from 'the hawk god' alongside his sister. James Gunn could possibly change this entire story and just have them normal Ravager's instead of siblings. The majority of the original Ravagers appear relatively normal but one of the more stand out characters is a snake-like, red alien known as Krugarr, the Sorcerer Supreme of the future. In the comics, Krugarr is trained by the Ancient One, who you may remember is the same Sorcerer Supreme that trained Doctor Strange. It appears that Gunn is keeping some of this story line as Krugarr shows his excitement for getting the team together by conjuring up two thumbs-up symbols in the same magic way that Doctor Strange conjures up his spells. By far the most interesting character to me in the team is Mainframe. Not necessarily the character in particular but the actress that lends their voice to the robot, Miley Cyrus. That's right Miley freaking Cyrus voices the severed robotic head known as Mainframe. As the other Ravager's nod in approval to honor Yondu's memory and get the gang back together, Mainframe can't contain its excitement having missed their friends so much. Mainframe was originally an artificial intelligence created by Tony Stark that guards and administrates an entire planet. Gunn had intended for Miley Cyrus's cameo to be kept under wraps until the movies release until he accidentally let it slip. Upon first listen it might be a bit hard to recognize due to the digital effects applied to the audio so fans might have to wait for future scenes to get a better insight into Cyrus's character. Gunn has said in an interview that he enjoyed working with Miley, even though she only has one line, and he might have more in store for her character in the future.
Adam Warlock
When considering the future of the MCU, the biggest easter egg has to be Ayesha's new science project. The high priestess revealed during on of the many end credits scenes that she has designed an all new being to help her get revenge on the Guardians. And what is her new prodigy's name? Adam! Although his last name wasn't revealed, it is obvious that he is going to become Adam Warlock. Adam Warlock is HUGE in the comics and is even the one to take down Thanos, however his story has already been altered a lot for the MCU. In the comics, his power comes from one of the Infinity Stones, more specifically the Soul Stone. Since the MCU already has a character identical to this (aka Vision) this story arc is most likely to be scraped. Adam Warlock is also created by scientists on Earth in the comics and is known as Him and is a genetically perfect, super powerful being. In the comics Adam is a typical hero, however if the writers have flipped his story line this far, they could make him start out as evil. Director James Gunn has stated that he had a previous version of the script that included Adam more prominently, however he felt the movie would have had one too many characters. James Gunn has also said that his Adam Warlock easter egg in the first movie of the cocoon in the collectors menagerie was kind of a mistake as he just thought of it as a fun nod to the character and didn't realize the character would make an appearance in the future. This is why Adam's cocoon in the Volume 2 end credits looks so different to his comic book version.
Teenage Groot
Arguably the best part about the second installment of Guardians of the Galaxy is baby Groot and for those fans that only ever wanted baby Groot to be around, I'm afraid the wee guy grows up. In the fourth post credits scene we see Peter bickering with Groot who is now a moody, sarcastic teenager with a messy room and just sits around playing video games. Going by the timeline of the movie, the second film is set 2 months after the end of the first where he goes from a potted plant to a baby to a teenager, he is literally growing up super fast. It also sounds like in future movies we may see a more fully fledged grown-up Groot than we saw in the first movie.
Stan Lee cameo
The fifth and final end credits scene is a bonus scene with Stan Lee. It shows the comic book legend in a spacesuit rambling on to aliens known as The Watchers, all-seeing cosmic beings who observe intelligent life throughout the universe. This scene is a callback to the Stan Lee cameo earlier in the film when Rocket, Groot, Yondu and Kraglin and jumping through space and interrupt Stan Lee telling the Watchers about how he was a FedEx guy. This is of course referencing his cameo in Captain America: Civil War but we see at the end of the movie The Watchers have had enough and leave him behind without a ride home. What is interesting is that one of the main Watchers is known as Uatu is rumored to actually be Stan Lee. Stan Lee apparently wrote himself into the comics and considering the MCU that would make perfect sense as he appears in so many different points in time, in different universes. This theory is so popular it is why James Gunn included this small reference in the movie.
David Hasselhoff
Kevin Bacon was the first pop culture icon to get a mention in the GOTG franchise thanks to his Footloose background. In the sequel however it's all about David Hasselhoff. Not only does Hasselhoff make a cameo in the movie after it is revealed Peter told Gamora that he used to pretend Hasselhoff was his dad, he also appears on the soundtrack. The rather catchy song that plays during the credits "Guardians Inferno" is sung by Hasselhoff himself and is written by none other than James Gunn himself.
The Grandmaster
Whilst the credits are rolling we get glimpses of the cast like Chris Pratt, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillian and others dance it out to the soundtrack. One dancer you might want to look out for shaking his thang is none other than Jeff Goldblum, who plays The Grandmaster in the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok.
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