I’m very excited today because Gill from Realweegiemidget Reviews and Catherine from Thoughts All Sorts have selected me to be a featured guest this month for 2 Reel Quirky Cats! Being a guest is simple, all I had to do was review a movie trailer of my choice. When they ask me to review a trailer, I instantly knew which trailer I wanted to review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 teaser trailer. It is hands-down one of my all-time favorite trailers. I’ll get to why in a moment, but first here is the trailer for you to watch for yourself.
There are three simple reasons why I love this trailer so much:
Sets up team dynamic
This trailer shows the audience what they can expected from the character interactions throughout the film. A good example of this is the scene when Mantis reveals Star-Lord has feelings for Gamora in front of her and Drax. Another is when Star-Lord and Rocket are talking about if anybody has any tape. These two scenes in the trailer show how we should expect the characters to interact with each other throughout the rest of the film. With just two short moments, the trailer covered almost every guardian, too.
Sets up tone expectations
Alongside my first point, the trailer sets up the tone for the film well, mostly using the character interactions. It’s light and humorous, just like the first movie. The ends of the trailer with Rocket explaining how the bomb works in the beginning and Groot running away with the bomb at the end are the highlights for me and are a prime example of the tone to expect.
Sets up soundtrack
The first Guardians of the Galaxy had a fantastic retro soundtrack and this trailer confirms that the same can be expected in Vol. 2 by using Fox on the Run by Sweet. Knowing the soundtrack from the first film and a similar song being used in the trailer, it isn’t hard to realize that the sequel will have a similar sound.
Bonus: Baby Groot
What more do I need to say?! Baby Groot is absolutely adorable and the scene where he is attacking the Ravager on the bridge made the trailer for me.
Thanks to Gill and Catherine for inviting me to be a guest! They can be found on their blogs linked above or on Twitter at
Synopsis
After a botched job, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and the rest of the Guardians are being chased by the Sovereign. They are found by a man named Ego (Kurt Russell), who claims to be Peter’s long-lost father. They go to Ego’s planet to search for the truth behind Peter’s mysterious heritage.
Review
In 2014, Marvel put their blockbuster powers to the test, releasing Guardians of the Galaxy. It was filled with lesser known characters, even to some regular comic readers, who are unique unto themselves. It turned out to be one of Marvel’s best films and now comes the inevitable sequel. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has all of the qualities that made the first so much fun and enjoyable, albeit without the surprise of what to expect.
As I said, everything that made the first film so fun and enjoyable has returned. Everything and everyone are just as quirky and zany as you have come to expect. Chris Pratt as Peter Quill is the main funny man, but Dave Bautista’s Drax get his fair share of comedic moments. Zoe Saldana is the green-skinned bad-ass Gamora. Groot, voiced by Vin Diesel, is more adorable than ever and Rocket, voiced by Bradley Cooper, wants to get a hold of everyone’s prosthetics simply to see their reaction. All the while, it has a rocking soundtrack in the background.
Doctor Strange is probably Marvel’s most visually vibrant films to date, but this movie give that one a run for its money. The most notable is Ego’s planet. The moment the team sets foot on it, it just pops. The fauna are colorful, the buildings are shiny and bright, even the soil is a vibrant color unlike what you would expect. However, it’s not just Ego’s planet. The opening battle between the guardians and an interdimensional creature (a big part of the trailers) and scenes where Yondu’s ship is jumping through several wormholes are also vivid scenes worth mentioning. At the very least, your eyes won’t be disappointed.
One of this films best characteristics is its character development. Most of the second act is spent really diving into the characters and their relations with other members of the team. Some you would expect, like Peter and Gamora, but there are some that you wouldn’t, like Rocket and Yondu or Drax and newcomer Mantis (Pom Klementieff). These interactions do a great job of building the characters and lead to some strong, emotional moments.
Much to my surprise, Yondu (Michael Rooker) has one of the greatest arcs of the film. His moments with Rocket and their similar histories really tug at the heartstrings. As Peter’s adopted father, he had to deal with Peter finally meeting his real father, Ego (Kurt Russell). In the previous movie, he felt like a throwaway character; someone who was there when the plot needed it but didn’t feel like he had much importance. This time, he is front and center and gives the film’s most emotional scene. Speaking of Russell, he was a great as the living planet Ego. Like most villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he isn’t going to have any lasting presence, but Russell gave one of the more memorable villainous performances is the MCU. The relationship between Peter, Yondu, and Ego would make a great conversation starter between step-children and step-parents.
I wasn’t as in love with the soundtrack as I was with the first Guardians movie. It was still bouncy and fun and integrated into the movie well but it wasn’t as entrancing as before. Maybe it’s because I was unfamiliar with more of the songs this time around or maybe it was that I expected a rocking retro soundtrack and it wasn’t as much of a surprise. Whatever the reason, I wasn’t blown away but I still was rocking out nevertheless.
This might sound contradictory, but despite all the great character development throughout the second act, it also felt like the weakest part of the move. Weakest isn’t the right word but I’m not sure exactly what word I’m looking for. During this time, the team is split into two groups. The bouncing back and forth between the groups, as well as the balancing of those serious moments with the humorous ones gave it a really weird pacing. Whenever the movie slowed down to give the great character moments, it immediately went into a joke / gag or changed scenes. I liked that they managed to get as much development in as they did but the jumping around made my head spin after a while.
I thought Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was GOOD 🙂 This movie is a good example of a movie studio giving a director the freedom to do their movie their way. James Gunn brought as much heart and soul into Volume 2 as he did in Volume 1. A slow and somewhat oddly paced middle act does not deter from what this movie does well: great characterization, a fun soundtrack, and plenty of humor to rival any comedy film. It can feel like much of the same but if you liked it the first time, you’re going to like it here as well. Once again, I left the theater excited to see where these characters go next.
Favorite Quote
Yondu: He might be your father, but he ain’t your daddy.
Trailer
Cast & Crew
James Gunn – Director / Writer
Tyler Bates – Composer
Chris Pratt – Peter Quill / Star-Lord
Zoe Saldana – Gamora
Dave Bautista – Drax
Vin Diesel – Baby Groot (voice)
Bradley Cooper – Rocket (voice)
Michael Rooker – Yondu
Karen Gillan – Nebula
Pom Klementieff – Mantis
Kurt Russell – Ego
Sean Gunn – Kraglin
Elizabeth Debicki – Ayesha
Chris Sullivan – Taserface
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