Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Review

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2


Release Date: 25th April 2017 - Australia


Production Companies
Marvel Studios (presents)

Distribution
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia


Genre: Sci-Fi/Comedy

Rating: M

Runtime: 136 minutes


Budget: $200,000,000

Box Office Gross: $863,756,051 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Now hailed as heroes after saving Xandar from Ronan, Peter Quill and his Guardians of the Galaxy get hired by a leader of a powerful alien race called the Sovereign to protect their precious batteries from a monster. After defeating it, Rocket steals these batteries and causes the Sovereign to send their fleet to pursue them. While the guardians try to evade their pursuers, they discover the truth of Peter's unknown heritage.

Cast
Chris Pratt - Peter Quill/
Star-Lord
Zoe Saldana - Gamora
Bradley Cooper - Rocket (Voice)
Dave Bautista - Drax the Destroyer
Vin Diesel - Baby Groot (Voice)
Kurt Russell - Ego
Pom Klementieff - Mantis
Elizabeth Debicki - Ayesha
Michael Rooker - Yondu Udonta
Karen Gillan - Nebula
Chris Sullivan - Taserface
Sean Gunn - Kraglin/On Set Rocket
Krystian Godlewski - On Set Groot
Sylvester Stallone - Stakar Ogord
Laura Haddock - Meredith Quill
Wyatt Oleff - Young Peter Quill
Gregg Henry - Grandpa Quill
Evan Jones - Wrench
Jimmy Urine - Half-Nut
Stephen Blackehart - Brahl
Steve Agee - Gef
Mike Escamilla - Scrote
Joe Fria - Oblo
Terence Rosemore - Narblik
Tommy Flanagan - Tullk
Michael Rosenbaum - Martinex T'Naga (Cameo)
Ving Rhames - Charlie-27 (Cameo)
Michelle Yeoh - Aleta Ogora (Cameo)
Stan Lee - Watcher Informant (Cameo)
Ben Browder - Sovereign

Admiral (Cameo)
Miley Cyrus - Mainframe (Voice)

(Cameo) (Uncredited)
Seth Green - Howard the Duck

(Voice) (Cameo)

Molly C. Quinn - Howard's Date
Jeff Goldblum - Grandmaster
(Cameo) (Uncredited)

Rob Zombie - Unseen Ravager

(Voice) (Cameo)

David Hasselhoff - The Form

of David Hasselhoff (Cameo)

Richard Christy - 'Down There!' (Cameo)

James Gunn Sr. - Weird Old Man (Cameo)

Leota Gunn - Weird Old Man's Mistress (Cameo)

Guillermo Rodriguez - Cop #2 (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Crew
Writer/Director - James Gunn
Based on the Marvel Comics - Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Star-Lord/Mantis Creator -

Steve Englehart
Star-Lord Creator - Steve Gan
Gamora and Drax Creator -

Jim Starlin
Groot Creator/Executive Producer - Stan Lee
Groot Creators - Larry Lieber
and Jack Kirby

Rocket Raccoon Creators - Bill Mantlo and Keith Giffen
Mantis Creator - Don Heck (Uncredited)
Howard the Duck Creators - Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik

Script Supervisor - Martin Kitrosser

Associate Producer - Simon Hatt
Executive Producers - Victoria Alonso,

Louis D'Esposito and Jonathan Schwartz
Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager -

Nikolas Korda
Producer - Kevin Feige
Co-Producer - David J. Grant

Co-Producer/First Assistant Director - Lars P. Winther
Casting Director - Sarah Finn
Production Designer - Scott Chambliss
Production Designer: Los Angeles Unit/
Supervising Art Director - Ramsey Avery

Visual Development Supervisor - Andy Park

Concept Artists - Jonathan Bach,

John Dickenson, Andrea Dopaso, Tim Flattery,

Sean Hargreaves, George Hull, Scott Lukowski,

Victor Martinez, Sam Michlap, Till Nowak,

Craig Sellars, Dean Sheriff and Hal Tenny

Concept Artist/Visual Development Concept

Illustrator - Tully Summers

Visual Development Concept Illustrators -

Melissa Encinas, Anthony Francisco,

Rodney Fuentebella, Constantine Sekeris,

Justin Sweet and Jackson Sze

Visual Development Concept Artists -

Karla Ortiz, Wesley Burt, Ryan Lang,

Kevin Chen, Ian Joyner, Michael Kutsche

and Jerad Marantz

Art Directors - Vlad Bina, Jana Engel,

Iain McFayden, Harry Otto,

Lauren Polizzi and Thomas Valentine

Set Decorator - Jay Hart

Property Master - Russell Bobbitt

Costume Designer - Judianna Makovsky

Assistant Costume Designers - Michael Crow

and Lisa Tomczeszym

Prosthetic Makeup Department Head:

Legacy Effects - Brian Sipe

Makeup Department Head - John Blake

Hair Department Head - Camille Friend

Hair Department Head: Los Angeles Unit -

Peter Tothpal

Director of Photography - Henry Braham

Aerial Coordinator - David Paris

Unit Production Manager - Thomas Hayslip

Unit Production Manager: Los Angeles Unit -

Leeann Stonebreaker

Stunt Coordinator - Thomas Robinson Harper

Co-Stunt Coordinator - Riley Harper

Stunt Coordinator: Additional Photography -

Casey O'Neill

Fight Coordinator - James Young
Special Effects Supervisor - Daniel Sudick

Legacy Effects Supervisors - Shane P. Mahan

and Lindsay MacGowan

Senior Visual Effects Supervisor: Weta Digital -

Joe Letteri

Visual Effects Supervisor - Christopher Townsend

Visual Effects Supervisors: Weta Digital -

Guy Williams, Kevin Andrew Smith, Charles Tait

and Daniel MacCarin

Visual Effects Supervisor: Framestore -

Jonathan Fawkner

Visual Effects Co-Supervisor: Framestore -

Patric Roos

Visual Effects Supervisors: Animal Logic -

Paul Butterworth and Kirsty Millar

Visual Effects Supervisor: Method Studios -

Nordin Rahhali

Visual Effects Supervisor: Technicolor VFX -

Doug Spiltaro

Visual Effects Supervisor: Sarofsky -

Matthew Crnich

Additional Visual Effects Supervisor -

Edwin Rivera

Animation Supervisor: Weta Digital -

David Clayton

Senior Animation Supervisor: Method Studios -

Keith Roberts

Animation Supervisors: Method Studios -

Daniel Mizuguchi and Christopher Perkowitz-

Colvard

Animation Supervisor: Luma Pictures -

Raphael A. Pimentel

Compositing Supervisor: Framestore -

Matthew Twyford

Compositing Supervisor: Lola Visual Effects -

Edson Williams

3D Stereoscopic Supervisor - Evan Jacobs

Film Editors - Fred Raskin and Craig Wood

Additional Editors - Kathryn Himoff

and Andrew S. Eisen
Sound Designer/Supervising Sound Editors -
Addison Teague and David Acord

Sound Mixer - Lee Orloff

Sound Mixer: Los Angeles Unit - David Husby

Re-Recording Mixers - Christopher Boyes

and Lora Hirschberg

Foley Artists - John Roesch and Shelley Roden
Music - Tyler Bates

Music Supervisor - Dave Jordan

Review

My experience of the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie would have never been the same if I had not seen the new chapter in theatres. The thrilling cosmic action, humour and 70s music get reinstated in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2. It was a surprising continuation that everyone agrees has the same impact as the original movie. Writer/director James Gunn has masterminded the sequel to continue the wild space adventures of Marvel's sci-fi heroes. The film has a thoughtful storyline and complex characterisation. It boasts an immense visual display and loses none of these aspects that continue to be in the feature that's not as significant as what other viewers say. The film's plot has some similarities to The Empire Strikes Back, and it has more of a bittersweet closing than a downer ending.

The original actors like Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper and others are back as the famed eponymous group of heroes ready to save the galaxy from evil forces again. Even the undisputed Vin Diesel is now voicing the young, cutesy version of Groot. The newer cast member, Kurt Russell, was a legendary and remarkable actor when portraying Star Lord's mysterious and godlike estranged father. His true intentions are yet unknown.

Elizabeth Debecki was capable of sheer brutal menace when acting as the vengeful Ayesha, and she may return to the character in the final instalment shortly. French actress Pom Klementieff portrays the lovable but naive Mantis, the team's newest member. Veteran actor Sylvester Stallone is in a supporting role as Stakar Ogord, even though I've never been a big fan of Stallone and his movies. Whatever the reason, he did do a fascinating job.

Viewers will be jettisoned and embrace the world of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2 as they did for its predecessor. It may not have been as fresh as the last movie, but it's a more colourful, action-packed sequel. I hope to see the film again when it comes out on Blu-ray, DVD, iTunes and Netflix.

Star rating: (9/10) Excellent Movie

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