It’s that time again…
The season of change from everyday movies to studio tentpoles.
(Translation: Hollywood’s summer movie season is upon us!)
For the past several years that high velocity popcorn timeframe has been ushered in by the latest Marvel Studios offerings including THE AVENGERS, IRON MAN 3 and AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON.
Last year’s summer season kicked off exactly one year ago with CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR—and we all remember the kind of blockbuster that one turned out to be.
So why mess with success?
Marvel once again jump-starts the season this weekend by unleashing GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY—VOLUME 2.
And believe it or not this sequel ranks right up there with the 2014 original.
The entire gang is back with Chris Pratt as Peter Quill again leading his rag-tag band of alien misfits on their reward seeking mission and intergalactic battles while getting ever closer to learning who his father is.
Enter Kurt Russell as Ego, an eccentric traveler who has created a planet derived from his DNA and, and……….
(Sorry, gotta stop right here before Disney’s spoiler police intervene.)
It’s ALL there in this encore.
The humor, campiness, adventure and awesome mix tape-vol. 2.
(i.e. Sam Cooke‘s ‘Bring It On Home,’ ‘Brandy’ by Looking Glass and ELO’s ‘Mr. Blue Sky.’)
Oh, and about that practice of adding a post credits scene?
Writer, director James Gunn throws in FIVE (count’em) beginning with four inside the end credits and one just beyond.
As for the cast—all solid, fun and some surprises.
There is of course Chris Pratt who is surrounded by Zoe Saldana as Gamora,
Dave Bautista is Dax, the Destroyer, Kurt Russell plays Ego AND ????,
Sylvester Stallone is Stakar Ogord, Vin Diesel voices Baby Groot and Bradley Cooper is the voice behind the genetically engineered raccoon/bounty hunter named Rocket.
All that plus some unexpected doses of emotion on several levels.
And the 3D screen presentation?
It’s good but not really necessary. The 3D up-charge could be better spent by super-sizing your pocorn at the snack bar.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY—VOLUME 2.
It’s Hollywood’s first tentpole of the 2017 summer season and new this weekend at indoor and drive-in theaters everywhere.
My grade: B
JACK GOES TO THE MOVIES Friday mornings during Kansas City’s Morning News on 98.1 FM, KMBZ.
going to see it tomorrow night at the boulevard drive-in