Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Official PoC Review

WARNING!

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

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V O L.  2

                  The movie starts with the Guardians fighting a giant octopus-looking monster that's trying to take some batteries. It's pretty nasty, and it's got some pretty tough skin. The only thing that's vulnerable about it is it's underside. So you can imagine that the Guardians are having a tough time. And Baby Groot is just running around and jamming out to some music.

                  After they beat the giant octopus thing, they go to the people that hired them, the Sovereign. They're like golden people. It's pretty cool. In exchange for defending their batteries, the Sovereign give the Guardians Nebula. So Nebula tags along with the Guardians as their prisoner. As they're leaving, Rocket steals some of the batteries to sell on the market.

                  Obviously, the Sovereign figure that out and, as you can imagine, are pretty mad. So they send their fleet after the Guardians. And it's pretty cool how the fleet is operated. They have pilots, but they pilot the fleet from a room that looks like Mission Control at NASA, and they're controlling the fleet from there. It's almost like they're playing a video game.

                  So, naturally, the Guardians get outnumbered and they have to crash land. Now, there's these things called "jump points", where a portal of sorts allows interstellar travelers to jump from one galaxy or planet to another with ease. Rocket and Quill get into a fight over who should be piloting the ship, and that's eventually what gets them crashed.

                  Not long after they land, a ship follows them onto the planet, and an older looking man called Ego emerges from the ship. He claims to be Peter's father, and takes him to his planet. Spoiler,

Ego is a living planet, as you can see to the right. This leaves Rocket, Nebula, and Baby Groot to watch the ship.

                  At the same time, Yondu is on a different planet, and is at a bar with his Ravagers. He's been disowned as a Ravager, meaning that he won't have an honorary Ravager funeral once he dies. He's reminded of this by Stakar (played by Sylvester Stallone). Fun fact: Stakar is actually one of the original Guardians of the Galaxy in the old Marvel comics.
                  But anyway, Yondu finds out about a bounty on the Guardians from the Sovereign, and that's how he gets entangled in this whole affair.
                  That's as far as I go, but just know that the film is great fun. There's a lot that's revealed about Peter's origin and his potential as a very important contender in the final battle with Thanos. The movie is also a lot about family, and that's quite apparent as it goes on, especially between Peter and Yondu. By the end of the movie, you've been tear-jerked, shocked, angry, and on the edge of your seat, and then the credits roll and you're left to watch the five after credit scenes. Don't worry, you'll have time to digest everything. Cuz there is a lot!
                  Still, go see it. You won't regret it.

G U A R D I A N S   O F   T H E   G A L A X Y

V O L.  2

Looking for the ratings? Look at the previous post! It's also on the featured post tool bar to your right. Enjoy the Guardians 2 soundtrack above!


Bibiliography:
"Guardians 2 Soundtrack" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-yjQ7zJTjo&index=1&list=PLDXurPErd9cMilZUmtM1rnQX2hPDjzop2>
"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Wallpaper" <https://picfiles.alphacoders.com/356/thumb-35660.jpg>
"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Ego the Living Planet" <https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CsWi5dlVUAAFB_x.jpg:large>

Star Wars: Battlefront II Trailer

Yoo, there's so many good video games coming out this year. I really wanna pre-order this one, "Middle-Earth: Shadow of War", and "Call of Duty: World War II". Just shut up and take my money.

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                  I really enjoyed the first game, I'm not sure about you guys. The only thing I didn't really like was the overheating system with all of the weapons, and how I couldn't go prone. Maybe that's just the Battlefield player in me.
                  But seeing this new trailer just had me like "whoa." I didn't even freak or anything, I just sat on my bed in absolute awe because... it was like a remastered version of the Playstation 2 or Xbox 360 Battlefront II, and man. The only thing I could think was, "I need this." You best believe I'm about to be pre-ordering this game as soon as I pre-order Middle-Earth: Shadow of War.
                  Alright, first thing's first. The engine footage was phenomenal. And gee, it really hit me that you can literally play across all eras with the most iconic characters of the entire freaking Star Wars universe!
                  And I also like that they're taking the perspective of the Empire's soldiers after the Death Star is destroyed. It doesn't exactly follow the original Battlefront II story, which was also cool, but it's still the view from those who are loyal to the bad guys and just want to follow their orders.
                  I think you're really going to be able to feel the impact of the Death Star's destruction and the devastation that everyone under the Empire felt. It'll be a really interesting take, and I'm sure gonna be routing for the bad guys this time around. I mean, who won't be?
                  Then... THE MILLENNIUM FALCON!!! Then space! Then Luke! Don't tell me you're not hyped because if you say so you are lying. Just stop lying to yourself, because this is going to be one sick game. But please developers, let us have actual rounds and let us go prone!
                  I'm so excited to play across all the eras. I really want to play in The Force Awakens era as like Rey or Finn or something. It's gonna be sick.



Bibliography:
"Star Wars: Battlefront II Trailer" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDzmjP6-1Zo>
"Star Wars: Battlefront II Millennium Falcon" <http://assets1.ignimgs.com/2017/04/15/swbfii-reveal-screenshot-2-1492279586547_1280w.png>
"Star Wars: Battlefront II Wallpaper" <https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/23/SWBF2_box.jpeg/250px-SWBF2_box.jpeg>

Thor: Ragnarok Trailer

Alright, I'm so sorry guys, I'm behind on the bandwagon. Next after this is going to be the "Star Wars: Battlefront II" videogame trailer. HERE WE GO!!!

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                  I honestly think that this is going to be the best Thor we've ever gotten. Come November, we're going to be so hyped about all of the other movies that are coming out that Thor: Ragnarok is going to be like the icing on the, wait for it... cake. (I'm sorry, I had to. It's my blog)

                  First off, what the hell Thor? You got yourself captured and you're dangling from a chain

in a giant pit of doom. You really messed up somewhere along the way, no doubt. Hela probably put him there, but nonetheless, let's talk about Hela!

                  Cate Blanchett is going to absolutely kill the character. Oh my goodness, I'm so psyched. I've also heard that Hela is going to be the MCU's version of Death that Thanos is trying to impress. I wouldn't blame him, Hela is looking like a dime. And let's take a second and remember all the times that Mjolnir has actually been handled by others than Thor: Hulk, Captain America, Vision, and now Hela! SHE FREAKING BROKE MJOLNIR. But y'know what? I think a certain strange doctor is going to use a neat little gadget to fix that sucker. (Oh yeah, where's Doc Strange in this preview? I wanna see ol' Bubblegum Bumblebatch!)

                  Next, let's talk about the Hunger Games style of clothing that the judges are wearing. I dunno, it really reminded me of the Capitol and all them. I dunno, maybe they'll surprise me. But the whole gladiator thing near the very end was really neat. I like that they're intertwining multiple different story arcs into the film.

                  It's also nice because Hulk couldn't hold his own movie. Besides Edward Norton's The Incredible Hulk, that was awesome. But aside from that, I really like Hulk's new look! He's got a Roman looking helmet with a crest. And oh man oh man oh man, that fight is going to be SICK!

                  I also like Loki's new look. It's a lot crisper than previous films, and his headgear just looks sooo good. If you haven't seen a picture, please take a gander to the right. His suit is much much nicer, and I think it'll be a nice farewell after this movie since Tom Hiddleston's contract is up after Ragnarok.

                  Overall, I'm so looking forward to this.

Bibliography:

"Thor: Ragnarok Trailer" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7MGUNV8MxU>

"Thor: Ragnarok Loki" <https://images.moviepilot.com/image/upload/c_fill,h_470,q_auto:good,w_620/reqg4fdxpc9ywhsfo4ry.jpg>

"Thor: Ragnarok Hela" <https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xGCVX2QJ5c5N18tT_HQ-1LwWSks=/0x0:845x350/1200x800/filters:focal(605x68:739x202)/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54176563/Screen_Shot_2017_04_10_at_11.22.46_AM.0.png>

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Teaser

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                  Wow, I dunno about you all but I did not see any of this coming. Well, take that back, I saw Rey getting trained by Luke coming from a mile away, but the rest of the trailer was a lot darker than The Force Awakens.

                  I'm curious as to how the Jedi are going to end and what that means for the rest of the series, since I heard that there's potential for another trilogy after this one. Now, the Jedi in terms of them being the guardians of the galaxy won't cease to exist, but I wonder if Luke is referring to a rebirth of that identity, just under a new name.

                  Now since this is a teaser, there isn't really much to go on in terms of plot. It's all just action sequences and really cool and overly dramatic voice overs. But the other thing I'm curious about is the scene with Kylo Ren's broken helmet. Is that because of a battle sequence or because he got pissed and had another tantrum or did his master get mad at him?

                  I guess we'll all have to wait until the actual trailer to see anything more, but I'll drop an interview video with Daisy and Mark down below. Enjoy!

Bibliography:

"Star Wars: The Last Jedi Trailer" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn0WzX3OcAU>

"Daisy Ridley Interview Star Wars: Episode VIII" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJlGkptRfVg>

"Mark Hamill Interview Star Wars: Episode VIII" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7OH7bBoEC4>

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (In-Depth)

Alright, so this is the in-depth edition of the movie. Enjoy!

WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!

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                  Jyn Erso is the daughter of Galen Erso, an engineer of the Death Star. The film begins with Jyn as a child. She's running towards her home, and an Imperial Aircraft is approaching the surface. Jyn gets home and packs up quick and light, and her mother does the same. Saw Gerrera

contacts Jyn's father, Galen, telling him to hide Jyn and her mom.

Jyn Erso

                 Jyn and her mom begin going to a bunker, but Jyn's mom tells her to continue on. Galen faces off with Director Orson Krennic, the lead director of the Death Star's construction, and Krennic tells Galen that he's gotta come back to finish the Death Star's plans. But before he can concede, his wife pops up and challenges Krennic. Krennic's Stormtroopers kill Galen's wife, and in the brush, Jyn watches it go down.

                 So she books it to the bunker and stays until Saw Gerrera comes to pick her up. Fast forward about ten or fifteen years and Jyn is in an Imperial camp. She's about to be transported in an Imperial truck when a gang of Rebels busts her out.

                 The Rebels are led by Cassion Andor and his Imperial turned Rebel droid, K-2SO. Cassion hears rumors about the Death Star, and is worried. After he busts Jyn out of her transport truck, he takes her back to the Rebel base, where they learn that Jyn actually has a significant role in helping the Rebellion against the Death Star.

                 The Rebels decide that they should go to see Saw Gerrera in order to find the location of

Galen Erso. If they find Galen, they can get the plans to the Death Star, and destroy it. However, the man at the head of the operations isn't interested in leaving Saw or Galen alive. He orders Cassion to kill both when he has the chance.

                 Elsewhere, there's an Imperial pilot deserter. He goes to see Saw to tell him about the Death Star with a message from Galen, but Saw isn't too sure. So he uses this giant eel thing that can read people's thoughts, and he finds out that the pilot was telling the truth.

Saw Gerrera

                 Almost immediately, Jyn and Cassion arrive. Saw's men take them into custody, and Jyn requests that she see Saw Gerrera. They take her to Saw, and Saw tells her that he got a message from Galen. They watch it together, and Galen reveals that he's put a weakness into the Death Star to allow the Rebellion to destroy it. However, it's so small that the Empire would never be able to find it in time.

                 The Death Star has been completed in the mean time, and the Emperor doesn't want a planet to be blown up yet, but in order to display its power, it flies on over to the planet where Saw is. They figure out that the deserter went there, and in order to take him and Saw Gerrara out, they're going to blow it up. They fire in the general area of that city, and while Jyn finishes the message from her father, the city begins to collapse.

                  Cassion busts out of the prison with K-2SO, the deserter pilot, Chirrut Îmwe, a blind man who's in touch with the Force, and his friend Baze Malbus. They get an Imperial ship and pick Jyn up, but Saw stays behind. As they fly away, the city is literally blown up right behind them, and the blast radius can be seen from space.
                  Now, the mission is to find Galen Erso. They fly to the planet where Galen is, and Cassion prepares to kill him. Jyn's plan is different: she wants to see him and find out exactly where the structural weakness is in the Death Star. When the crew lands, Cassion and the deserter go to scout

Galen Erso

the area, and they find a group of engineers preparing to meet an Imperial ship.
                  Galen is the head engineer, and he meets Krennic. Krennic wants to know who put the weakness into the Death Star, and Galen admits his fault. Before Galen can be killed, a Rebel bomber flies in and bombs the platform, killing most everyone on it. Krennic survives and escapes, while Galen slowly dies. Jyn rushes to her father's side.
                  "Stardust. I have so much to tell you."
                  Those are Galen's last words to Jyn, and 'Stardust' is pretty important, so please remember that, because that's the name of the Death Star plans. Jyn gets back to the ship and they escape, leaving to the Rebel base. There, a council is held to decide whether or not to pursue the Death Star plans. The unanimous decision is no.
                  That doesn't stop Jyn or Cassion, and they take the captured Imperial ship they flew in. Coming along is a small band of rebels, willing to die for the plans. The Rebel Tower asks them to identify who they are and their permissions to leave the base. The deserter gets on the comm and says

"Rogue. Rogue One."
                  They fly away, and they reach the Imperial base where all of their files are stored. They get in successfully, and Jyn and Cassion are able to make it into the file house. Things go a little nutty, but the important part is that the rebels got the plans. The cost was high, but just as the rebels are getting away, Darth Vader boards the ship. He freaking annihilates so many Rebels and just misses the ship that leaves carrying the plans and Princess Leia. So now you'll know why Darth Vader is so pissed at the rebels playing dumb as to where the plans are.

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Bibliography: "Rogue One: Jyn Erso" <https://images.moviepilot.com/image/upload/c_fill,h_470,q_auto:good,w_620/re1igeovr2p4ulftkoif.jpg>

"Rogue One: Saw Gerrera" <https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/rogue-one-star-wars-saw-gerrera.jpg>
"Rogue One: Galen Erso" <http://screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Rogue-One-A-Star-Wars-Story-Trailer-3-Galen-Erso-in-rain1.jpg>
"Rogue One: Darth Vader" <https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/sB_LW6ipPI14wBDPrH68Cg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9NjEyO2g9MzA2/http://slingstone.zenfs.com/offnetwork/75c0d1502cb8ab8fd6e615c0aa560aaa>

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Well folks, it's been a bit, and I wasn't able to do my "PoC's Christmas" Special like I wanted to, but hey, we got a new Star Wars movie we can take a gander at. So enjoy! I'll do a non-spoilers edition, and then an in-depth edition.

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                  Rogue One is a thrilling prequel to Star Wars: A New Hope, and is full of surprises that makes you wonder how the rebellion was able to pull of the feat that led to the destruction of the dreaded Death Star.

                   Jyn Erso is the daughter of one of the engineers of the Death Star, and is the key to finding those plans. She joins Cassian Andor, his former Empire droid turned Rebel K-2SO, Chirrut Îmwe, and Baze Malbus to lead an attack on the planet holding the Empire's files of all of their projects. Their raid is successful, but how it becomes so is a crazy adventure that you won't want to miss.

Ratings:

Family Friendliness: 6/10 Blasters  Now, of course, there isn't blood at all, but there is a lot of death. The Death Star's power is shown on an incredible scale, and only a fraction of it is used twice throughout the film. Both instances show massive destruction, and it's awful to see. You don't see the people die, but the implied amount of lives taken makes the Death Star all the more frightening.

Story-line: 9/10 Planets Everyone knows the gist of the story: the Rebellion attacks the Empire and gets the plans in a daring attempt to save the galaxy. Their effort is greatly rewarded, and the plans come at great cost. The story's execution is beautiful, and there are many references to A New Hope.

Story-Action Balance: 8/10 Droids  The story is kind of meant to be a sitting on the edge of your seat type, but there are little breaks that make the overall intensity of the film bearable. The droid K-2SO makes it pretty funny with his overwhelming amount of sarcasm.
Visuals: 9/10 AT-ATs  Spectacular visuals. The CGI in this film is incredible, and it all looks so crisp.
Overall: 8/10 Stars  The movie isn't better than The Force Awakens in my opinion, but it is definitely a movie worth the price of admission. I would highly recommend you going to see it.



Bibliography: "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Trailer" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frdj1zb9sMY>

Captain America: Civil War

No words are needed. But there are definitely spoilers ahead, so read at your own risk. I'll put the warning in bold too, just in case you didn't catch it.

WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

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C I V I L   W A R

                  The film begins with the Avengers on another mission in Sokovia, looking for the villain who calls himself Crossbones. He's been evading the Avengers for awhile, but they've got him

now. Cap and Crossbones fight, and then Cap has him kneeling in front of him. He interrogates him and Crossbones pulls a grenade pin. 
                          But Scarlet Witch contains the blast and throws him into a building where he blows up, killing hundreds of people. This sends a bad message to the rest of the world about the Avengers, and for good reason. Therefore, a world conference is called, and the Sokovia Accords are adopted by over 150 countries to regulate the Avengers. 
                          Captain America sees this as bad because if the Accords are adopted (and they are), that means that where the governments of the world may want the Avengers doesn't necessarily mean that that's where they need to be. In other words, their right to choose is taken away so as to hopefully

protect the world. 
                          Present at the conference is Black Widow, T'Challa (prince of Wakanda), and many other world leaders. Cap has officially gone rogue, A-Wall, whatever you wanna call it. But him and his team are wanted and are officially considered vigilantes. 
                          Now this isn't all there is too the whole movie. Baron Zemo is actually the mastermind behind the entire operation, because his family died in Sokovia. Therefore, he's angry at the Avengers. However, he knows that he himself cannot destroy them, so he makes it so that they destroy themselves by staging murders that are supposedly done by the Winter Soldier. 
                          Later on you find out that Bucky is innocent, but at one point he does get triggered and turns all bad. But it's okay because he turns back into regular Bucky as soon as he's knocked out. Along for the ride is everyone's favorite comedic hero, Spider-Man! Then we get to see Giant Man and Black Panther kick some serious butt. 
                          If you haven't seen the film already, get up off of your butt and go see it. It's totally worth the price of admission and popcorn and pop. Just do it, you won't regret it.


Ratings:
Family Friendliness: 7/10 Shields- Now, I get it, it's a Marvel movie, and there's nothing sexual or anything along those lines. But you gotta think of the parents that don't like language, and there's a little bit of that. Plus there's a helluva lotta fighting, and there's some scenes with minimal blood. It's still a great film though.
Story-line: 8/10 Accords- Now if you're anything like me, you'd be disappointed that it wasn't the X-Men that caused this whole thing like in the comics. But if you are anything like me, you'll be happy that they made do with what they had. Also, they did a good job of bringing back any and all of the major happenings from the best movies that were devastating to the world. It really ties the MCU together, and I'm happy with everything that they did. Especially with Spider-Man and Black Panther.
Story-Action Balance: 9/10 Webs- Alright this is a new feature. For this film, it did an excellent job of balancing the story and action. While the action was happening, you knew why it was happening. It wasn't a Fast and Furious, "wait, they're crashing in cars cuz why???" You could actually follow.
Comic Accuracy: 7/10 Claws- I'm sorry, I'm just a real stickler about this, but to be honest, what with Marvel had, they did a phenomenal job. Pick up the comics and read. They're totally worth the hours of following.
Overall: 9/10- Technically, the score should be 7. But that's okay, I gave it a curve. If you see it, you'll know why. And it was a pretty generous curve at that too.

C A P T A I N   A M E R I C A:

C I V I L   W A R

Bibliography: "Captain America: Civil War Both Sides" <http://www.technobuffalo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/captain-america-civil-war-1280x641.jpg>

"Captain America: Civil War Spider-Man" <http://static1.techinsider.io/image/56e1d83e9105844e018b598e-2158-1136/captain-america-spider-man.jpg>
"Captain America: Civil War Trailer" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKrVegVI0Us>

The Jungle Book (2016)

Who doesn't love the Bare Necessities? Or who doesn't Wanna Be Like You? "I wanna walk like you, talk like you tooo!!!" Jon Favreau does a magnificent job of bringing the beloved Disney cartoon to life. Get ready, fasten your seatbelts, for The Jungle Book.

WARNING!!! SPOILERS!!!

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                  Mowgli is a man-cub that changed the jungle forever. And Bagheera recounts his story. The movie begins with Mowgli running from Bagheera and running with the pack of wolves that he was raised with. He's been raised a wolf, but he hasn't grown as fast as a wolf. 

                  We see how Mowgli's been raised as the pack's own, and he is still learning. But he's family.

                  The year drags on and there's a dry season. No rain falls for a long time, and the Peace Rock is exposed. This is the rock where, if there isn't enough water for everyone, they all go to the rock to share the remaining water. There's no hunting, fighting, or preying of any kind. 

                   The rock is exposed for everyone... including Sheer Khan. Sheer Khan is a fierce tiger looking for revenge on a certain man-cub, Mowgli. Sheer Khan's face is partially burned, and he is blind in his left eye. At this point, Sheer Khan has waited about eight or nine years to finally hunt

down Mowgli. He tells Akeela, the leader of the Wolf Pack, that he wants Mowgli, or animals will die. 
                   So begins Mowgli's journey to go to the man-village. Along the way, he encounters Kaa (Scarlett Johansson, Lucy), Baloo (Bill Murray), and King Louie (Christopher Walken). It is an unforgettable journey that will leave you wanting to see it again and again. Oh, and there's a pretty epic battle with Shere Khan (Idris Elba, Thor: The Dark World). 


Ratings: 
Family Friendliness: 8.5/10- No movie can be perfectly family friendly, but this movie is quite near it. There is some killing that may even shock a parent, and it does get pretty violent. But those moments are always outweighed by the fact that the rest of the film is fun! Get ready for those musical numbers!
Story-line: 9/10- Jon Favreau does a phenomenal job of staying close to the original story, and you feel like the cartoon hopped right out at you and was replaced with real-life creatures and a real boy!
Re-watch Probability: Very High (9/10)- Numbers say it all.

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Bibliography: 

"The Jungle Book 2016 Poster" <http://media.comicbook.com/2016/01/the-jungle-book-2016-poster-header-165110.jpg>

"The Jungle Book Bare Necessities" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dhSdnDb3tk>

"The Jungle Book 2016 Shere Khan" <http://static2.hypable.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/jungle-book-first-clip-feature.jpg>