Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Official PoC Review

WARNING!

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

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                  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.

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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>

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Non-Spoiler)

Okay so this is just a quick run-down with the ratings I'd give the film. Nothing too fancy, and a more full review will be coming within the coming days. So just be patient please.

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                  Overall, Guardians 2 was a great movie. It reveals a lot about Star Lord and his past, including who his dad is. Okay, if you haven't read the comics, then this may seem like a spoiler, but it's not. Quill's dad is a living planet called Ego, and he's actually a pretty bad dude. I thought that Marvel's introduction of a sentient being like that was very well done, and it did a good job of setting up how important the Guardians of the Galaxy will be in the final battle with Thanos.
                  There were at least seven or eight cameos or small references to the even larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, and they were awesome. All five post-credit scenes were entertaining, and I'm really curious as to how two of them fit into Marvel's overall plan for its heroes and films.
                  Drax actually played a much larger role in this one, as opposed to the first movie. He was a lot louder and more vocal. Still pretty literal, but not all dark and brooding. He was pretty funny to be honest. And we can't forget Baby Groot. He was literally the cutest thing in the entire movie. There are no words to describe how cute he was. You'll just have to see it for yourself.
                  All in all, a very well-made movie that I highly recommend to anyone looking for a fun Friday night film to go to.

Ratings:

Family Friendliness - 7/10 Planets There are only a few suggestive things that may be disturbing to anyone younger than 12 or 13. There's one scene where Ego is walking towards Quill, regenerating his body layer by layer. So you see a walking skeleton that is gradually being covered over with organs, blood vessels, muscle, tissue, and skin. Also, there's a brief sequence with a large pile of bones of aliens that have been killed and discarded. Other than that, the movie should be a-okay to watch for the average movie-going family.

Story Line - 8/10 Space Ships The story for the movie was basically Guardians one, just with a different alien race trying to kill them, and a different world-destroying villain who wants a bigger and better purpose than just floating around in space. Typical, but what made the film worthwhile were the moments of humor, sadness, and background that revealed a lot about Peter. It was a tried and true story formula that Marvel cannot go wrong with. Nice job, Marvel.

Story Action Balance - 8/10 Lights There was a really nice balance between what was going on in terms of moving the plot forward, and the action that ensued because of the story. And it also felt like that the action wasn't just dropped in to look cool. If there was a fight sequence, there was a good reason for it.

Acting - 9/10 Galaxies Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Kurt Russel, David Hasselhoff, Sylvester Stallone, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, and Vin Diesel all put on a stellar performance. It was an all-star cast that really brought the film together, and I honestly would not have changed the casting for the world.

Overall - 8/10 Stars

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Bibliography:

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Trailer" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cv2ueYnKjg>

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Poster" <https://media0dk-a.akamaihd.net/56/44/9309ee7890499a5b4d7d825f02dbe80e.jpg>

Star Trek: Beyond

Alright so I just got back from vacation in El Paso, Texas, and I gotta put this movie review up before I go and see another movie like... Tarzan??? Possibly. But I will try and stay up to date. Thanks for bearing with me guys.

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                  I actually really like what I pulled off up top. Kudos to me, right? Thanks to those who agreed. But anywho, this was a fun movie. Now, I was kind of disappointed that J.J. Abrams didn't direct this, but I always keep in mind he directed Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens, so I can forgive

him. But I'm still kinda sad.

                 The movie is about the five year journey that the Enterprise goes on, like in the original T.V. series with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy (may he rest in peace). We pick up on year three (that's "III" or "3" or "1+1+1" just in case you got a little confused XP) of their journey and Captain Kirk is attempting to make peace on a planet in front of an alien council. Well, they don't like it.

                  Kirk presents them a gift, which the council immediately rejects and starts flipping out about. "Where did you get that?!" they demand of him. "It was a gift to you," he responds, not realizing the significance of it. Obviously, we've got no idea either. It looks like one of those

Jaylah, who helps Scottie

hologram projectors from the Star Wars: The Clone Wars T.V. Series (I loved that show).
                   So the council members jump down at Kirk and start attacking him, which means that diplomatic ties have failed. The Enterprise beams Kirk outta there and they leave the planet. On board, Kirk and Bones have a drink together in celebration for Kirk's birthday, which is the next day. Kirk asks Bones to keep the whole thing low-key, because he doesn't like others knowing about his birthday. Bones agrees.
                    The Enterprise's next stop is the newest and biggest Starfleet Space Station to date. It reminds me a lot of the bigger Death Star in The Force Awakens. There, they're going to get some rest, refuel, restock, and then be on their way.
                    Alright so fast forward a bit and the crew is crash landed on a strange planet in the middle of an uncharted Nebula, a little ways away from the giant Starfleet Space Station. The Enterprise is totally trashed, the majority of the crew is captured, and Bones is with an injured Spock while Kirk and Chekhov are together trying to find Bones and Spock and Scottie. Scottie meets a woman who leads him to an old Starfleet Space Craft, which she has made her home. 
                    What you need to know is that Bones, Spock, Kirk, Chekhov, and Scottie all reunite to save the crew of the Enterprise, and in the process stop a plot to basically wipe out the entire galaxy, usual space kind of stuff. It's a wild ride though, and I loved the visuals and CGI. 

Ratings:
Family Friendliness- 8/10 There's some minor blood, a whole lotta fighting, shooting, punching, kicking, action sorta stuff. It's more action-packed than story really, but the story is... there. I still think that J.J. Abrams would totally have rocked this one had he directed it. 
Story line- 6/10 Like I said, there isn't really that strong of a story. In fact, the story doesn't really show up until halfway into the movie, and by that time you've just lost all hope for a story when it slaps you in the face and you're forced to pay attention again. This wasn't like the previous two Star Treks where the story was there right in the beginning and you have to follow the entire time, leaving you satisfied at the end. But still... it's Chris Pine. He's a fun guy!
Story-Action Balance- 6/10 Personally, I love a movie where it's just action and things blowing up every now and then. But I was honestly expecting a pretty solid story from this third installment of the revamped Star Trek series. 
Miscellaneous- 8/10 It's not that much miscellaneous stuff, but I just wanted to throw in there that I really enjoyed the fact that there was a lot more character development, especially with Kirk and Spock. Their stories were virtually the same (I won't spoil anything) but it also delved deeper into Scottie, Bones, Zulu, Chekhov, and Uhura as a family of sorts. Also, since Leonard Nimoy's passing, they do pay homage to him in the film, which contributes to Spock's development further into the story. Kirk is still growing up a lot, and I like how they show his maturity grow as each film passes. I feel like he is becoming more and more of a man, and by the time the series ends, Kirk will be just as wise as William Shatner's Kirk... hopefully.
Overall- 7.5/10 The math actually checks out to 7/10 but I gave it a little bit of a boost because it's Star Trek. I absolutely love this series and I can't wait to see how J.J. Abrams picks up the story. Hopefully he does a better job than this director. I know he will, I mean, look at what he did with Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens! J.J. will rock it. 

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Bibliography: "Star Trek: Beyond" <http://cdn1.sciencefiction.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/star-trek-beyond-featured.jpg>
"Star Trek: Beyond Space Station" <http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/memoryalpha/images/e/e7/USS_Enterprise_at_Yorktown.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160726085816&path-prefix=en>
"Star Trek: Beyond Jaylah" <http://nerdist.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Star-Trek-Beyond1.jpg>
"Star Trek: Beyond Trailer" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzD8H6o1awQ>