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.

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

V O L.  2

                  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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V O L.  2

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>

YouTube Video is up!!!

                  Hey hey hey folks, my YouTube Channel has kicked off and I have published my first video! If you wouldn't mind, please go check it out! It'd mean a lot to me. The link to the channel is up above, or here's the link right here: https://youtu.be/2SBz8vmvEXI


                  If you're still too lazy to click anywhere else but this page, here's the video for ya:

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War Trailer

I'm so proud of myself, I'm pounding these reviews out like they're nothing. Here's the next one y'all.

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                  How bout this trailer? I am pretty sure that this game is going to be twice as good as the last, which I can't even comprehend right now.
                  So basically, it picks up right where it left off in the previous game. I would know because I just replayed Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor. Talion, at the end of that game, says "It is time for a new ring to be made." Then the screen goes black and that epic music starts playing.
                  It looks like maybe a few days have gone by and Talion and Celebrimbor are just finishing

up their ring. There's a flash of energy that signifies that it is complete and it blows Talion back, also knocking Celebrimbor, his conduit for life, out of his body. But the new ring bonds to Talion and revives him. So my first question is, where's Celebrimbor?
                  Does this mean wraith abilities will be temporarily disabled? Or are we simply left to the devices of a man for the rest of the game? Now, I'd think that the first question would be the most likely answer. Why you ask? Well, I've seen the first 16 minute gameplay walkthrough of Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, and you can still zip on over to animals. In that walkthrough, Talion mounts a dragon, and that looked so cool.
                  I know that this trailer for Shadow of War is not really revealing too much of a story, but it seems to me that Talion is actually going to go toe-to-toe with the Dark Lord himself. And Sauron is pissed that a Ranger from the North is all that stands in his way of taking over the free world. Now keep in mind that this storyline takes place before The Fellowship of the Ring, and maybe ten to twenty years following the events of The Hobbit. If you played the first game, you met Gollum, who is searching for his "precious". That means it was only recently stolen, and he hasn't been captured by Mordor yet. So he's just kinda floating about.
                  Now what should we be psyched for? First of all, the Nemesis System. Oh my god, if you played Shadow of Mordor you know what I'm talking about. Apparently, it's supposed to be so much better than the previous one. And this time, Orcs whom you've helped will remember your aide and will actually follow you into battle. Watch the 16 minute gameplay walkthrough and you'll see what I mean. The video will be down below and the link will be in my bibliography.
                  Next, armies. This is Star Wars: Battlefront II (Playstation 2 and XBOX original version, not 2017 version) but for the Lord of the Rings mythology/universe. You are in an open world where there are outposts both inside and outside of Mordor that you can conquer with an orc army that you lead. This is another reason why I believe Celebrimbor isn't fully gone. In Shadow of Mordor, the only way you could command orcs was through Celebrimbor's influence. Who knows? Maybe it's the ring and it acts as a sort of Wraith-like entity.
                  And finally, the Balrog. Don't say its name out loud or Gandalf will scold you quick like, but tell me that it does not look sick and you are a straight liar. I really hope you can command one, or at least fight one. Hey, why not both? If you could have a Balrog as a part of your army, you would literally be unstoppable. Just bring in that sucker on your front lines and you have got yourself a conquered outpost of Sauron.
                  All-in-all, I think this is going to be one of the best games of the year. Best believe I'm pre-ordering this.

Bibliography:
"Middle-Earth: Shadow of War Trailer" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__N7mt5Clwg>
"Middle-Earth: Shadow of War 16 Minute Gameplay Walkthrough" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl4bkIGgiyc>
"Middle-Earth: Shadow of War Balrog" <https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjtlVrRsrk0lH2ReYqPHVMEPAP_ATS8t6YLz779_Bd4vLcmm5wdHNIc2PGEe2gVr3ElmP0CRtFSUhG4lmz5XdfaX1p9BUjSgfakSDHE4xtsXC2tfCPKp9_CTEt9cBR6h5C_Lpy-1aKAjaBC1eKm9zZpuI0Emf6DoR8sqVgtrAGPt7EI7RfpBA=>
"Middle-Earth: Shadow of War Ring of Power" <https://www.keengamer.com/Image/Image/49185?size=FULL>

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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T H E  L A S T  J E D I

                  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>