Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Official PoC Review

WARNING!

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

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

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>

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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A    S T A R    W A R S    S T O R Y

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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A    S T A R    W A R S    S T O R Y

                  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>

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>   

The Martian

                  Do you like Matt Damon? But you absolutely hated him in Interstellar? Well get ready for a film where good ol' Matt is on your side again! And this time he is stuck on Mars for over one year, about 500 days on Mars. But hey! It's a pretty fun adventure, full of laughs, suspense, and a whole lotta science.

T H E    M A R T I A N

                  The film starts off with Matt Damon and his crew of the "Ares III" Mission to Mars Expedition observing rocks. I know, very interesting. But the action starts off pretty quickly. There is a storm coming, and it is enormous. 

                  The storm hits them, and the crew slowly makes it to their ship to escape. While working their way to the ship however, Mark Watney (Matt Damon) gets hit by some debris and is blown off,

presumed dead. The crew blasts off and begins their journey home.
                  The news goes viral all over the world that Mark Watney is dead. However, Watney wakes up from the storm, and has survived. I mean, duh. Then there'd be no movie, right? Anyway, Watney has got an enormous needle in his gut, and he walks back to the base of the crew and stitches himself up. And guess what??? 
                   You get to see the whole thing... yea, I know, thrilling. So... probably not the best thing to show your eight or nine year old. Then after he's done with his stitching (more like stapling) he lies back and says, "F**k." Don't gemme wrong, it's pretty funny in the theater, but parental discretion is highly advised as Watney really likes to cuss.
                    Watney gets something to eat and then tallies up his food and begins video logs. He explains that he will only last a couple hundred Mars days, and that he is going to have to ration.

Because even if he could get in contact with Earth, he'd have to wait four years for the next Ares Mission to make it up to him.
                     Therefore, his next plan of action is to grow his own food. And it is pretty amazing what he does. Did I mention he's the Botanist of the Ares Crew? No? Well, now you know, and now you know why he is able to actually survive! He makes his own Martian grown food. Pretty sick.
                     But wait! There's more! Not only does he grow his own food, he makes a plan to drive his Ares Crew rover to the site of the landing of the next Ares Mission, "Ares IV." [Four for those of you who aren't so hot on your Roman Numerals, I've got your back :) ] But first he wants to dig up something that was sent to Mars in 1997. You'll find out later
                     So he digs up a radioactive isotope out of the ground (real smart actually considering his

plan) and then utilizes its power to drive the rover a little farther each and every day by doing some hot-wiring and making a portable charger for the rover.
                     At this point, the NASA team realizes something is up. They see that things about the Ares III Mission Site have changed, such as the rover being moved. They finally figure out that Watney is gonna dig up that 1997 vessel, and they figure out how to communicate with Watney through this relic from the past.
                     Now it's a little early to tell you the entire thing, but hopefully I have peaked your interest a little bit. I mean, Rotten Tomatoes viewers rate it at 92%! It's definitely one to see in theaters, and if you can, see it in 3D. Makes it a whole lot more stressful, but better.

Ratings:
Family Friendliness: 8/10 Rovers- The film is pretty friendly, except for the swearing. Overall, it's funny, stressful, and a riveting experience, thanks to Ridley Scott's vision of space.
Story-line: 10/10 Potatoes- This is one of the few times I will ever give a 10 for 10 rating. I have not read "The Martian" book, but I absolutely loved everything about the story in this movie. It was a movie about redemption, survival, and the strength of determination, and the good uses of schooling that we can actually see!!!
Re-watch Probability: Very High (9/10 Spaceships)- You will love this movie so much you will immediately want to watch it again, yet at the same time you won't. You want to watch the riveting experience, but you're afraid to be stressed out again. Still, like I keep saying, it's amazing.
Overall: 9 out of 10 Stars- Two words can sum up everything I have been trying to tell you about this movie:

T  H  E     M  A  R  T  I  A  N

Bibliography: "The Martian" <http://i.ytimg.com/vi/WV6oREW0nmQ/maxresdefault.jpg>

"The Martian Rover" <http://s3.foxfilm.com/foxmovies/production/films/104/images/gallery/martian-gallery11-gallery-image.jpg>

"The Martian Ares III Crew" <http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--FA5Xev3z--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/1438981647730000017.jpg>

"The Martian Trailer" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej3ioOneTy8>