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Grauniads of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Started by Glebe, March 06, 2016, 10:45:32 AM

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Glebe


Head Gardener


Mobius


samadriel

Yes, I'll second that. It's probably the most gag-heavy Marvel movie, and they make that a good thing.
Spoiler alert
David Hasselhoff's 3-second cameo
[close]
was brilliant.

Custard

Yeah, enjoyed it too. Though I was sat near to the most annoying screeching school kids imaginable. Luckily the sheer din of the film drowned out most of their bullshit. Never stopped talking during the quieter bits, though. WHAT IS POINT. Oh well, I guess I was asking for it, going at 3.45 on opening day

If you didn't like the first Guardians, you certainly won't like this one, as everything is dialled up even further. It's an out and out comedy in parts. Most of the humour landed, for me, but some of it fell flat

It's really fun, and action packed, and all the characters get their little moments. Some nice new characters too, like Kurt Russell and the asian lady. Michael Rooker gets a much more beefed up role this time round, and he is excellent. As does Karen Gillan, but she's a bit throwaway here

Well worth seeing, though the audience ruined it for me a bit. Might go again, once the hype dies down

Phil_A

I enjoyed this film for the most part but the old cliche that Hollywood is obsessed with writing stories about father issues absolutely rang true here. Even though in this case the father is a fucking planet.

It's kind of frustrating as you've got this huge canvas to set a story in and so many weird and wonderful characters to play with, but the plot of this one ultimately boils down to FUCK YOU DAD I WON'T DO WHAT YOU TELL ME.

phantom_power

Isn't that an intrinsic part of that character though? They haven't just shoehorned it in for no reason

Paaaaul

I don't have a problem with the story, just the way it was told.

The first Guardians film is relentless. This one isn't.

The first act is great. Funny, exciting and a great continuation of what came before.
The second act slows to a crawl with way too much expository stuff being told by people standing around telling us what the situation is and how it could play out, rather than as part of the story which is something the first film did pretty well.
The last act is a mess. Too many little battles going on simultaneously with messy geography making it a bit confusing.
And WAY too many post-credits bits. It felt more like a set of deleted scenes than a sneak peak of what comes next, and a bit like those annoying people who can't write a joke properly so they just end a sentence with an appropriate,smug one word #hashtag

That said, I thought it was easily the funniest Marvel film yet, and lots of fun. I think it'll improve on repeat viewing.

Kelvin

Does this film contain a scene where Starlord leaps towards his girlfriend, and sees her as his dead cancer mum flying through space on a bed? Because if not, it can't be as laugh out loud hilarious as the first one. 

kidsick5000

Loved it.

It does everything an entertaining superhero film needs to.

This should be Ludovico'd into everyone making the current batch of DC movies to see how it should be done.

I just love how unabashedly joyful that title sequence is.

Also, THAT is how you use a soundtrack. Some half expected tracks like ELO, but some real obscure stuff like Silver's Wham Bam - a great one-hit wonder that matches the tone perfectly.

I can see me going for this multiple times

Hemulen

Well, that was pretty much everything I wanted it to be. Lots of good character development (Yondu and Rocket in particular), tons of gags (most of which landed), and an undoubtedly unique and complex villain for a change. The biggest nits I have to pick are that Gamora and Drax got rather short-changed in terms of action (which is a shame as they're the fightiest fighters of the bunch) and the attempt to introduce every single song on the soundtrack diagetically felt a little forced at times.

But regardless of those niggles I still sat there with a huge idiot grin on my face the whole time. So what if Marvel Studios has a "formula", as many people are keen to point out? If that formula is action + humour + heart then fuck it, keep churning them out till I pop my proverbial clogs because that is a recipe that will never fail to delight me.

Pleased to hear Gunn's already on board for Vol 3 as well. There's still so much he can do, especially in terms of characters from the Abnett & Lanning run that have yet to be introduced.
Spoiler alert
In addition to Adam Warlock (who was teased in one of the 700 mid/post-credits scenes) there's Phyla-Vell/Quasar, Moondragon, Bug, Cosmo (who still hasn't had his due, with only a wordless cameo in GotG 1 and a little nod in the credits this time)...
[close]
Well, at least we got Mantis this time.

greenman

It did I think definitely benefit from having the Marvel films strongest set of characters involved(much moreso than the Avengers) and most interesting setting but to me it didn't quite feel like it captured the balance of the original. As paul said I felt the middle did drag somewhat(even in Russel can sell the exposition well) and it was rather over cluttered though out but especially at the end. Beyond that though I'd say the humour and schmaltz felt like they'd moved from 11 to about 17 to the degree it became a bit harder to buy into the setting and things descended rather into outright farce and/or cheese at points.

I spose my view might change on a second viewing at some point but it felt like there was the core of an excellent film (perhaps better than the original) not quite pulled off.

Sal Vicuso

Loved it, and the technicolour explosions throughout. Definitely want to see that opening scene in 3D

greenman

Like the first one I think its definitely the best of the Marvels to look at.

Dr Rock

Me guessing what would be on Awesome Mix tape number 2

Quote from: Dr Rock on July 26, 2016, 09:38:33 AM
I bet Peter's Mum (mom) might've loved some of these.

Take It On The Run - REO Speedwagon
Trash - New York Dolls
Crazy Horses - Osmonds
Rocket Man - Elton John
Surrender - Cheap Trick
I Was Made For Loving You - KISS
The Night - Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
Rhinestone Cowboy - Glen Campbell

I got one right - Cheap Trick.

greenman

Sadly so did I with Mr Blue Sky, the choices seemed a little more obvious to me this time but you could also probably say that the soundtrack was a less essential park of the film.

The day after I still feel they would have been better cutting back both on some of the comedy which I found a little too ubiquitous to the degree it was lacking something straight to play off of and some of the plot. that ended up being rather overcluttered. The Sovereign and/or Nebula could I think have been droped or scaled back in favour of just focusing on Quills father and the ravagers. As it is I'd say the film lost a lot of momentum after the opening and took awhile to get back on track whilst the Yondu plot especially could I think have done with some more time.

Head Gardener



whoever wrote this will be pissing money as it was played twice in the movie
https://youtu.be/N-tRXewCAmU - a US #1 in 1972 - UK #51

kidsick5000

Imagine how these guys feel

Their only hit, not written by them and forced on them by the record company because the company didn't like their music. Will they see any pennies?
But a great find. I love how it is worked in.
https://youtu.be/zB5dsglj25o

Yes. I'm still in love with it all.

Glebe

Saw it Thursday night in IMAX. Mixed feelings, it's a bit wonky and all over the shop and certainly doesn't have the deftness of the first movie, but it is both fun and funny. The title sequence is great, and there are several zingers along the way, although as others have pointed out, a number of gags miss the mark a bit (the
Spoiler alert
Taserface
[close]
thing isn't exactly side-splitting, for instance). It's nice to see the supporting characters get a fair shake of the stick, but on the other hand, I felt the had too much stuff to pack in. It also doesn't help that certain scenes feel a bit draggy and unnecessary, while some of the dynamics of the first film are not really built upon.

Kurt Russell is fine as Ego, but his role is ultimately diminished towards the end. And while she has the relationship stuff with her sister and Starlord going, I felt that Zoe Saldana's role as Gamora deserved to be a little more interesting. I like that they placed a good deal of importance on the characters and their feelings amid all wisecracking, although some bits - like
Spoiler alert
Yondu suddenly having an emotive confrontation with Rocket at an inappropriate moment
[close]
- felt kind of forced. The all-important mixtape wasn't as impressive this time out, either.

So overall, not the fantastic follow-up I was hoping for, but it's not without it's charms.


SavageHedgehog

I have a slightly grumpy attitude towards the Marvelverse, in that I think most of the films are OK but kind of bland, and take umbrage with their largely homogeneous styling, and the backseat the individual plots often take in aid of promoting the franchises' continued existence.

And I was pleasantly surprised by the original GOTG back in 2014, but somewhat childishly came to resent it a bit after seeing one too many year-end retrospectives saluting how "daring" it was by having a talking raccoon, characters who hadn't been on lunch boxes before, a cum joke etc. So with that chip on my shoulder, the inevitably diminished surprise factor, and some trailers I found unexceptional, I was expecting to find this mediocre at best.

But I was pleasantly surprised again. I don't think it's as good as the first; it's a lot messier, and the first third is a bit too jokey (although there are some genuine laughs in the film, particularly later on), and the middle tries to cram too much in. Gunn pulls the "someone says something serious, undercut by someone else" card a few too many times. But it does manage to have a fairly interesting story which knows when to turn a little more serious, and how serious it should turn. The claims that this is an "intimate" or "surprisingly small" film are pushing it a bit IMO, but character-driven seems like a fair assessment.

For my money this is easily the best "Part 2" in the franchise so far; I know a lot of people love The Winter Soldier, but that's one I just didn't get on with at all. In fact, for a Marvelverse skeptic they've been doing pretty well by me recently, as I also found Doctor Strange and Civil War to be more to my liking than the usual, and Ant Man wasn't bad either.

I thought the
Spoiler alert
Kurt Russell-planet-human-form disintegrating/rebuilding
[close]
effects had a touch of Tron/The Lawnmower Man to them, probably intentional given the retro-stylings of these movies, and not unwelcome relative to a lot of the unconvincing pseudo-realistic CGI we see in mega-budget movies.

mothman

I did enjoy this. I think it's actually the first MCU I've ever seen at the cinema. And God does that bite you in the arse when it comes to the mid-credits. Far better to just fast-forward to them. And really there were too many; the Stan Lee one didn't need to be there when he'd already appeared once.

The Taserface scene wasn't great but it was worth it for the later pay-off with the Sovereign comms officer cracking up. I also completely failed to spot Ben Browder from Farscape as the Sovereign Admiral.

The de-aged Kurt Russell was unnervingly good. It want quite right - that kind of thing never will be - but in a way that was impossibe to tell what wasn't quite right about it. Meanwhile, conversely, the sheer amount of emotion that Baby Groot was able to portray was incredible.

Question is, is all the music from the film on the Awesom Mix 2? Becsuse might have to get. And I liked the synth track that prayed during the Ravager bar scene before they get expelled. Is that on the soundtrack album?

Glebe

Quote from: mothman on May 07, 2017, 07:24:44 PMThe de-aged Kurt Russell was unnervingly good. It want quite right - that kind of thing never will be - but in a way that was impossibe to tell what wasn't quite right about it.

How Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 2 Pulled Off That Kurt Russell Scene Without CGI.

QuoteI have a terrific makeup guy, we've done 28 movies together. He did a lot of work makeup wise with some of his own tricks and it's about 90% that, they didn't do much [digitally]. It's amazing what he could do and what we could do with a wig...And then, you know you lighten your voice and you pick up your physicality and you play it, you play young.

Was very nicely done... I actually wondered as to whether or not they hired an actor who just really looked like Russell.

Custard

Whereas, as much as I like Rogue One, CGI Tarkin is very exposed as being not being quite right on Blu-Ray

It's about 77.787% right, fact fans

weekender

It was alright.   Felt a bit 'Marvel-by-numbers', which is not a criticism I usually apply to most Marvel films as I feel most of them have had a certain je ne sais quoi to set them apart from each other.

For those of you who like my usual hatred against other cinema-goers, I can't offer you much this time. 

The best I can offer is that I'd chosen a seat on the back row in the middle, because it was the best view and no-one else had booked any seats on the back row at the time I made my online booking.  You can imagine then, my surprise when I took my seat only to find a couple directly to my left.  Why would they have chosen their two seats right next to the only taken seat on the back row?  Odd choice on their part, although it was a good view.

Anyway, I decided that I didn't want to change my seat because it really was a good view, even if that meant sitting next to a couple for the entirety of the film despite the fact there were many other empty seats available.

I'm even more proud that I continued my stance even when the woman gave the man a sly handjob under her coat.  If they'd have started using their phones it would have been a different story, but weirdly I was OK with sitting next to a gentle rocking motion, it made the special effects seem more authentic.

kidsick5000

I have to confess that I've yet to see this with a regular audience.
Both times I used vouchers to the 'Gold Class' option which gets you proper food (tea comes in a pot), immensely comfy chairs and a small amount of people all of whom are there to behave properly.

It's like watching at home.

This blissful state may have coloured my opinion. Both times.

olliebean

Quote from: weekender on May 07, 2017, 09:24:18 PM
The best I can offer is that I'd chosen a seat on the back row in the middle, because it was the best view and no-one else had booked any seats on the back row at the time I made my online booking.  You can imagine then, my surprise when I took my seat only to find a couple directly to my left.  Why would they have chosen their two seats right next to the only taken seat on the back row?  Odd choice on their part, although it was a good view.

They'd probably just sat somewhere other than the seats they booked. I often notice seats in the same row showing as booked when I buy my ticket, and then remaining empty throughout the film - I think a lot of people aren't that bothered about sitting in the exact seat if the cinema is fairly empty, or change their minds once they see where the seats actually are.

Or maybe they just asked for seats in the middle of the back row without looking at the seat plan.

greenman

Quote from: weekender on May 07, 2017, 09:24:18 PM
It was alright.   Felt a bit 'Marvel-by-numbers', which is not a criticism I usually apply to most Marvel films as I feel most of them have had a certain je ne sais quoi to set them apart from each other.

I'd tend to say the opposite, you could tell the formula but there was enough interest there to make it less of an issue where as I find standard Marvel has felt its going over the same ground for while now.

Shit Good Nose

I think I must have watched a different film from pretty much everyone else - I thought it was dreadful.  A properly bad film.

Having thoroughly enjoyed the first one, and buoyed by the trailers, I was expecting to similarly enjoy this one.  But, instead, it felt like a shit big budget parody of itself, with none of the natural charm of the original, for the most part terrible acting (it's normally great to see Kurt in anything, even Death Proof, but this.......), and I seriously nearly walked out when
Spoiler alert
the Hoff
[close]
turned up.

It also just seemed like they took all the character subtleties from the first film and ramped them up to 11, just so us proles could understand what was going on, man - "oh, people loved baby Groot dancing at the end of the first one, so let's have that for the first 10 minutes of this one!  Ooh, ooh - and you know how Rocket was all cocky but lovable, well let's pull a Jack Sparrow/Pirates 2 and just turn him into a massive prick for no apparent reason and just so people can guess that he's just after love.  Oh, and of course we've got to get in more of Quill's father issues - that's the emotional heart of the film after all".

Fuck off.  All of it.

Stan Lee's cameos are REALLY starting to get on my tits now, as well.

Harrumph.

QDRPHNC

I liked the first one, but didn't think it was mind-blowing. Good, tight, funny, space adventure with likeable characters.

The opening scene went on a big too long, but the concept was great,
Spoiler alert
watching Baby Groot dancing while an insane battle with a multi-dimensional being is happening, out of focus in the background.
[close]

I thought they kept the good character stuff, but the plot felt really flabby and to be honest I didn't entirely get it...
Spoiler alert
Ego, an immortal who has spent millions of years honing his skills, can't take over the universe by himself, but with the addition of just one more, untrained, half-immortal he can?
[close]

Was very happy to see Yandu get more of a role here, and Rooker's delivery of
Spoiler alert
"I'm Mary Poppins y'all!"
[close]
still has me chuckling three days later.

Overall, it was fun, entertaining and very pretty to look at it, which is about as much as I would expect GotG to deliver.