BLU-RAY REVIEW: 
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 2
08/21/2017

OVERVIEW: This August, Marvel Studios’ “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” the blockbuster sequel featuring the world’s favorite band of intergalactic misfits, blasts into homes digitally in HD, 4K Ultra HD™ and Disney Movies Anywhere on Aug. 8 and physically on 4K Ultra HD,™ Blu-ray and DVD on Aug. 22.

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” marks the Studios first in-home title to release in stunning 4K Ultra HD format, providing consumers with the ultimate home entertainment experience with next-generation high dynamic range visuals and Dolby Atmos immersive audio. 4K Ultra HD provides four times sharper resolution of HD with exceptional HDR which produces brighter brights, deeper blacks and richer colors than ever before. The galaxy has never looked so good!

Delivering the ultimate in-home experience is the Ultimate Cinematic Universe Edition (which includes a collectible poster while supplies last) comes packaged to include a 4K Ultra HD version of the film, a Blu-ray, a Digital Copy and more than 80-minutes of exclusive, never-before-seen bonus materials. Bonus will take fans behind the scenes with the movie’s diverse, dynamic cast of misfits and inspired team of filmmakers, debut an all-new original music video starring David Hasselhoff and special guests, hilarious outtakes, deleted scenes, audio commentary by director James Gunn, and more.

SYNOPSIS: Set to the all-new sonic backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, the film’s storyline continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians (Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, and Bradley Cooper as Rocket) must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand.

FILM REVIEW:

Rocket: Does anybody have any tape out there? I wanna put some tape over the "Death" button!

Peter Quill: [Hanging by one arm] Nobody has any tape!
Rocket: Not a single person has tape?

Peter Quill: You have an atomic bomb in your bag! If anyone is gonna have tape, it's *YOU*!

[Baby Groot grabs the device and runs off with it while Rocket's back is turned]

Rocket: I have to do everything!

Peter Quill: You are wasting a lot of time here!

Baby Groot: I... AM... GROOOOOOT!

Rocket: [to himself] That's a really bad sign.

It might be a bad sign for Rocket but it's great sign for us. In one word, FUN! This is easily one of the most fun Marvel flicks so far. It is most definitely one of the funniest too! It's literally laugh out loud and hard hilarious. You might actually think this was a comedy, not an action, adventure, sci-fi movie. But don't worry, we get plenty of action, adventure, and sci-fi too. This film has it all in just the right amounts. There's also some increasing love tension between Quill and Gamora (if you've seen the first one, you know what I mean), a reunion with a long lost father, rivalry amongst friends, new characters, new friends and new enemies to add on to the old friends and old enemies also present. Oh and we can't forget the cutest aspect of this film, our little Baby Groot still voiced by Vin Diesel. He is one of the cutest animated characters in film of all time (or at least that's my opinion . . . I did say one of). Groot as a baby/toddler has become the mascot of the team who still needs nurturing and to be protected. He is just adorable and steals any scene he's in. All the major players in the original cast are back again (thank you) and reprise their roles almost effortlessly. This team of misfits is exactly the team that everybody would love to be a part of. Again, it's just so much fun.

One of more popular features of the first Guardians was the excellent soundtrack. This one picks up right where the first one left off. The music and song selection was masterful, as good as the first one if not better. The visual aspects, cinematography and special effects, were also just as good if not better. Priscilla specifically told me to mention how good the 3D was for this film. Lucky for us the screening was in an IMAX configured theater and we saw the movie in 3D. You know how sometimes you might see a movie in 3D and it just really didn't make a difference. Well, in this case it is exceptional. So far everything points to this being a really great sequel. Not so fast. The one thing I was a little perplexed about with this film is how disconnected it is. The plot is pretty good and interesting as it ties some loose ends within the Guardians story but it lacked good connection with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With Infinity War looming around the corner, I was expecting this film to begin heading in that direction. Well, unless I missed it which is quite possible, I didn't catch any obvious connections to the MCU climax. The majority of the recent Marvel films had some clues/connections even if it was the mere presence of one of the Infinity stones. Heck, even the first Guardians story revolved around one of them. I was a little disappointed with this one because of that, but putting that aside the movie is still really good and fun. And we are treated to the traditional and entertaining Stan Lee cameo . . . be on the lookout for it. Vol. 2 is directed by James Gunn who directed the first one and apparantly is tagged to be the man at the helm for number 3. He has proven to be the man for the job. Marvel fans, I believe you won't be disappointed overall with this film. I do recommend to those who haven't seen the first one to do so in order to better understand the chemistry between these characters. Enjoy!

Review By Cine Marcos & Priscilla 
cinemarcos@smartcine.com

BLU-RAY: The film is presented in widescreen in a 2.40:1 aspect ration preserving its theatrical format. The picture is just flawless. Not only the picture looks great in this release, also the sound it is good, a 5.1 Dolby Digital in English that provides a good complement to the picture. It also includes  English French and Spanish subtitles.

VIDEO:
Widescreen (2.40:1) 16x9

AUDIO:
English 7.1 DTS-HDMA, English 2.0 Descriptive Audio, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Language Tracks

Subtitles - English, Latin Spanish, Parisian French

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Blu-ray™ unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.

DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away.

DIGITAL HD with UltraViolet™ lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.

The Making of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” – A four-part, behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, done in the style of classic-rock album liner notes.

Visionary Intro – Director James Gunn provides context on how he continues and expands the storylines of these beloved characters in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.”

Guardians Inferno Music Video – Join David Hasselhoff and special guests for a galactic retro dance party.

Gag Reel – Laugh out loud at all the hilarious off-script shenanigans and bloopers that took place on the set of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” featuring all your favorite Guardians.

Four Deleted Scenes – Check out four specific scenes that had to be cut from the film, including two extended scenes and two deleted scenes.

Audio Commentary – Check out a special narration of the film by director James Gunn, who guides fans through an inside look at the making of the movie.

Three Scene Breakdowns (Digital Exclusives) – We’ll reveal the anatomy of a few key scenes from the film. Discover the process in bringing these scenes to life. It starts with a doodle and the rest is film history. Audiences will be given the option to view 5-6 layers of specific scenes in the film. Scenes include “Eclector Escape,” “Gamora and Nebula,” and “Rocket and Ravagers.”

Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! (Digital Exclusive) – Get an exclusive sneak peek inside the most anticipated ride at Disneyland, Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!. We’ll dig into the concepts and inspiration, and talk about what it took to bring the most epic ride at Disneyland to life.