Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 [Includes Digital Copy] [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Blu-ray] [2017]

After a brief flashback to 1980 where we get to see Peter Quill's mother, Meredith (Laura Haddock) having a romantic encounter with a man who appears to be Peter's mysterious father, GotG2 picks things up at what seems like a few months after the end of the first film, with the Guardians - Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and now-baby Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) getting ready to protect some highly valuable Anulax batteries from a giant marauding space beast. We soon learn that they were hired for the job by a high priestess named Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki), the supreme leader of a gold-skinned and rather arrogant race called the Sovereigns, who apparently don't like getting their hands dirty or putting themselves personally at risk. As part of their payment, the Sovereigns hand over Gamora's step-sister Nebula (Karen Gillan) whom they happen to have captive. But things quickly go south when Rocket decides to help himself to some of the Sovereigns' precious batteries because "Hey, they were really easy to steal!" The subsequent pursuit by the outraged Sovereigns sets everything in motion and leads to the introduction of some new characters - Ego (Kurt Russell), a Celestial who claims to be Peter's father, and Mantis (Pom Klementieff), an eager-to-fit-in but rather naive empath who serves Ego - along with the reappearance of Yondu Udonta (Michael Rooker), leader of the band of Ravagers who abducted and then essentially raised Peter from when he was a boy. One note: while GotG2 is a lot of fun to watch, I felt it didn't measure up to the first film in terms of smoothness of flow. The best scenes are when the Guardians are in action and/or when they're interacting with each other, and there are plenty of both throughout the film. But that said, a lot of the purpose of GotG2 is to provide both background on the characters and, to a lesser degree, some setup for what will come next, and in doing so, there are a number of places in the film where the pace stumbles a bit due to one or more characters having to engage in what is generally called lumpy exposition. This is why I gave the film 4 stars instead of 5. It's the only reason, mind you, and the film is still pretty awesome overall, but at the same time these exposition lumps, however necessary they may be, do slow things down a bit. But there is a lot of heart in this film, just as there was in the first, and GotG2 does succeed in deepening our understanding of - and affection for - the Guardians as a group and as individuals. The most apt exchange defining this is when Nebula fumes to Gamora "All you do is yell at each other. You're not friends!" To which Drax responds "No. We are family." Highly recommended to any fan of the MCU franchise and to anyone who enjoys good, fun space opera with a healthy dose of heart. PS - (1) There are a lot of cameos and Easter eggs in this film. Too many to list here. I suggest googling for them so you'll know what to watch for in the movie. (2) There are 5 credits/after-credits scenes at the end of GotG2. (3) The film also has a recurring "crazy credits" going on so keep an eye on the credits themselves as they scroll by.

Well, the wait is finally over. Disney has finally hopped on the 4K/UHD bandwagon and naturally they have set the bar so ridiculously high that all other studios have been put on notice. It was practically written in the stars, what with James Gunn shooting the movie in 8K, creating one of the best IMAX 3D experiences of my life. I had impossibly high hopes for this home release and Disney didn’t disappoint. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is Disney’s first UHD Blu-ray and it is gorgeous. They really couldn’t have picked a better film, not only because of the 8K source material but also James Gunn’s dynamic color choices where every scene in the film is designed around a specific color pallet. The HDR brings the colors to incredible life while preserving a realistic, yet intense level of contrast and shading for the darker scenes so nothing is lost in the shadow. The level of detail is off the charts. You can trace the intricate lines on Drax’s skin or study the pores on Yondu’s face or marvel at the detail on Nebula’s implants, or if you’re up to the challenge, try counting the hairs on Rocket’s fur…you can. The included 3D copy, while technically no match for the UHD disc, will blow your mind with the smoothest and most immersive 3D and NO headaches or eye strain! 4K owners will also get the added immersion of a Dolby Atmos mix, while the BD version tops out with a DTS-HD MA 7.1 mix. I’m not sure why they couldn’t have stuck the Atmos mix on the BD as well, because the object-oriented sound design is so much more immersive. There were some scenes where sounds were coming from all directions including the ceiling, creating a truly engaging experience normally reserved for the fancy theater. If you have an Atmos setup this is going to showcase it in style. The mix is equally as perfect with prioritized dialogue and sound effects balanced with the movie’s epic soundtrack that seamlessly blends score and licensed 80’s tunes to not only create the perfect emotional mood, but in many ways actually tell parts of the story through lyrics and tonality. James Gunn is one of the few directors who recognize that music is an integral part of movie-making, and Vol 2 takes it to the next level. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 does a fantastic job of picking up where the first film left off, yet remains approachable for those who may have missed their debut. There are definitely some rewarding insider moments for those who have seen the original and even played the spin-off adventure game from Telltale. The action and set pieces are bigger than ever yet the focus remains remarkably tight and the emphasis on family is front and center to every element of the story. And you can experience it all on one of the best 4K/UHD releases of the year, and a movie no 4K home theater enthusiast should miss. It truly is out of this world.

The movie is great. Only negative review I have is toward BestBuy and Disney Studios for not allowing more Stock of the 3D version in USA. That is why I am giving it 3 Stars here for the Product Rating. To make the 3D it a Limited Quantity and exclusively sold at one retailer was a major mistake. It just means that they would sell less copies. That is bad for business. So many people in the U.S. missed out on getting this movie because the 3D version sold out do to so few copies being released here. So many stores only had a handful of copies. Some as few as two (2) copies. Unbelievable and Unacceptable. What we have now is a major Price Gouger issue where you see a few copies online going for as much three times more than retail cost; or people buying a Import for a higher cost than the Steel Book Combo Pack that came out here. Some are even just pulling the 3D copies out and selling them for over retail price of the combo pack. I have even seen some selling just the Digital Copy or keeping that that for themselves and selling the rest. It is amazing what limited in quantity product will do to the market for it. For those that buy the Imports they are not getting a Digital Copy and nor a 4K copy in most cases. Its just the 3d copy and regular Bluray in a regular case. Anyways... The movie itself is amazing. That is just my opinion from seeing it a few times in the theater. I have yet to get the movie as, like so many in the 3D community, I won't buy it unless its a 3D Version. Plus I also refuse to support Gougers nor do I wish to Import it. I am holding out until they release more here in USA. At some point they have to. At least one would think.

Vol. 2 was good, but I thought Vol. 1 was better. The storyline wasn't as strong as the original. Character development wasn't either. The love story between Peter and Gamora is put on hold between shortly after the beginning of the movie and shortly before the end of the movie. Rocket is a little bit more personable, showing glimpses that he really does care a little bit. Baby Groot has a young, care-free personality compared to the previous Groot, but I felt it was explored less than the stogy personality of the previous Groot and simply relied on youthful, fool-hardy stereo-types established early on in the movie (ie opening scene). And the tell-it-like-it-is and naivety of Drax is unchanged from the first movie, but still garners chuckles. Sisterly love between hardened/unemotional Gamora and equally-so Nebula is given back-story, but the result is predictable, though still heart-warming. All the characters are explored and/or developed, but only minimally I felt. The truth behind Peter's father is comic-book-unbelievable (where nothing is too ludicrous). The Marvel movie universe has kept the fantastical limited to minor plot devices (infinity stones, Loki's transformations, Bifröst Bridge/wormholes), not a central character and the final conflict/battle of the story. And where in the heck did "jump points" come from? They jumped out of no-where (or presumably the comic books). I enjoyed the movie, but felt a little bit let down from Vol. 1 (which isn't uncommon in follow-up movies, but is in the Marvel movie universe). Maybe I'm being too hard on the movie, but that's the expectation that the Marvel movie universe has set. Then again, I only took off a single star despite everything I said because the movie is still a solid/good movie.

One of my biggest complaints as of late with buying a high end movie has been the lack of including all the options. Yes, we’re still buying discs because we want the high quality experience without the possibility of lag while streaming, or we really want the 3D or 4k content. For Disney’s first release in the 4k world, they did it right (almost). This is the way it should be done (pay attention other publishers). It includes everything you would want disc wise. The 4k version which plays in very crisp clear high resolution detail. The 3D version which is still superb and fun to watch, as well as the lower (now) standard quality Blu Ray which you can take with you when you go on vacation. No, we really don’t need the DVD format anymore. I’m sorry I failed to mention the Digital Copy, which is only in HDX (even though you just paid for the 4k UHD version). For some reason Disney hasn’t caught up with this like Warner Bros. and Universal have, but they did later with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Still for their first outing into 4k they did a pretty good job. And who doesn’t want to see Star Lord in 3D kicking some alien tail? As far as the movie goes, it’s great, not as good as the original, but still very fun to watch and re-watch. You will enjoy this movie. You really don’t need me to explain like everyone else what they thought about it. If you’re looking at the 4k edition, you already know. And the steel case is just fun. I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for them. And if Disney / Marvel keeps putting out this quality of releases with everything included, I will keep buying them.

Props to Best Buy for being the only (known) U.S. retailer that offered this flick in a package that included a 3D Blu-ray disc. While the format is pretty much dead, I continue to have equipment that can play it and it is nice to have the extra disc included along with the UHD and traditional Blu-ray disc. Now, on to the film... Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, attempts to recreate the magic of the first Guardians of the Galaxy - a movie that surprised many, including me, as being just the right mix of humor and action, with a touch of nostalgic tunes thrown in for good measure. Guardians V2 tries to follow that same formula, and in many ways, lives up to the bar that was set by its predecessor, but at the same time, for me it doesn't quite get there. Don't get me wrong, Guardians V2 is good, nearly excellent (or perhaps actually is excellent, but doesn't touch that A+ rating or 5 star rating) but is just a bit below perfect for me. Guardians V1 and Deadpool take that spot for me in the area of comic book movies. Toss in Wonder Woman too as that film was really good (I really hope that the Blu-ray release of that is not screwed up in any way). Those films set the mark so high that beating them just isn't that easy. I appreciate that Guardians, V2 moves the story along and sets us up for more adventure in the Marvel Comics Universe.

While Vol. 2 could easily have gone the route of most sequels (being a louder, bigger version of the initial film), it was nice to see that they went for more personal/emotional storylines. Most of the film is about Quill finding his dad but it also takes time to examine the reasons behind Rocket's behavior towards those around him, Nebula/Gamora's love/hate sisterly relationship, Drax/Mantis learning to express true emotion and Yondu trying to atone for all the mistakes he's made in his life. These storylines don't mean that the film is without any excitement as there are still plenty of fun, crazy action scenes that still let you know this is a GOTG/MCU film. Kurt Russell is great as Ego, who starts off as a benevolent and loving father looking for his son before unleashing his cruel machinations. It was great to see the cameos from Stallone, Rhames, and Yeoh as leaders of other Ravager factions. As per usual, GOTG Vol. 2 has a great soundtrack that really helps set the mood for all the action and emotional scenes.

First let me say that I've loved all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies to some degree or another, but the Guardians of the Galaxy movie(s) were a sleeper hit with me and my family. I wasn't overly familiar with the characters and the line-up wasn't "my" Guardians of the Galaxy so I wasn't expecting to love it. But love it I did. All the characters are great, though Starlord, Groot, and Rocket steal the show for me. In the sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is a lot more of the same that I enjoyed in GotG 1: -One of the best soundtracks in a movie I've heard in a while...listen to them both all the time. -Lots of great 80's nostalgia playing to my childhood...just as much in the new movie. -Great humor, wrapped in great character development, and loner/family/team drama. And for the sequel, I could call attention to so many things I love about the movie, but I'll leave it at having one of the greatest opening credits sequences that I can remember. I loved Starlord's dance through the ruins in the first GotG, but Baby Groot's dancing around to ELO's Mr. Blue Sky was better...especially with everything happening in the background. Oh...and the end credits were engaging throughout. Not something you see very often.