Double Sized Indeed! It’s gotta be when the Summer Movie season is marked with the arrival of Marvel Films GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Vol. 2 — the space-faring adventurers are back and EW has the story!
Summer Movies are a time for utter fandom indulgence! The blockbuster season has become a comic-book/genre fans’ wet dream come alive as the major studios jockey for the prime positioning of their tentpole flicks, and this year is no different as the stakes have been raised higher in anticipation of the most exciting comic-book adaptations yet. If you’re a DC Comics fan then of course you’re eager for Wonder Woman to finally get her own solo film leading up to her joining in on the group effort Justice League, which will finally give rise to the interconnected DC Cinematic Films continuity.
There is one other film in this season’s line-up that is creating just as much excitement, and seeing as it is a part of the Marvel Films series, it’s a lead-up to what will no doubt be the greatest big-screen brawl ever captured on screen, but before we get to the Infinity War we have to take a pause and revel in the return of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 — ready to hit theaters an blow away our collective minds!
The sequel is again written and directed by James Gunn who surprised everyone with the first flick, and it wasn’t a fluke! He had prepared intensively to bringing the obscure bunch of space rangers to life (and out of left field) adding them into the more Earth-bound exploits of their contemporaries, immediately opening up the Marvel Films universe to all new possibilities. At the core of the first film’s success is the chemistry among the cast, which includes a “rocket” raccoon and living tree!
Establishing these otherwise oft-secular characters that inhabit Marvel Comics and turning them into film stars may have looked easy after seeing the first film, but the Guardians have a history (in the comics) that is complex and literally other-worldly. Making them fit into a world of web-slingers and avengers appeared a no-brainer, but before the initial release of Gunn’s Vol. 1 this group didn’t have the brand recognition befitting an “Iron Man” or “Hulk”. Cut to: 2 years later and it’s a completely different story.
Chris Pratt is back as Star Lord the leader of this ragtag team, and Star Trek’s Zoe Saldana is the green-skinned warrior Gamora who along with the rest of the Guardians find themselves on the galaxy’s “most wanted” list — which does that bode well for them. The pair will also be dealing with some “daddy issues” as the big reveal secret of who exactly fathered the Star Lord plays into the story, and Gamora’s sister Nubula (played by Karen Gillan) battles to curry favor from one evil bruiser named Thanos (more on him as the plot thickens).
Entertainment Weekly’s writer Clark Collis (@clarkcollis) delivers the goods without giving up the farm on this piece, which is paced as excitingly in its delivery as the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 adventure is sure to be!
Read the full article in this week’s Issue of Entertainment Weekly #1463 April 28th available on stands now and on digital download.