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davidahallnum5
Sep 5, 20228 min read

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 3D Blu-ray Review

Updated: Apr 8, 2023

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is the 2017 sequel to the 2014 superhero action comedy Guardians of the Galaxy. Following the story from the first movie, we see Peter Quill and his gang going throughout the galaxy and doing work their clients request of them, whether it's protecting their valuables or stopping a bad guy. After getting into trouble with their last clients, though, Peter ends up receiving an unexpected visit from a man named Ego who claims to be his biological father. At first, this looks to be a standard father and son reunion. But it isn't too long before it's discovered there's something much more to Ego than Peter originally anticipated. Meanwhile, the surrounding characters we grew to know from the first film end up on their own adventures.

Before I review this film, I should probably tell you what I thought of the first Guardians of the Galaxy. The first Guardians film is my probably my personal favorite Marvel movie. It has everything you want in a movie in its genre. It's action-packed, it's funny, its story is engaging, and it has a catchy 80s soundtrack. But what surprised me the most about it was the expertly handled character development. All the main characters are introduced in well-written and entertaining ways, showing off their individual quirks to the audience without taking away from the film's pace and its humor. And it's done in a very effective way which I rarely see in films nowadays, especially most superhero movies. I could go on describing why Guardians is my favorite Marvel film. But I should probably save that for when I do the 3D review of the film.

That brings me to the question at hand which is this: how was Guardians of the Galaxy 2? I think it, for the most part, it's a very nice sequel to the first Guardians. There were a few things that I believe are worth addressing that prevent the film from being as great as the first one. But it was still an enjoyable superhero movie overall. Let's start with the things I liked the most about this film. First off, the film doesn't lose the sense of humor the first one had. The comedic chemistry among the cast allows for an abundance of fun interactions among the characters. Baby Groot and Rocket also allow for some of the films more memorable moments, such as one scene where Rocket is teaching Groot how to properly set a bomb without immediately killing everyone, but every time Rocket tells Groot to repeat his instruction, he keeps choosing the wrong button. It's parts like these that keep the funny momentum from the first film rolling. Along with that, there is also no shortage of 80s references either.

And the film doesn't shy away from the more serious moments. This time 'round, the stakes in the story turn out to be quite high, maybe even more so than the first movie. This only really comes around in the third act, but more on that later. The film still knows how to properly balance it with comedy. But you still feel the film's darker elements. It's something the first film managed to do right and it still continues here. I don't want to delve into spoilers, but the universe ends up hanging in the balance and the characters go through plenty of serious struggles.

But just like the first Guardians, this film also offers plenty of heart that somehow doesn't get lost amidst the comedy. And once again, I don't want to spoil the story for you. But there are some pretty poignant messages touched upon in the film from what it means to be a father, what makes a family a family, and how our family ultimately fits into the greater scheme of things. They're all handled in a tasteful and satisfying way. And these themes need to emotional beats that, I think, are much more memorable and touching than the first film, and that's saying something.

All that being said, I do have a something to mention that prevents this seemingly perfectly fine sequel from being as memorable as it could have been. While the story does naturally progress from the first, it doesn't exactly feel as original as it ought to be. I think that's mainly because the story isn't as well-told or compelling as it ought to have been. For the first hour and a half or so, we get plenty of comedy, and the comedy hits for sure. But even as it makes us laugh, the plot still appears to go through plenty of beats that we can see coming. That isn't exactly a huge problem, but it's just a wee bit disappointing. The plot isn't entirely by-the-numbers. There are plenty of decent twists that occur, mostly in the late second and third act. But because the film doesn't take itself quite as seriously in the first and early second act, it makes the film feel somewhat like it's playing it safe.

But that small nitpick aside, Guardians 2 is still a very entertaining movie that delivers what you want out of a Guardians of the Galaxy movie: laughs, action, heart, plenty of 80s references, and a bit of clever direction. Is it a perfect sequel, no. But that's only because it falls slightly short of Guardians standards. By the standards of any other superhero movie, it's still gut-busting, action-packing and surprisingly heartfelt. Those elements make Guardians 2 one of the more enjoyable outings from the MCU, even if it's not fully on par with the first Guardians film.


OVERALL FILM RATING: 4/5



I remember seeing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in IMAX 3D when it first came out around five years ago, and I it was a fantastic experience all around. Watching the 3D Blu-ray version at home is obviously never going to feel as big and intense as it does on an IMAX screen. But the 3D effects in the film still remain as fantastic as I remember them. And at home, they're still some of the best you'll find out of the MCU, or most other 3D films in general.

The amount of depth on display throughout the film is nothing less than staggering. The surreal alien environments we encounter, the views from the middle of space, and the intense action scenes all benefit from the insane amount of 3D space. And it's especially helped (the 3D Blu-ray Bunker might kill me for saying this) whenever the camera switches aspect ratios during scenes with big action, going from normal ratio 2.39.1 to the IMAX ratio 1.90.1. It makes the scenes feel all the much bigger and engaging.

Right from the start of the film when the Guardians are fighting an energy hungry monster, there are a ton of things the 3D is taking maximum advantage of. The depth in-screen is astounding, revealing the wide cityscape in the background to the immense size of the platform where the action is taking place. The fight between the monster and the main characters is much more mesmerizing to see in 3D as they come out of the screen and move back into it. Sometimes, the monster vomits a rainbow-colored substance that pops out plenty. The opening credits sequence going on during this time is also plenty of fun in 3D. Groot stays at the focus, but the action going on behind him, the words on the screen, and city below when Groot gets dragged almost off the roof at one point make fantastic usage of 3D. And all that's in the first five minutes of the film.

The 3D throughout the film never lets up from there. The insides of buildings all look very deep and lifelike. There are scenes like this that take place on Ego's planet with lots of detail, bright colors, and extreme space that the extra depth makes even more immersive. Minus the bright colors part, and the same thing can be said for the spaceship corridors. Every scene looks exactly like it should in 3D space. Even better, the scenes that are outside inside structures look incredible. In space, we see stars that go off in the distance for infinity, planets that look massively far away, and spaceships with mesmerizing shapes moving, and out of, around the screen. On the ground, we get forests that while not maximumly impressive, still have plenty of detail that's enhanced by 3D space. And on Ego's planet, there's way too much to look at. On the side with less depth, the structures and buildings all have fancy designs that are wonderful to look at in 3D. And on the side with more depth, the background is full of eye candy, with tons of high planes of ground that look far away and structures that go off into the distance. The inside of Ego's planet in the third act, is full of claustrophobic caves, surreal arrangements of soil and an overall enormous landscape. The Guardians of the Galaxy live in a big environment, and the 3D really makes you feel it.

But what makes Guardians of the Galaxy even more fun isn't just how much depth goes into the screen, but also how much fun the movie has with it. We get everything from guns, big and small, to lasers to bubbles to even Yondu's arrow popping directly out of the screen, sometimes even breaking the 2.39.1 aspect ratio, but that's just the start. Action sequences in space are full of mesmerizing 3D detail. There are parts of the film where a large amount of spaceships are moving around into and out of the screen (and this is when the IMAX ratio is present) shooting lasers and creating explosions. There's a scene where Peter and Rocket have to navigate an asteroid field and the three-dimensional position of the rocks are all made evident by the 3D space. At one point, a character goes out of the ship during a chase sequence and holds himself to the ship using only a rope. He comes out of the screen a good ways. But the shots at the ends of the rope making sense of how far away he is are 3D gold. There are also plenty of shots in spaceships that look through holes or rounded windows in spaceships that look fantastic in 3D, enhancing the chaos and/or deep background of the scene. We also get people who's body parts leave the screen plenty of times. There are many other creative ways this film uses 3D, but what I've mentioned will hopefully give you an idea of how this movie uses 3D.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was a boatload of fun in 3D. It's dialed up to display maximum depth. The backgrounds and landscapes are incredible to look at from a distance, the strange details of outer space structures and equipment are fun to watch, and there are some fantastic pop outs. In fact, although it's been a while since I've seen it, I think this film has better 3D than the first one, and the first one set a pretty high bar. I try not to give too many 3D films the highest of high "excellent" rating very often. But Guardians 2 really deserves it. And it's even better when you can see it on the big screen.


3D RATING: EXCELLENT


Other sources that review this movie's 3D (the opinions in these review may not always match up with mine. But if you want a second opinion on this movie's 3D, these are some sources I recommend checking out):







FINAL THOUGHTS:


Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a fun superhero movie overall. It doesn't quite reach the same level of originality the first film had. But it makes up for it with its brand of humor, its entertaining characters, and its heartfelt elements. It's all in all a solid watch for anyone who is a fan of the first Guardians of the Galaxy, or anyone who likes superhero movies in general. And if you're going to get it, do yourself a favor and buy the 3D version. There's no other way to watch it. With as much depth on display there is and with the sheer amount of 3D fun this film has, even those who are hard set against 3D are going to find something to appreciate about the extra dimension in this movie. And if you are a 3D fanatic, this film is a must-buy, it and its predecessor. Waste no time and purchase it, especially with its current price at $21 (it was about $10-$15 more when I first bought it).




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