Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (2017)
First off let us take a moment to reflect upon this movie’s very title. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 has a very episodic ring to it and gives the audience the impression that we are experiencing another tale from an epic series rather than a just another humdrum sequel. Semantics are at times a big deal and I think it’s relevant that Guardians of the Galaxy is marketed this way. It really seems to tie in with the franchises comic book roots.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
I had my doubts about Guardians of the Galaxy when I first saw it back in 2014, mainly because it's a franchise that I wasn’t familiar with. Also, because the movie is a throwback to a genre that has been conspicuously absent for several decades; namely the “space opera”. Readers over a certain age group may well have fond memories of movies such a Battle Beyond the Stars or The Last Starfighter. They may also have bad memories regarding Ice Pirates and Lorca and the Outlaws. The other thing that was a talking point about Guardians of the Galaxy upon its release, was the fact that it represented a somewhat of a gamble for Marvel Studios (Disney) and the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). Taking a punt on a lesser known franchise at a cost of $170,000,000 is not something you do lightly.