In Theaters: May 5, 2017

There is only ONE wide release this weekend.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

In 2014, Marvel Studios took three directors out of relative obscurity and defied convention with the releases of Captain America: The Winter Soldier (directed by Joe and Anthony Russo) and Guardians of the Galaxy (written and directed by James Gunn).  Both of those movies have since been in the conversation of best Marvel movie ever, and other studios have since tried to replicate the apparently deft director-spotting skills of Marvel Studios president, Kevin Feige - to thoroughly mixed results (the directors for 2015's Fantastic Four and this year's Kong: Skull Island were both pulled directly from independent to blockbuster a la James Gunn).

What I'm getting at here is that 2014 was a big year for Marvel Studios, in no small part because of James Gunn and his first Guardians of the Galaxy film.

Now the second one is here and it is not going to disappoint fans.

I actually had the chance to see this movie on Tuesday night at the IMAX and in 3D.  The 3D gave me a headache, but it was worth it.  They're still colorful, they're still funny (this movie had SEVERAL laugh out loud moments - one cameo was so good I had to clap), and they still deliver on the action.  And with Kurt Russell AND Sylvester Stallone in the cast, they are most definitely still bleeding retro cool, a particular talent of James Gunn it seems.

One other thing worth mentioning.  It has been announced officially that James Gunn will write and direct a third Guardians of the Galaxy film, probably due for release sometime around 2020 or 2021.  This will make him the first to direct a full trilogy for Marvel Studios!  That's not mentioning the fact that he also will have written all three.  The Iron man trilogy had two directors, the Captain America trilogy had two sets of directors, and the soon-to-be-completed Thor trilogy has had three directors.  And if you count the Avengers films as a trilogy - by the time the third one comes out that's two sets of directors as well.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language, and brief suggestive content.  And I can personally recommend it.  I'll be seeing it again on Saturday.

      Big Shot Critic