Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (Film)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a 2017 American superhero, science fiction, adventure, and comedy film produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios. It is the sequel to the 2014 film Guardians of the Galaxy, following Peter Quill (Star-Lord) and his team as they continue their adventures across the far reaches of the universe and uncover the mysteries of Quill’s true past and parentage.

Directed and written by James Gunn, the screenplay also includes contributions from Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. The film is produced by Kevin Feige and Lars P. Winther, with cinematography by Henry Braham and music composed by Tyler Bates. Released in Türkiye on 28 April 2017 through UIP Türkiye, the film premiered in the United States on 5 May 2017.

^{Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Movie Poster (}IMDB⁾

The film’s story begins in 1980 on Earth. A mysterious being named Ego visits Earth and enters a romantic relationship with Peter Quill’s mother, Meredith Quill.

The action then moves to the period following the events of the first film in 2014. After saving Xandar from Ronan, the Guardians of the Galaxy (Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Baby Groot) are hired by Ayesha, the High Priestess and leader of the genetically perfected Sovereign race. Their mission is to protect valuable Anulax batteries from an interdimensional creature. In return for successfully completing the task, the Sovereign hand over Nebula, the estranged sister of Gamora, to the team. However, after Rocket secretly steals some of the batteries, Ayesha launches a drone attack on the Guardians’ ship.

During the attack, a mysterious figure rescues the ship, but the Guardians are forced to make an emergency landing on the planet Berhert. The mysterious figure is revealed to be Ego, Peter Quill’s biological father. Ego invites Peter, Gamora, and Drax to his planet, while Rocket and Baby Groot remain on Berhert to repair the damaged ship and keep Nebula under surveillance.

^{Scene from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (}IMDB⁾

Meanwhile, Ayesha hires Yondu Udonta, leader of the Ravagers, to capture the Guardians. Yondu, a figure exiled from the larger Ravager community for child trafficking (particularly by Stakar Ogord), captures Rocket. However, when Yondu hesitates to hand Quill over to the Sovereign, his second-in-command, Taserface, instigates a mutiny. Those loyal to Yondu are executed, and Yondu and Rocket are imprisoned. Nebula, freed through an alliance with Taserface, leaves to find Gamora and kill her. While imprisoned, Yondu and Rocket form a bond over their shared experiences of rejection. With the help of Yondu’s loyal follower Kraglin and Baby Groot, the two escape prison, destroy Taserface’s ship, and set course for Ego’s planet.

^{Scene from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (}IMDB⁾

On Ego’s planet, it is revealed that Ego is in fact a divine “Celestial” who has created his own planet by manipulating matter around his consciousness and fashioned a human avatar to experience life. Seeking meaning in existence, Ego has devised a plan called “The Expansion,” in which he has planted seeds on thousands of planets and intends to terraform them into extensions of himself. To initiate this process, he requires the power of two Celestials. Thus, he has fathered countless children with women across the universe and had them brought to him by Yondu. None carried the Celestial gene, so all were killed. Ego teaches Peter how to harness this power and forms a bond with him. However, Peter turns against his father when Ego confesses that he deliberately planted a tumor in Meredith Quill’s brain to eliminate her desire to return to Earth.

Meanwhile, Ego’s empathic servant, Mantis, reveals Ego’s true intentions to Drax. Nebula arrives on Ego’s planet and engages in a deadly fight with Gamora, but the two become allies after discovering a cave filled with thousands of skeletons of Ego’s failed children. Yondu, Rocket, and Kraglin also arrive on the planet, reuniting the team.

^{Scene from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (}IMDB⁾

Ego activates the seeds across the universe, beginning to consume planets. The team resolves to destroy Ego by reaching his brain at the planet’s core. Rocket constructs a bomb from one of the stolen Sovereign batteries, and Baby Groot places it inside Ego’s brain. As the Sovereign drones also attack the planet, a massive battle ensues. Peter uses his newly discovered Celestial powers to distract Ego. The bomb detonates, killing Ego and destroying his planet.

As the planet disintegrates, Yondu gives Peter his only space suit to survive in the vacuum of space and sacrifices himself. Peter realizes that his true father is not Ego, but Yondu, who raised him. Nebula departs the team to seek revenge on Thanos. The Guardians hold a Ravager funeral for Yondu, and dozens of Ravager ships join in silent tribute after learning of his sacrifice.

In the post-credits scenes: Kraglin attempts to learn how to use Yondu’s telekinetic arrow; Stakar Ogord reunites his former team; Ayesha creates an artificial being named “Adam” to destroy the Guardians; Baby Groot enters adolescence; and a group of Watchers listen to a reporter recounting their experiences on Earth^【1】.

The film features a wide array of characters and prominent Hollywood actors:

• Chris Pratt – Peter Quill / Star-Lord: The half-human, half-Celestial leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
• Zoe Saldana – Gamora: A personal assassin raised by Thanos and a member of the team.
• Dave Bautista – Drax: A warrior with exceptional combat skills seeking revenge for his family’s murder.
• Bradley Cooper – Rocket (Voice): A genetically modified intelligent raccoon, bounty hunter, and weapons expert.
• Vin Diesel – Baby Groot (Voice): A tree-like humanoid organism and Rocket’s companion.
• Michael Rooker – Yondu Udonta: A blue-skinned Ravager leader who raised Peter Quill as a father figure.
• Karen Gillan – Nebula: Thanos’s adopted daughter and Gamora’s sister.
• Kurt Russell – Ego: A divine Celestial and Peter Quill’s biological father.
• Pom Klementieff – Mantis: Ego’s naive servant with empathic abilities.
• Elizabeth Debicki – Ayesha: The golden-skinned High Priestess and leader of the Sovereign.
• Sylvester Stallone – Stakar Ogord: A high-ranking Ravager leader who exiled Yondu.
• Chris Sullivan – Taserface: A Ravager lieutenant who leads a mutiny against Yondu.
• Sean Gunn – Kraglin: A loyal Ravager follower of Yondu.
• Laura Haddock – Meredith Quill: Peter Quill’s mother.

Additional cast members include Glenn Close, Wyatt Oleff, Elizabeth Faith Ludlow, Gregg Henry, and Jared Shaw in various roles.

Even before the first film was released, it was officially announced at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 would be produced. James Gunn remained as director, with Tyler Bates composing the score and Henry Braham handling cinematography. Kevin Feige and Lars P. Winther produced the film on behalf of Marvel Studios.

Before Kurt Russell was cast as Ego, other actors considered for the role included Gary Oldman, Viggo Mortensen, Christoph Waltz, Christopher Plummer, Max von Sydow, and Liam Neeson^【2】. Additionally, director James Gunn had planned for legendary musician David Bowie to appear in a small role before his passing.

With an estimated production budget of approximately $200,000,000, the film achieved major commercial success worldwide. Its global box office revenue totaled $863,764,214. In its opening weekend in the United States and Canada, the film earned $146,510,104, bringing its total earnings in the region to $389,813,101^【3】.

Released in Türkiye on 28 April 2017 through UIP Türkiye, the film attracted 126,887 viewers during its opening weekend, generating ₺1,911,945 in revenue. Over its 10-week theatrical run, total viewership reached 385,357 and total Turkish box office revenue reached ₺5,367,216.^【4】.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 received recognition and nominations from various prestigious organizations for its technical achievements and cultural impact:

• Academy Awards (Oscars): Nominated for Best Visual Effects with Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner, and Daniel Sudick^【5】.
• Saturn Awards: Won Best Special Effects. Also nominated for Best Comic-to-Film Motion Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Michael Rooker), and Best Make-up^【6】.
• Teen Choice Awards: Won Choice Sci-Fi Movie. Chris Pratt won Choice Sci-Fi Movie Actor and Zoe Saldana won Choice Sci-Fi Movie Actress. Michael Rooker and Kurt Russell received nominations in other categories.
• Hollywood Film Awards: Won Sound of the Year with Addison Teague and David Acord.
• Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards: Won Outstanding Virtual Cinematography for the “Groot’s Dance / Opening Battle” sequence and was nominated for Outstanding Visual Effects.
• Other Organizations: Received nominations from the Annie Awards (Character Animation), Empire Awards (Best Film Music, Costume Design, Production Design, Visual Effects), and Kids’ Choice Awards (Favorite Movie, Favorite Female and Male Movie Star).