As lockdown continues around the world, a few directors are giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at their movies from the comfort of their own homes. Guardians Of The Galaxy: Volume 2 director James Gunn.
Although there are many more reveals about the Guardians franchise still to come, Gunn took to Twitter using the hashtags #Quarantinewatchparty and #GOTGV2 to delve into the deeper meanings behind some of what was shot for Volume 2.
Baby Groot's Opening Dance
The opening shot of GOTG: V2 is perhaps one of the most charming scenes in the movie with Baby Groot dancing to 'Mr. Blue Sky' by Electric Light Orchestra while the other guardians fight the Abilisk. In case you did not know, not only did the scene take two years to plan but Gunn himself provided the motion capture for this sequence meaning he got up in front of a camera and danced as he thought Baby Groot would for around 4 minutes.
The tweet did not include how many shots it took to get the dance exactly right. It would not be surprising to find out it only took one.
Nebula And Gamora
In the first Guardians movie, the only interaction fans really saw between Gamora and Nebula was of a very hostile nature. Two sisters who both were the daughters of Thanos but one was good and one was bad. Fans also got a small glimpse into Nebula's personality which is partly a result of her spending most of her life in Gamora's shadow.
In the sequel, Gunn wanted to explore the dynamic between Gamora and Nebula, and thanks to plenty of interaction between these two characters, we saw them connect and bond as sisters which allowed Gamora to evolve from a minion trying to impress Thanos, to Gamora's sister. The two were also only originally going to cameo in Avengers: Infinity War but the relationship between the two characters added another layer to the search for the soul stone.
Ego's Exposition
Every movie has one scene that is much harder to shoot than the rest. For the Russo's in Endgame it was the interaction between Banner and The Ancient One and for James Gunn it was Ego telling the Guardians his life story.
Similarly in both cases, it was the exposition of the respective situations that were hardest to capture. Making it clear to audiences what is going on in a particular scene or making them fully understand a character is incredibly important and cannot be taken lightly when directing.
Yondu's Real Reason For Keeping Peter Quill
Many fans assumed, until halfway through GOTG: V2, that Yondu kept Peter around because he was, in Yondu's own words "good for thievin." However, according to Gunn, Yondu, who was originally hired to take Peter back to his father Ego, kept Peter around because Yondu knew what Ego's plans were.
Despite his attitude towards Peter, Yondu likes him, and in the scene where Rocket and Yondu are in the prison cell, Rocket can tell Yondu is lying when he says he kept Peter because he was a useful tool for stealing.
Kronans
If you were paying attention you would have noticed Kronans appearing in Volume 2 during the 'jump' scene when Rocket, Groot, Kraglin, and Yondu go to save Quill from Ego. Volume 2 was released just before Thor: Ragnarok where the Kronan Korg, voiced by director Taika Waititi, made his debut.
Gunn tweeted out to confirm that the Kronans were deliberately placed in Volume 2 as a quick introduction before Korg hit the screen in Ragnarok. There was another Kronan in Thor: The Dark World, but the general movie-going audience may not have ed this appearance.
Ego's Motivation
When Ego screams "I am truly NOT ALONE" in Volume 2, it is clear that this is a huge turning point in his life as he is finally reunited with his son who he believes to be his equal. Similarly, Ego believes that, just as Ego sacrificed Peter's mother's life, Peter would be equally willing to sacrifice his friends.
It shows just how different the two characters are and how strong the bond was between Peter and his mother is, as the realization that Ego killed his mother snapped him out of his hypnotic state.
Mary Poppins
Marvel actors will have many lines shouted at them by fans as they walk down the street. Downey probably has "I am Iron Man", Ruffalo probably has "Hulk Smash" but James Gunn has "I am Groot" and Yondu's hilarious line before his sacrifice "I'm Mary Poppins y'all!".
Not only that, but Gunn revealed there is an edit where Yondu substituted "y'all" for a much less Disney friendly word.
James Gunn's Parents
The main themes of the Guardians movies are centred around parenthood. Volume 1 was about mothers, including elements such as Quill's mother's death scene, the mixtape Quill's mother gave to him and the connection at the end between Gamora and Quill's mother both saying "take my hand."
Volume 2 is more about fathers. Yondu being a father figure to Quill, Peter's father Ego, and, at the end, Peter becoming a sort of father to Baby Groot as he held him in his hand. Gunn reminded us that he dedicated Volume 2 to his father who sadly ed away.
Yondu's Sacrifice
In the third act of the movie, when Gamora tries to save Quill from the collapsing planet, Rocket knocks her out and says "I can only afford to lose one friend today." Upon first viewing, it could seem that Rocket is talking about Quill and that Rocket can't lose Gamora in an attempt to save Quill.
In actual fact, Rocket knew that Yondu would save Quill and he is referring to Yondu as his "one friend" he knows he is going to lose as he only gave Yondu one jetpack and air-suit.
Star-Lord's Final Speech
At the end of the movie, Quill is giving his final speech at Yondu's funeral. Gunn decided, after shooting this scene, that he directed Quill wrong so the scene was re-shot again with Gunn giving different directions and no other cast- present. This partly explains why there are some close-up shots of Quill on his own, aside from the obvious reason which is to focus on Quill's character.
There was no word as to what the difference was but the scene fans got to see was certainly moving.
