Should you take your kids to see Guardians of the Galaxy, vol 2?

My sister makes fun of me, but I’m a HUGE Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 1 fan. I even rented it first, and liked it so much I had to have my own copy. Everything about it makes me laugh and I have much appreciation for witty banter. So, when I was invited to see Marvel Studios’ “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” at a sneak preview, I told Mr. Serious it would happen and that was that.

{This is definitely not a talk to the hand, Star Lord, picture, this is me high-fifing baby Groot.}

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is in theaters Friday, May 5, 2017 with a rating of PG-13 and a running time of 2 hours 18 Minutes (that’s a reminder to use the restroom before the movie starts or you will be like me, running out of the theater to go right in the middle of the movie! TMI, maybe, but there you have it!).

Synopsis: Set to the all-new sonic backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, Marvel Studios’ “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is written and directed by James Gunn and stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, featuring Vin Diesel as Baby Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris Sullivan, Sean Gunn, Tommy Flanagan, Laura Haddock, with Sylvester Stallone, and Kurt Russell. Kevin Feige is producing, and Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Jonathan Schwartz, Nikolas Korda and Stan Lee are the executive producers.

I’ll try not to be too spoiler-y, but I imagine me explaining some things, might mean that it happens. So, proceed with caution.

GotG, vol2 is absolutely hilarious (surprisingly, the 3D was done well and usually I’m not a fan). I’ve been working out for over 2 years very regularly, and my abs were hurting after the movie. The one-liners, jabs at each other and witty banter will always continue to get me. Does the movie have silly slow-motion walking to songs from the 80s? Yes. Do they take themselves seriously all the time? Nope.

My favorite message was Star Lord saying “Sometimes the thing you are looking for most is right beside you.”

I should also add that I’m not a MARVEL comic book connoisseur. I’m not looking for deep connections and truth comparisons to the comic books. I’m sitting in the theater watching a movie and enjoying being entertained.

Tiny Groot? I think he steals the screen whenever he’s on it. aybe it’s more appropriate to say Baby Groot, because he’s kind of like a hulked up toddler. And, Rocket, when being a jerk and not, has some great lines, too. M

Now, the kids part. Should you take your kids to see it?

I will start with the movie’s rating of PG-13. It’s no Deadpool, but it’s not PG, either. Maybe I’m conservative, but I feel like PG-13 movies these days have more in them then they did when I was growing up? And, also, yes, conservative. My girls (10, 8, 5, and 3) haven’t seen the first Guardians of the Galaxy and I don’t think they will for a while. But, they’ve seen the first 5 Harry Potter movies.

But for the kids? There is the language. And, that’s really not all that bad. In fact, I would be okay with the language (No F-bombs that I recall). But, there are a lot of sexual references and innuendos. And, there are sex robots in a brothel. And, it’s pretty obvious that there were services performed.

A friend had mentioned taking her younger son and a couple times I found myself say “ack, no, that’s not good for a little kid to see.” And there is Drax with his literal sense of everything and inability to hold back his words. He says exactly what he thinks and feels.

There is violence, too. I wouldn’t say it’s the most realistic violence, but there is a lot of killing and torturing of people and beings. They keep it pretty clean in terms of gore, but there is a lot of death.

Maybe it would go over the heads of kids in the 6-10 year old age range. I have a hard time knowing for sure. But for me, it crosses too many lines and I like my kids enjoying kid and pre-teen shows for a little while longer. Your kids might have seen the first one and loved it. For us, this is too much for our kids to see right now, so we won’t be taking them. I would say I would take a 13 year old, or maybe a 12 year old. But, again, I know that each child and family is different.

Plus, we might sneak out and enjoy it on a date night.

For the grown-ups, everybody in the theater was clapping, laughing and enjoying the movie. There are innuendoes and jokes for adults. There are jabs and one-liners that will make you laugh. There is body language and sexual tension. There is witty banter. You might even cry. I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope to see it again in the theater and own it when it comes out.

ALSO: Always stay for the credits! There are several bonus scenes you will want to see. And, see how many times you can catch “I am Groot” in the credits before they change over!