THE GREAT MCU REWATCH 2018
The Road to Infinity War (9/17)

· The classic rock soundtrack has always given this property a unique personality, but it's clear that great attention was paid this time to choosing songs with real thematic resonance, particularly "The Chain" for the Guardians, "My Sweet Lord" for Ego, "Brandy" for Ego & Meredith, and "Father and Son" for Peter & Yondu.

· The music here also has more meaningful weight in a general sense, regarding how its presence reflects the characters' relationships. Of course the music has always acted as Peter's link to his mother, but now it also signifies the camaraderie of the team, especially for Rocket who seems to have taken to it even more than anyone else.

· Going along with the "Avengers play GotG roleplay" idea, Rocket and Peter are super Tony Stark and Steve Rogers here, both vying for leadership, and with Rocket/Tony making a unilateral decision behind everyone's backs that puts the whole team in danger, and Peter/Steve willing to risk his new friendships for a beloved figure from his past.

· THE IMAGERY IS EVEN MORE GORGEOUS IN THIS ONE THAN IN THE FIRST. The rainbow-confetti-spitting monster!! The neon brothel!! Ego's planet!! The space jumps!! Peter's galaxy eyes!! The Ravager funeral!!

· Marvel films are rife with significant father-child relationships, but none more abundant than this one. Between Drax, Ego, Yondu, and Thanos, this movie is a pretty heavy examination of fatherhood (especially its failings).

· That fatherhood/parenting aspect extends further to the Guardians themselves, as they all endeavor to raise Baby Groot -- ushering him out of harm's way, scolding him about his language, rocking him to sleep, and telling him to clean up his goddamn room.

· In pitting the misfit Guardians against the precisely-designed Sovereign and the solipsistic Ego, this movie is also a profound celebration of chaotic heterogeneity over eugenic uniformity.

· (1:08) ONE OF MY FAVORITE DOLLY ZOOMS OF ALL TIME.