GLENN: Went to Guardians of the Galaxy last night with the kids. Took the whole family. I'm a huge of Guardians of the Galaxy, the whole family is. We're huge fans of the soundtrack. I mean, the summer that that came out, we were on vacation -- one of his it on vacation. And it lasted all summer. I mean, we making jokes. "I am Groot," the whole summer long.
JEFFY: Right.
GLENN: It was a summer that will be burned into the memory of my kids for their whole life, the summer of Guardians of the Galaxy, just to put it into perspective. Okay?
JEFFY: Ooh.
GLENN: I heard all these movie reviews that said, "Oh, it's the greatest. It's so much better than the first one." And I'm like, "Yeah, okay. Well, I'll see." Because that never happens. When's the last time you saw a movie that was better than the first one? And the first one has to be good.
JEFFY: I mean, I don't remember. It's been a long time. Years.
GLENN: What was it? Clover Leaf Lane? Cloverfield. That's what it is. Cloverfield.
JEFFY: Right. Possible.
GLENN: That one came out, and it was like, okay. But then the sequel to that was much, much better.
STU: That's a weird example.
GLENN: Because I'm trying to think -- I'm trying to think of anything where the first movie, where they made a sequel --
JEFFY: Right. Back in the '70s. Maybe. The Godfather.
STU: Godfather 2 is certainly one that people would point to in that conversation.
JEFFY: Yeah.
STU: I mean, Empire Strikes Back is certainly one I would point to. I mean, there are a few examples. But it's rare. You're right. Really rare.
GLENN: So I'm like, "Yeah, yeah, whatever." I think this movie is close to the most perfect movie I've ever seen.
STU: Jeez. Really?
JEFFY: Wow.
GLENN: Yeah, I loved it. I loved it. Tania had the only complaint in the family, she thought the music was better in the first one. But, you know, as a kid of the '70s, not so much. I mean, I thought they did some really good stuff.
But start with -- and I'm not going to give any spoilers away. I won't tell you anything about the movie itself. No spoilers.
JEFFY: Yeah, right.
STU: Good. Okay. Because I want to see it.
GLENN: But I will tell you, things like CGI -- which, you don't go to a movie for CGI. And CGI has gotten to the point, where you're like, okay. Whatever. Ooh. Everything is exploding. Got it.
They do some scenes in here with some amazing things with, you know, battle scenes and everything else that are incredible. But I can go see CGI in space all day long. CGI in the opening scene -- they take -- and I'm not spoiling anything. Kurt Russell is in this movie. They take Kurt Russell and they use CGI to create the Kurt Russell that I remember growing up in the 1970s. Okay?
And I can't tell it's CGI.
STU: Jeez.
GLENN: Tania said, "Who is that? How did they get him to look so much -- I said, "Honey, that's CGI." Yeah, it is.
I cannot see the CGI. I mean, it's the most incredible -- I see -- the CGI that just came out, the new Star Wars with the -- remember with the general and then Leia. I can spot that a million -- to me, it looked like a game. And, you know, that's good CGI. But it doesn't look real. I cannot tell the difference between real and CGI in this. It's unbelievable. Okay?
So the special effects are incredible. They do things like seeing the shock wave off of the wings of things when they're in the atmosphere, that nobody is going to really appreciate. But it was the attention to detail that was just incredible.
The script was funnier I thought than the first one. Hard, hard laughs. Even the new characters -- you know, it's like, oh, is that girl with the antenna -- is she going to be a Jar Jar Binks? Stop. She was great. They all were great.
Now, I don't like people to go, well, there were holes in the story line. You can't jump into hyperspace.
Shut up. It's a raccoon driving the ship. So please don't talk to me about holes in the plot.
I didn't see any. But I'm not one of those guys that look for those things, you know, when I'm going to see a show about a talking raccoon. I thought it was as close to a perfect movie as anything I've seen.
STU: And you're saying --
JEFFY: Wow.
STU: -- in the genre or overall movies?
GLENN: Name movies that you think were pretty darn perfect.
STU: I mean, I -- you know, I guess you're going into more like Oscar-winning times. You would put it in that category?
GLENN: I would say movie. Yeah, I think this could win an Oscar for several things. But I won't. But it could.
STU: I don't know. $146 million opening weekend. Now, Guardians of the Galaxy, the original did 94 and was gigantic. This did 146.
GLENN: Second biggest opening. Yeah.
JEFFY: That's domestically. Because worldwide, it's already done 427 million.
STU: Yeah.
GLENN: Oh, this thing is --
STU: All right. Let me ask you this. Two hours, 17 minutes. That's a little long.
JEFFY: Whoa. Whoa.
GLENN: Not a problem. Never slowed down. Never felt long. Never looked at my watch. Never thought, "Oh, jeez. How long is this going to go?" I mean, in thinking about it, I can't think of a scene that felt long. Didn't know it was that long. Yeah, didn't know it was that long.
JEFFY: Wow.
GLENN: I mean, this thing -- this thing -- I mean, I don't know -- especially when you have a sequel, you know, then the movie execs are like, "We could make a billion dollars with this one. Quick, get some more people to think it through." And then they have a whole room full of people that are like, "No, no, well, that might offend this group. So you don't want to do that. Well, hang on, don't offend that group, if you go with that joke." And they wreck the movie.
I don't know how they pulled this one off. It's better than the first. And I can't think -- I mean, I know there are. I know there are other movies that are out there that are just flawless. You know, but in this genre, it is by far the best Marvel, by far the best Marvel. And I like Marvel movies. Stu doesn't. I love -- I see every Marvel movie that comes out. I love them. This is by far the best.
STU: I mean, when you're talking sequels, I mean, most people, the standard is typically Speed 2: Cruise Control.
GLENN: No. Now, don't -- don't even go there. That was a flop. That was a flop. No, I'm talking -- that was perfect and flawless. That was colorless. That was colorless.
STU: What a huge mistake that they didn't get all the original people back for that one. Wow, you want to talk about just burning money.
By the way, it is Guardians of the Galaxy Volume II is the number 219 movie, all time worldwide after four days.
JEFFY: Wow.
STU: I mean, this is going to be a --
GLENN: Chris Pratt is --
STU: It's going to be successful.
GLENN: Chris Pratt is -- I mean, he's key to this movie. They're all so good -- Chris Pratt is just --
STU: He's at the point --
GLENN: He's on his way to being the Jimmy Stewart, Tom Hanks of this generation.
STU: Yeah, he's a money-printing machine.
GLENN: Yeah. But he's likable --
STU: But Hanks is an interesting parallel. You know, came from comedy. Has that sensibility, but also can really act. Can pull everything off. Is known as a nice guy. Never pisses you off.
GLENN: Yep. Yep. Yep.
STU: He's going to --
GLENN: He has a very, very, very long career.
STU: If I remember him, I would not be overly concerned with my 401(k). I mean, I put it in riskier investments and risk potentially losing some in a market correction. That's the sort of choices I'd be making.
GLENN: Wow, that's good.
STU: It's that type of life.
GLENN: So you actually like Guardians of the Galaxy?
STU: Yeah, and I don't like any of these movies. As you know, I'm not a superhero movie fan, per se. I typically like them a lot more when they're sort of sarcastic and self-aware.
GLENN: But aren't those all -- aren't all the Avenger movies kind of --
STU: No. No. That's why like, if I'm going to pick one from the mainstay that's happening now, it would be Ironman. Because I like his attitude.
GLENN: Right.
STU: But like, Captain America, eh.
GLENN: I love Captain America.
STU: I know. You love that. That Winter Soldier that came out a couple years ago, you loved that. But most of the time I don't like that. I did like Deadpool, for the same reasons, I think.
GLENN: Yeah, I didn't see Deadpool. I saw like 15 minutes of Deadpool, and it was just too much. I didn't even think -- you know me. I have a very dark sense of humor. I don't -- I don't get Deadpool. That's weird for me.
STU: That's surprising. But you also saw only 15 minutes of it. So maybe it would have turned you around. I did like that one. But, I mean, that's the type I would like. Most of them I don't.
But Guardians of the Galaxy -- I remember when I saw the first preview for Guardians of the Galaxy. Now, I'm not even familiar at all with the comic book. I didn't even know it existed. It looked like legitimately the worst decision I have ever -- you've got a talking raccoon and a tree in a movie. That's -- and the big hook is they're playing cassette tapes of '80s songs. Is that really --
GLENN: Oh, it was fantastic.
STU: But the preview when I first saw it, I was like, this is going to lose a billion dollars. And, by the way, Trump is definitely going to lose the election. But, I mean, this is going to lose a billion dollars.
GLENN: I sat in the movie last night, laughed really loud. I love to listen to my wife laugh. We used to watch The Office. And, honestly, she watched the office, I watched her. I'd sit back on the couch, and I would just watch her, just laugh. I love my wife's laugh.
And so yesterday, last night, she was laughing so hard. And I just -- I love anything that makes her laugh, I'm in love with. And so we're laughing together, really, really funny parts. But as many times as I laughed, as I'm critiquing the movie in a way that nobody else would -- I just kept -- I bet I said four times out loud to myself, "Wow." Just thinking, "Wow. I mean, this is perfect." You know, you're looking at the script and the acting and the CGI and the pacing and the comedy. All of it together. And the music. There were several times, I just -- I sat in the movie theater. At least four and went, "Wow."
STU: Jeez.
GLENN: It's a good movie.
STU: That is not only high praise for you, but also the fact that you didn't spoil anything in the movie is stunning to me. The audience is on the floor.
GLENN: Never happens. Never happens. Never happens.
STU: I cannot believe you did not ruin the movie.
GLENN: That is probably the most flawless movie review I have done.
STU: That is true.