The official runtime for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has surfaced online. James Gunn’s highly anticipated sequel is less than three weeks away from its release, and buzz has only continued to build in recent months for the second installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Early reactions to the film suggest that it may be even better than the original - a fantastic sign for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, considering how big of a hit the first Guardians of the Galaxy was.
Plenty of details about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continue to trickle out ahead of its May 5 release date. The track list for Vol. 2’s new “Awesome Mixtape” has been revealed, as has the role that Sylvester Stallone will play in his cameo performance. Another new, subtly telling detail about the sequel has been indirectly revealed through its listing on an industry website: the runtime.
The official website for the British Board of Film Classification has listed Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 on its website with an official runtime of 2 hours, 15 minutes. The website also listed standard credits like the director, cast, and plot summary. Vol. 2 is approx. 14 minutes longer than the first Guardians of the Galaxy, which clocked in at just over 2 hours.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was edited by Fred Raskin and Craig Wood, who also did the editing for the first Guardians of the Galaxy. They faced some fresh challenges as to how to pace the sequel, considering the additions of several new Guardians of the Galaxy characters and settings, as well as the apparent juggling of multiple storylines as the heroes break up into smaller groups.
Even for a sprawling blockbuster like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, it’s ideal for most action movies to keep the runtime as close to 120 minutes as possible, if not under. At 135 minutes, Gunn and the editing team appear to have found the sweet spot they needed for the runtime of Vol. 2. If the runtime crept over 140 minutes, it may have began treading dangerously close to “bloated” territory.
It’s been said before that action films can threaten to become overstuffed and get bogged down if the runtime dragged out too long. Such a problem arguably hurt the critically disappointing Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (151 minutes), but it didn’t really hurt the acclaimed Captain America: Civil War (147 minutes). Ultimately, the success of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will come down to not the runtime itself, but the pacing and character development.
Next: Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Has 5 Post-Credits Scenes
Source: British Board of Film Classification
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