Well, that’s one way to promote your upcoming home video releases! A few months ago, fans who sat all the way through to the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 were treated to more than a handful of bonus scenes: they were also treated to “Guardians Inferno” by The Sneepers, a fictitious disco band that also included a guest appearance by noted German pop star David Hasselhoff. No bonus footage could hold a candle to the infectious disco pop of the song, and plenty of people - myself included - immediately went home and listened to the track on repeat. It’s everything we want the delightfully weird Marvel universe to be.
When it comes to cinematic influences, James Gunn is a bit of a sponge. His original Guardians of the Galaxy film not only drew on other films in the Marvel universe, but also from a slew of movies — both big and small — in Hollywood’s action and science-fiction history. It’s always fun to listen to Gunn talk about his film influences, which is what makes this New York Times commentary track of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 such a kick. Who else but James Gunn would drop references to Alfred Hitchcock and MAD Magazine in the same sentence?