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The goodwill the first film left behind is astounding and should give a healthy boost to the sequel’s earnings. But what could help you enjoy Vol. 2? If you’re like me, you don’t need help preparing for this movie; you’ve been going crazy for months already. If you’re not like me, then maybe you need some suggestions for ways to prep. Without further adieu, here are five ways to get you ready for GOTG2 (Guardians of the Galaxy 2).

1) Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

I bet you didn’t see this recommendation coming. This will be my only Marvel recommendation, even though there are more than a dozen Marvel movies needed to fully understand their Cinematic Universe. Since GOTG is the most far removed from that universe, being set in a galaxy far, far away, you really could get away with not seeing any other Marvel movies. If you’re one of the three people in the solar system that didn’t see GOTG in theaters or on TV, now is your time to catch up and here is a quick, mostly spoiler-free recap of what you missed.
Peter Quill is an Earth-born boy whose mother is dying when he is taken by a space ship. Flash forward a bunch of time, he hits the puberty jackpot and becomes the delicious Chris Pratt… I mean, Star Lord, a pirate of the universe of sorts. On his travels searching for treasures, he finds a powerful Infinity Stone. The search for this stone brings together five strangers: Peter Quill, the human; Gamora (Zoe Saldana), a green girl with ties to Marvel’s biggest bad guy, Thanos; Drax (Dave Boutista), a strong gray guy with cool red tattoos and the inability to understand sarcasm; Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), a raccoon that can talk; and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel, a giant waste of money considering he says three words that are altered with audio effects), a talking tree with some cool powers. Together, they must guard the galaxy from this stone and those that want to abuse it.

Strangers in space is nothing new but it was a huge departure for Marvel, both in intergalactic setting and humorous tone. The visual effects are amazing and director James Gunn knocked it out of the park with GOTG’s visual extravaganza, reminding everyone why Marvel is not one to underestimate or one to accuse of not taking chances. Because of the unexpected success here, we will get to see a lot more risks taken in the Marvel Universe moving forward. Watching GOTG isn’t just a great way to prep for the sequel; it’s hands down just a great time watching a movie, superhero or not.

2) Suicide Squad (2016)

Ugh, DC Comics. Before Marvel ruled the galaxy for most of the new millennium, DC Comics was the only ones who could get comic book movies right with both Superman and Batman leading the charge from the late 1970’s to the mid 1990’s. Then Marvel took over, DC stumbled around retooling their Superman franchise, Marvel EXPLODED with the Avengers team-up, and then DC rushed their Justice League plans and we got a few crappy movies. Enter Suicide Squad, their DC villain team-up movie that was supposed to bring DC back to glory but ultimately fell flat. If it wasn’t for my ultimate lady comic book crush, Harley Quinn (The Joker’s nasty little lover), I might have gone evil myself and sued DC for the emotional damage caused by disappointment.

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