ABSTRACT
Popular music is central to the conception. Due to the central role popular music plays as a marker of identity and character in the franchise, an analytical approach that considers audiovisual editing strategies along with the more typical lyrical and intertextual interpretation is warranted. This chapter begins by comparing the opening sequence of Guardians of the Galaxy and its sequel, Vol. 2. Since the first three songs in each film are deployed in almost identical ways, the strong formal parallelism serves to reveal an important shift of focus in Vol. 2. The audiovisual editing strategies and the relationship between music and action demonstrate important shifts in the group dynamics in the second film. Dancing is the first type of physical movement that is paired with popular music in the Guardians franchise. Popular music in the Guardians franchise works to move the characters, and hopefully the audience, to action and to feel.
