Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 takes place a few months after the generically boring, blue space terrorist was vanquished in the original film. Having already getting to know Peter Quill
(Chris Pratt); Gamora
(Zoe Saldana), Drax
(Dave Bautista), Rocket
(Bradley Cooper) & the adorable Baby Groot
(Vin Diesel),
James Gunn's returning trip to the director's chair takes the crew on a much more personal journey. Whilst critical reception has been split down the middle, some saying it's not as fresh or cohesive as it's predecessor, it cannot be doubted there's one universe truth: Guardians 2 is one of the funniest instalments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe alongside it's deep layers of heart that make it such a brilliant experience.
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| Trippy Poster Winner 2017 |
Following a quickie space battle with some golden alien people; most of the film leaves the Guardians on the planet Ego: a self-aware & ancient planet whose consciousness can take the form of a living, breathing man, who just happens to end up being
Kurt Russell & Peter's father
. Despite the opportunity to let
Space-Chris Pratt work out his daddy issues, you'd think the decision to leave the characters mostly in one location would be quite lackluster on paper. However, it ends up being a benefit to the film by letting it stand out from
Vol 1. It's a more condensed building ground for it's comedy & deeper issues to let it's characters shine even brighter.
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| Kurt Russell: The beard game is strong. |
With
Vol 2's premise being centred around Peter, several other characters have their own arcs to deal with but are also made supporting characters by comparison. Drax for example, is a large bulk of the comedy, being a man-sized bulging muscle of banter that will have you cackling. The extremely picky may criticise this due to the more dire character journey he had in
Vol 1 but he's just as fitting this time around. His major emotional moment with new character, Mantis (
Pom Klementieff), is enthralling as his true self is revealed to her, before he throws back another hilarious insult that'll have you chuckling. His role actually largely contributes to the film's message that it's normal to hide what you're feeling but it's also ok to admit it to those you care about. Gamora has a bit more to do, sorting out family drama with her over-the-top raging robo-blue sister, Nebula
(Karen Gillian). Although it's climax was entertaining, it was a bit rushed & resolved too quickly so that the film could focus on the final brawl.
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| Mantis' scenes with Drax add sweetness to the comedy |
What really brought
Guardians Vol 1 down was the bland paste of an underdeveloped character that was it's villain:
Ronin. It was if he was ripped off a page from the book of "Every Angry Villain With No Personality That You've Already Seen in the mid 2000's" & was coloured blue in Microsoft Paint. There was never a reason to understand his objectives or find him at all interesting. Whilst not an immediate black & white antagonist, Ego makes up for it all.
Kurt Russel's performance & the character of Ego himself shines as one of the few Marvel Villains to be found fascinating & to earn praise for it's interpretation. Ego is a unique character whose objectives make sense when you look at it from his perspective, to the point where you could possibly empathise with him. In the comics, Peter's father is actually a totally different character but Ego is done so well, hardcore fans everywhere will be fine with it & the casual ones won't even care.
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| Nebula (rage face), Gamora & Rocket |
Under all of the laughs, there's a layer of emotion & pain for most of the character which
Chris Pratt conveys perfectly as his second running Peter Quill. His onscreen chemistry with
Kurt Russell works incredibly well. Going from making a cheeky one-liner at his dad to asking him why he left him & his mother,
Pratt's performance elevates the film's greatest strength of being able to be effectively heavy on the comedy but pulling back for emotionally weighty moments whenever necessary.
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| Pratt's able to skillfully balance comedy & drama as the tone requires |
The hidden yet shining gem is Peter's returning blue, kidnapping daddy-figure, Yondu
(Michael Rooker). Being made out as an anti-hero in the first film, Yondu has some of the most moving scenes. Bonding with Rocket & the so-cute-it's-ridiculous Baby Groot, Yondu's has the film's funniest scenes of all. The banter between the three of them is out of this world & there wasn't a single scene where audience members weren't cackling, nearly throwing up their funny bones. Not only is Yondu the most surprisingly likeable character in
Guardians 2 but he also changes the way we look at the him in the first film, making the series as a whole all the more heartwarming.
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| Yondu & Rocket. The banter is delicious. |
Also, anyone who has seen this film wants their own Baby Groot now. I want at least 5. I've never found a film character so simultaneously adorable & hilarious. It makes me sad that any future
Guardians films will probably be featuring an adult Groot again but that's part of what makes
Vol 2 all the more special.
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| Baby Groot for President. |
What's there to like about
Guardians 2? Around 95% of it. The other 5% is where the golden alien people's standard CGI army from early in the film makes a further appearance to the point where it overstays it's welcome. It serves it's purpose as a plot device & the golden people operating the ships remotely like a video game is pretty interesting. Unfortunately, these characters lack that much personality, their prolonged inclusion into the film is like a forced substitute for a totally different random CGI army at the climax. It's like when you have an unannounced guest come round & they won't leave after two hours. Luckily, the 3rd act is filled with that much humour, you won't really care that much. Just focus on the beautiful Groot & Rocket scene in the middle of it.
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| Introducing the feminine Oscar |
Final Thoughts
Whilst it's incredible as a sequel to
Vol 1, building on the hilarious fun we've already had meeting the Guardians & getting to know them,
Vol 2 is a superior film in it's own right. It starts us off with a group who're already an established team, using that dynamic to support each other through their own personal issues when push comes to shove. Not only does it's exquisite abundance of dead-on comedy make it perfect for multiple viewings, the planet-sized amount of heart beneath it's surface of laughs makes it worthy of getting that sweet, blu-ray steelbook. Instead of repeating itself with an over-the-top story on 28 different planets like it could have,
Guardians 2 exceeds the original by being a story with lovable characters even more fleshed out than before. The idea of a space adventure comedy is to bring a constantly fun time for it's audience &
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 does just that. It's 2 hour-plus run time causing constant smiles.
Rating: 9/10
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