It’s a little tough to describe the feeling I had going into the screening of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. On the one hand, I was curious to see what writer/director James Gunn and company had done with everyone’s new favorite gang of intergalactic misfits, but I couldn’t escape this lack of excitement I felt which lasted right up until the moment I stepped into the theater. My best friend back home and another fellow critic shared the same sentiment as me, and when the theater employee at the concession stand asked me if I was excited about the movie, I merely shrugged. After thinking on it a bit more, I decided that my lack of excitement was nothing more than fear.
When the first Guardians of the Galaxy came out, it breathed fresh life into what had been one of the worst summer movie seasons in some time and literally re-wrote the superhero movie by laughing at the standard conventions of the genre. My fear this time around was that the first sequel couldn’t hope to match up to the level of greatness that the first one had. However, seeing Baby Groot jamming to ELO’s Mr. Blue Sky alongside the opening credits put all those fears to rest and Vol. 2 remained pretty much nothing but fun from that point on.
The sequel picks up right where the first film left off with one of the most motley crews of superheroes ever assembled including Peter Quill/Star Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamorah (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Baby Groot (Vin Diesel). This time around, the group finds themselves taking on a new series of adventures, which includes, among other things, the discovery of Peter’s father Ego (Kurt Russell).
Most will agree that much of what made the first Guardians of the Galaxy as good as it was, was the movie’s humor, visuals and music. How great of a relief it is to report that all of the above remain firmly in tact here. The comedy this time is truly an embarrassment of riches with each and every character scoring laughs at one point or another from Baby Groot bringing an assortment of random and absurd items with which to free the imprisoned Rocket and Yondu (Michael Rooker), to the completely deadpan Drax whose multitude of quips are written and delivered with the truest of wit. What makes the comedy work most of all however is the placement of it. Each time Gunn feels his film is getting too serious with moments of sadness or conflict, he injects a laugh out of nowhere (such as the giggling of one villain upon hearing another villain’s name) which keeps things fun and alive all the way through.
Apart from the laughs, the music is once again a welcome treat in both its vintage quality (Fleetwood Mac, Sam Cooke, George Harrison, and even David Hasselhoff all make appearances) and the film’s use of them. Vol. 2 not only introduces these artists to a new generation, but it truly gives new life to songs and artists from different eras and paints them in ways many would never have thought possible, almost reinterpreting their meanings in the process. This is certainly accented by the film’s glorious color-filled visuals, all of which are a treat for the eyes. This is true even in darkened moments featuring nefarious characters, at which the film is able to maintain a visual beauty like no other. It’s impossible not to be taken by the movie’s overall pop look and feel which flows throughout both explosion-filled effects and dazzling set designs.
But few, and I mean VERY few sequels live up to their predecessors. And, for all its worthwhile qualities, that’s certainly the case here. The movie’s patchy story isn’t helped at all by the fact that it wears its heart squarely on its sleeve to the point of annoyance almost. Though a number of heartfelt moments are actually earned (in particular Karen Gillan’s Nebula’s), most are far too heavy-handed, even by summer blockbuster terms. There’s also the matter of splitting up the team; a device used far too often for my tastes. It’s a classic sequel move which many fans (myself included) find to be truly loathsome insofar as it has the ability to change the team’s dynamic for the worse. While that certainly wasn’t the case here, the film didn’t benefit by splitting up our beloved guardians and putting them in separate levels of danger. Complaints aside, praise must be given to the film’s various familiar themes, many of which are deeply felt, and the care and consideration towards making the movie’s numerous villains decidedly multi-layered.
Each member of the Guardians was born to play the role they were given, and the group as actors have such a well-defined short-hand now that each feed off one another’s timing and rhythms almost seamlessly. As a result, the only ones with anything to prove here are those either new to the cast, or whose roles where expanded from the first film. As Yondu, Rooker ends up being the film’s secret heart and soul as a disgraced warrior seeking redemption, while Gillan makes Nebula a more complicated heavy than many would think, slowly peeling away layer after layer. Pom Klementieff as Mantif (Ego’s servant) has a lovely innocence about her mixed with purity, while an underused Sylvester Stallone nails it as Stakar Ogord (we’ll no doubt be seeing him again). The real jewel of the group, however, proves to be Russell who hands down has the film’s most captivating role as Quill’s father; a god who has created his own utopia. Much in the way Quentin Tarantino did with Grindhouse, here Gunn has crafted a role which really taps into the legendary actor’s underused range of abilities for a decidedly grey character.
I love that Guardians of the Galaxy exists in its own world apart from the larger Marvel universe. These characters and their exploits almost feel like their own stand-alone entity, with complete freedom and zero obligation to adhere to merging storylines or characters. I for one hope the world of the Guardians never gets tainted by the likes of Tony Stark and company, and risk compromising the humor, characterization, and all other unique qualities which have made them special. Suffice it to say Gunn has definitely crafted his own comic movie playground here with which to do new and creative things with; and everyone, Guardians and audiences alike, can’t wait to see what that will be.
