Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
(B+ or 3/4 stars)
When everyone went crazy over the Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014, I sat alone in my little corner thinking: "it was good, I suppose". All the individual parts were fine: the cheeky comic book acting style, a silly plot, some psychedelic visuals, the fun 70s music, jokes that landed, etc.. But I felt like the film was 'full of itself'. Now comes 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' and, all the similar parts are there ... but it's not full of itself. It's simply a fun, breezy, summer opener; and with a beating heart, to boot. 'Vol. 2' continues the story of the misfit crew of space outlaws who originally got together to save the universe in the 1st movie. But instead of starting in 1988, it begins back in '80, when a space man (CGI-young Kurt Russell, incredibly well-done) woos pretty Meredith Quill (Laura Haddock).
34 yrs. later, their son - half human/half 'Star Lord' former smuggler Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) - is with his fellow Guardians: former assassin, Gamora (the green-skinned Zoe Saldana, Queen of the Outer Space films; this, Star Trek, Avatar); genetically-modified raccoon, Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper); tree-like baby Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel); & the loveable, say-anything Drax (WWE wrestler Dave Bautista). After a mission for the Sovereigns - genetically-engineered gold-skinned aliens who believe themselves superior to everyone else - goes terribly wrong, our Guardians barely escape & are forced to crash land. They meet a mysterious man, Ego (Russell), who helps them & announces that he's Peter's long-lost father! Ego, who has an Empath sidekick named Mantis (Pom Klementieff) - whose name befits how she looks - guides Peter, Gamora, & Drax to his home planet, where he reveals that he's an immortal celestial alien with powers that can create/destroy entire worlds. All the while, the Sovereign's High Priestess, Ayesha (a fun Elizabeth Debicki), hires Yondu (Michael Rooker) - Peter's foster father - & his Ravager crew to retrieve the Guardians {to kill them} ... but Yondu's fondness for Peter might halt Ayesha's murderous plans. Chaos ensues.
Yeah, so I had a really good time with this 'Vol. 2'. Right from the get-go, an inventive, humorous action sequence got my heart pumping & my face smiling. From there, everything fell back into place from the 1st film. The humor was mostly "hit" {rarely a miss}. I was happy to see these characters again. Their interplay with each other was great; even better than the 1st film. Best in show for me was Dave Bautista's Drax, who cracked. me. up. Not only is he hysterical, but his cheeky romance with Empath Mantis was a highlight. I also loved baby Groot -- not only is he adorable, but he's very proactive in the plot this time, as well. Chris Pratt is solid as Star Lord, once again. The scenes he shares with Saldana, Kurt Russell, & Michael Rooker bring poignancy to the proceedings. That's important for me, because while the film is 'fun' & the action sequences are a plenty, I need those slower, cathartic, emotional scenes to balance out the rest.
Speaking of emotion, I enjoyed the love/hate relationship btwn. Saldana & her ne'er-do-well sister, Nebula (Karen Gillan) -- their moments together near the end are powerful. Saldana gets her own kick-ass moment with an enormous gun. Kurt Russell has always been likeable & charismatic. He is here, too. But he also brings complexity to the father-son dynamic that takes place btwn. Ego & Peter. Speaking of 'fathers', Yondu, played by Michael Rooker, is a standout character, here. Not only is his magical arrow an amazing highlight of the action scenes, but his moments with Peter near the end are, well, watch & see. Elsewhere, Elizabeth Debicki is a riot as the imperialistic High 'b*tch' Priestess; though she's stoic, her laugh at one character's expense late in the proceedings made me laugh out loud.
The CGI is evverryywherre. Every frame of this film is altered with CGI. But again, unlike the last film, it didn't bother me, as much. Maybe my senses (aural, visual) acclimated to the Guardians of the Galaxy aesthetic. Although the plot is convoluted {as ALL Marvel movie plots are}, there are intergalactic battles galore, tons of wacky humor & fun pop-culture references to Pac-Man, Cheers, & Mary Poppins; not to mention more classic music like Fleetwood Mac's The Chain & Looking Glass' Brandy. It all worked for me this time. It clicked; whereas the 'isn't our movie awesome!?'-ness of the 2014 film put me off, a bit. And so, while the film ain't perfect (sometimes too flashy, flabby plot), I had a blast and, I like how this rag tag group exemplifies the spirit of friendship, teamwork ... even family bonds.
34 yrs. later, their son - half human/half 'Star Lord' former smuggler Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) - is with his fellow Guardians: former assassin, Gamora (the green-skinned Zoe Saldana, Queen of the Outer Space films; this, Star Trek, Avatar); genetically-modified raccoon, Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper); tree-like baby Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel); & the loveable, say-anything Drax (WWE wrestler Dave Bautista). After a mission for the Sovereigns - genetically-engineered gold-skinned aliens who believe themselves superior to everyone else - goes terribly wrong, our Guardians barely escape & are forced to crash land. They meet a mysterious man, Ego (Russell), who helps them & announces that he's Peter's long-lost father! Ego, who has an Empath sidekick named Mantis (Pom Klementieff) - whose name befits how she looks - guides Peter, Gamora, & Drax to his home planet, where he reveals that he's an immortal celestial alien with powers that can create/destroy entire worlds. All the while, the Sovereign's High Priestess, Ayesha (a fun Elizabeth Debicki), hires Yondu (Michael Rooker) - Peter's foster father - & his Ravager crew to retrieve the Guardians {to kill them} ... but Yondu's fondness for Peter might halt Ayesha's murderous plans. Chaos ensues.
Yeah, so I had a really good time with this 'Vol. 2'. Right from the get-go, an inventive, humorous action sequence got my heart pumping & my face smiling. From there, everything fell back into place from the 1st film. The humor was mostly "hit" {rarely a miss}. I was happy to see these characters again. Their interplay with each other was great; even better than the 1st film. Best in show for me was Dave Bautista's Drax, who cracked. me. up. Not only is he hysterical, but his cheeky romance with Empath Mantis was a highlight. I also loved baby Groot -- not only is he adorable, but he's very proactive in the plot this time, as well. Chris Pratt is solid as Star Lord, once again. The scenes he shares with Saldana, Kurt Russell, & Michael Rooker bring poignancy to the proceedings. That's important for me, because while the film is 'fun' & the action sequences are a plenty, I need those slower, cathartic, emotional scenes to balance out the rest.
Speaking of emotion, I enjoyed the love/hate relationship btwn. Saldana & her ne'er-do-well sister, Nebula (Karen Gillan) -- their moments together near the end are powerful. Saldana gets her own kick-ass moment with an enormous gun. Kurt Russell has always been likeable & charismatic. He is here, too. But he also brings complexity to the father-son dynamic that takes place btwn. Ego & Peter. Speaking of 'fathers', Yondu, played by Michael Rooker, is a standout character, here. Not only is his magical arrow an amazing highlight of the action scenes, but his moments with Peter near the end are, well, watch & see. Elsewhere, Elizabeth Debicki is a riot as the imperialistic High 'b*tch' Priestess; though she's stoic, her laugh at one character's expense late in the proceedings made me laugh out loud.
The CGI is evverryywherre. Every frame of this film is altered with CGI. But again, unlike the last film, it didn't bother me, as much. Maybe my senses (aural, visual) acclimated to the Guardians of the Galaxy aesthetic. Although the plot is convoluted {as ALL Marvel movie plots are}, there are intergalactic battles galore, tons of wacky humor & fun pop-culture references to Pac-Man, Cheers, & Mary Poppins; not to mention more classic music like Fleetwood Mac's The Chain & Looking Glass' Brandy. It all worked for me this time. It clicked; whereas the 'isn't our movie awesome!?'-ness of the 2014 film put me off, a bit. And so, while the film ain't perfect (sometimes too flashy, flabby plot), I had a blast and, I like how this rag tag group exemplifies the spirit of friendship, teamwork ... even family bonds.