Review: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ Brings The Hits In Its Sophomore Effort
After a surprisingly funny and exciting first outing, the Guardians of the Galaxy are back for a second go of it in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. What made the first movie so charming was that no one besides a huge comic book nerd is going to know who these characters are. What did there potential lead to? Probably one of the best Marvel films to date. It looked different, it was almost entirely separated from the events on Earth, but still had the whole Infinity Stones angle. What really made it stand out is, of course, Chris Pratt becoming a superstar.
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As with most huge films, this one had to deliver on the almighty sequel. The promotion for this film had the music, the characters riffing off each other, BABY GROOT, and some beautiful looking scenery, but could it match the original? No. Is that a bad thing? Absolutely not.
Premise: Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.
This movie is very different from the first film. Where the first film had comedy and action, this film has all of that, but a lot more emotion and character building. Did it have world building? Yeah, but everything is so well put together that you may put the world building in the backseat to how the characters get along with each other after knowing so much about each other to become a “family.”
What really sold me was the family element of the film is that it really nails the relationship of the group. Family will talk some of the biggest trash to each other, but if someone comes in and tries to talk trash about that family, they will all come together against that person. The entire film is based around family, and not letting an outsider come in and try to break that family up. It’s a simple story, but it has aliens, explosions, sarcasm, laughs, and Kurt Russell.
When I mentioned that this film is nothing like the original, it wasn’t meant to turn people off from this film. To me, this film is far superior because it had to be better than the first. It’s not quite as enjoyable to sit through, because there’s a bit more drama in it, but it’s a superior film. Every character gets serviced properly because we all want to know more about the people in it.
Does Groot get a whole back story? Not as much as you’d think, but he is the cutest damn thing in the film. There’s a major action part in the film, which has been shown a lot in the trailers, where Gamora yells at Groot to find cover because it’s dangerous. Groot smile and waves at her because Groot loves everyone. Gamora has to stop, fail at holding back her smile, and says “Hi.” The moment should take you out of the film, but Baby Groot is so cute that even one of the most badass warriors in the galaxy is won over by him.
With the entire cast killing it as usual, the people who really need to be mentioned is Dave Bautista as Drax, and Michael Rooker as Yondu. Bautista is the biggest comedic element of the film. His character is completely serious and doesn’t get sarcasm, so him trying to get everything leads to laughter. Rooker is possibly the main character of the film. There are other big things happening in the film, but if it weren’t for him, this entire franchise wouldn’t have been created. I won’t give anything away, but if you watched the first film, you will understand what could be coming up.
I would suggest catching this film with some friends or a significant other. It’s an enjoyable film that looks like everyone involved had a blast doing. Will it be as endlessly rewatchable as the first? Probably not, but it’s still better than Iron Man 2. Remember that movie? Woof.
From writer/director James Gunn, Guardian of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will be released on May 5th, 2017. It stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Sean Gunn, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris Sullivan, Kurt Russell, Sylvester Stallone, and Michael Rosenbaum.
Rating: 8/10
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Jeff Sorensen is an author, writer and occasional comedian living in Detroit, Michigan. You can look for more of his work on The Huffington Post, UPROXX, BGR and by just looking up his name.
Contact: jeff@socialunderground.com