If you’re a long time reader of my
blog, or if you know me personally, you would know that I LOVE “Guardians of
the Galaxy!” How much do I love it? Well, it was pretty much among my top 5
favorite movies of 2014, in what was already a great year for Marvel movies.
But what set “Guardians of the Galaxy” apart from the other films that year, or
any comic book movie for that matter, was that it was a film that knew to have
fun with itself. From its central characters, to its space opera setting, to
its action scenes, and even its soundtrack. While I may have been half and half
with his work as a writer, James Gunn proved that he can make the best of
projects when he’s at the helm 100%. It was like seeing this epic homage to the
old adventure films of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, where the biggest
concern they had was whether or not yo u were having a fun time. To me at the
time, it was my favorite film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
When it was announced that they were
doing a sequel to “Guardians,” you bet your ass I was pumped for it. However, I
did have some concern going into it. For one, after the first “Guardians of the
Galaxy,” the other Marvel films following were turning out…well, disappointing.
“Avengers: Age of Ultron” had a relatively weak narrative and felt
manufactured, “Captain America: Civil War” and “Doctor Strange” had terrible
villains, and “Ant-Man” was…look, when you kick Edgar Wright in exchange for
Peyton Reed, you’re in a bad spot. Not only that, but I’ve had this theory that
when it comes to comic book films released during a “7” year, it’s kind of bad
luck. 1987: “Superman 4.” 1997: “Batman & Robin” and “Steel.” 2007: “Ghost
Rider,” “Fantastic Four 2,” and “Spiderman 3.” Although to be fair, “Logan” and
“The LEGO Batman Movie” did surprise me a bit, but don’t get too comfy; we
still have “Wonder Woman” and “Spiderman Homecoming” to still prove me right.
Also, after seeing the last film James Gunn wrote for, “The Belko Experiment,”
my expectations were brought lower.
This leads us to the long awaited
sequel, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.” After their victory over Ronan and
finishing a job for the Sovereign race, who then hunt them down for treason,
the Guardians find themselves in the presence of Ego, a Celestial and Peter Quill’s
father. Agreeing to spend time with him, Peter, Gamora, and Drax take off with
Ego, splitting off from Rocket and Groot for a while, embarking in another fun
adventure. Much like the previous film, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”
maintains that sense of fun that the first film had, but they add in a superior
villain, stronger visuals, better chemistry between our heroes, funnier jokes,
and a compelling story about identity, family, morality, and trust.
Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, and Dave
Bautista are all equally as good, if not better, than when they were in the
first film, as Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord), Gamora, and Drax. They’ve gone from
being close to cutting each other’s heads off (mostly Gamora and Drax), to
being a team that is highly dependent and concerned about the other’s lives,
physically and emotionally. Pratt and Saldana especially do great, building up
more of the romance their characters have, but not to a point where it becomes
forced in like they did with some of the MCU’s previous films. To me, the
relationship between Peter and Gamora is one of the best on-screen romances
that any comic book film has done since “The Amazing Spiderman” films. You see
them build off of each other, learn each other’s quirks, bicker about their
problems in a believable manner, and they don’t rush it. Fuck Joker and Harley
Quinn; people should want a Star-Lord and Gamora romance!
That’s not to say that Bautista
doesn’t get some great chemistry too. His screen time is shared very nicely
with Pom Klementieff, who plays Ego’s assistant, Mantis. Aside from being a bit
more skittish, Mantis and Drax have a lot of common in terms of how they’re not
as sociably strong as people would deem them to be, but they still make these
two likable characters you root for. Hell, they’ve both managed to be good role
models for children with autism, and that’s pretty damn cool.
Bradely Cooper and Vin Diesel as
Rocket and Baby Groot are just as enjoyable, but their scenes shine the best
when they’re with Yondu, played once again by Michael Rooker. I loved how they
give Yondu a stronger role in this film, diving more into his backstory and
history with the Ravagers and Peter. And he has easily the best scene in the
whole movie, where he, Rocket, and Baby Groot revolt and escape, while the song
“Come A Little Bit Closer” by Jay and the Americans is playing. All I got to
say is, I want Yondu’s arrow. One of the best weapons in the Marvel Universe.
Sean Gunn as Kraglin, Yondu’s closest ally, also has a better supporting role
in the film, questioning a lot about his Captain’s standards, but still trying
to maintain a sense of loyalty to who he’s grown to over time. Karen Gillian
returns as Nebula, and I loved how they went in deeper with her relationship
with Gamora, which got pretty heartbreaking throughout the film. I don’t want
to give spoilers away, but if you’re a sibling, this will tug at your
heartstrings.
Now we come to one of the biggest
things to talk about with this movie, and that’s Kurt Russell as Ego. I mean,
what can I say? Every time this guy is on screen, whether it’d be with Peter or
any of the other Guardians, he’s just so charismatic, funny, and unpredictable
that you can’t help but keep your eyes on him, thinking about what he’ll say
next.
The only complaints I have with the
casting were minor, but they did make me a little disappointed. One was with
Sylvester Stallone as Stakar, Yondu’s former leader. Don’t get me wrong,
Stallone is great in the film…but I just wished he was in the film more. I
mean, it’s the first film Stallone and Kurt Russell have been in together since
“Tango & Cash,” and they don’t have one scene together? Man, did you miss
an opportunity there. My other complaint is with Nathan Fillion, who ultimately
got cut from the film entirely. Come on, first he’s given a small voice cameo
in the first film, and now he gets cut from the sequel? No fair…
A major thing that people have
discussed is how this film isn’t as good as the first film, saying it doesn’t
flow as well as the first film, it has too much humor, or was unnecessary
because it didn’t build up to “Infinity War.” I get where they would be coming
from…but I 100% disagree. I felt like the flow of the film didn’t really
diminish from the quality of the film as much as people say it did, and felt
like it flowed nicely like a proper continuation of the first film, as a sequel should. As for the
humor, yeah, there are more jokes in this film than most of Marvel’s other
properties, but that doesn’t mean it has a good emotional tone to balance it
out, especially in the third act. And as for it not building up to “Infinity
War,” let me ask this: How many of the films in the MCU’s Phase 2 built up to
“Age of Ultron?” The answer: none of them. Even with “Captain America: The
Winter Soldier” having a plot revolving around S.H.I.E.D. being compromised,
none of the films in Phase 2 built up to “Age of Ultron,” but instead were
building up to “Civil War.” Also, building up to future films is what people
hated about “Iron Man 2” and “Age of Ultron.” Hell, it was the main reason why
Joss Whedon was unhappy with “Age of Ultron,” and why Edgar Wright got fired
from “Ant-Man” because they didn’t want to do that. What both “Guardians of the
Galaxy” movies focused on was making good movies that stand on their own. So
what if they don’t reference the other MCU movies? Who gives a shit? And
personally, it’s one of the major reasons why I prefer “Guardians of the
Galaxy” and “Vol. 2” over any of the other MCU movies.
Overall, what else can I say about
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2?” It does everything the first film did right,
but adds more to it. It’s fun, it’s hilarious, it’s emotional, and it’s very
exciting. While it stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the first film, I would go
as far as to say I like this a little bit more, meaning it has the title of
being my new favorite film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I’ve seen the film
three times in theaters already, I got a poster for the film all framed up, and
I’m looking forward to its blu-ray release! If you haven’t seen it yet, get on
over to your local movie theater, and have a galactic good time!
Rating: 10/10
No comments:
Post a Comment