It's a fun Marvel movie. So strap on your seatbelts and go along for the ride.
Movie: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2
Director: James Gunn
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Michael Rooker, Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Elizabeth Debecki
What's it about:
Galaxy-saving gang of misfits finds where they fit in the grand scheme of things. You could sum up the sequel in one line. But that would description would be apt for the first film as well. So here goes...
The action opens with the Guardians -- Peter Quill/Star Lord (Pratt), Gamora (Saldana), Rocket (Cooper), Drax (Bautista) and Baby Groot (Diesel) -- fighting off an Abilisk (an energy-devouring creature). They're obviously not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts, but to get Gamora's sister Nebula (Karen Gillian) from the Sovereigns, the beings that have hired the GOTG to protect them from the monster. The intention is to exact a bounty on Nebula's head, placed by the planet Xandar.
But Rocket wants more, so he steals the power batteries they were assigned to protect. When the Sovereigns, led by Ayesha (Debecki) pursue them, the Guardians use the Milano (their spaceship) to escape and is forced to crash-land on the planet Berhert, with some help.
The help is from someone who calls himself a 'celestial' and goes by the name Ego The Living Planet (Russell). What he tells Peter, shakes him to the core. Find out why...
What's hot:
It's always going to be difficult walking the tightrope of fan expectations. Marvel does it ably by balancing comic canon with creative license so as to make the franchise accessible to a wider audience and tie into their larger Cinematic Universe.
The idea behind adding new characters -- we are introduced to Ayesha and to Stakar Ogord (Stallone), Ego and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) over the span of two hours with alacrity -- is to judge the feasibility of taking what once was a will-it-work franchise, light years ahead. A minor character named Taserface (Chris Sullivan) starts a mutiny and gets endlessly ribbed by Rocket over his name, but has a short shelf life. Just as well...
And despite a one-line storyline, the sequel is held together by winning performances, eye-popping cinematography, superlative VFX and Baby Groot. Believe it or not, it is Vin Diesel's infantile-sounding 'I Am Groot' declarations that have you either going 'Awww' or 'cheering the loudest' throughout the film.
Yondu's (Rooker) conflict comes to the fore, and that's something to look forward to. The truth about Quill's parentage takes up the most screen-time. And you wish they got done with all the reunions, ASAP. Also, Nebula and Yondu join the Guardians in a mostly uneven battle against a foe unlike any other.
The 'Awesome Mix Vol. 2' gets you nostalgic for the 80s.
The end credits scenes? There are five of them. Please don't leave your seats until the screen goes black. Also, there are Easter eggs galore strewn throughout the film. See how many you can spot.
What's not:
Spectacle always looks great the first time around. You can't replicate surprises. The best gags are reserved for Groot and there's way too much drama going on in this film, which markets itself as a fun ride. It is, but there's only so much you can take of Ayesha's internalised grrrs, of the story of Quill and his daddy issues, of Rocket's image issues (the simmering anger after the name-calling gets blah after a point), Gamora and Nebula's sappy sibling sentimentality. The film is a good 15 minutes longer than the original. There's this feeling that this one should have been a lot more snappier.
What to do:
Despite its most obvious flaws, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 entertains. Kids will love Baby Groot as will the adults. Fans will have a field day gawking at everyone from Howard Duck to the Watchers. And need we mention Stan Lee, too? It's a Marvel film, after all! Strap on your seatbelts and go along for the ride.
Rating: ***1/2
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