Review: 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' (2017)

When James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy hit theaters back in 2014, no one thought it'd be the big success it is today. Taking a band of fairly unknown Marvel comics superheroes and putting them in the spotlight. It was a gambit on Marvel's part--having the Fantastic Four and X-Men unavailable, and its film rights over at Fox Studios--that truly paid off. Soon, everyone would know just who the hell the Guardians of the Galaxy are.

Guardians of the Galaxy was my favorite Marvel film at the time. It was fun, new, fresh, and truly spectacular. Jump three years later, and here we are: Volume 2.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 begins with a brief flashback of Star-Lord/Peter Quill's parents. The film then flash forwards to present time--which takes place only a few months after the events of the first film. The team returns to the big screen, consisting of the charming yet goofy Star-Lord (Peter Quill); the intriguing badass Gamora (Zoe Saldana); the dim-witted and lovable Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista); the sly and brash Rocket Raccoon(Bradley Cooper); and of course, the best thing since Groot: Baby Groot (Vin Diesel). The team is hired by the Sovereign, a highly advanced civilization of extremely vain gold-skinned beings to rid their planet of an interdimensional space monster, in exchange for Gamora's fugitive sister, Nebula (Karen Gillan). When Rocket decides to offend the high Priestess (Elizabeth Debicki) --the team crash lands and are rescued by Ego, played by the super cool, Kurt Russell.

The film is very much a story of Peter's origins--exploring his familial heritage and discovering his hidden potential. It's also a film dedicated to fathers; in the film, Quill struggles with his relationship between Yondu (Michael Rooker), the awesome blue skinned Ravager who raised Quill on is own rather handing him over to Ego, as well as Quill struggling to accept his father after all these years. Not to mention his relationship between his teammates Rocket and Gamora exclusively. Gunn creates a very Empire Strikes Back approach to developing his characters. Much like how Luke goes on a spiritual journey on his own in the murky and isolated swamps of Dagobah, and how Leia and Han develop their relationship by being constantly on the run from the Vader, hot on their tail, the characters in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 follow the formula, but turns it on its head. Rocket and Groot are on the run from the Ravagers, looking to collect the bounty on their heads, but Rocket learns more about himself, why he does things, with Yondu acting as his Yoda; while Quill's relationship to the Guardians are strained on an isolated setting, lush with beautiful scenery on Ego's planet. When you watch the film, you'll understand the Empire Strikes Back feel to it (if you've seen that film).

I did find this movie enjoyable, though it certainly has its faults. The first act was very all over the place, in my opinion. There wasn't much exposition being thrown around, but I feel that it was more about the characters trying to jump immediately into the action and past the exposition. I don't blame Gunn for jumping the gun (ba-dum-tsss) and being very eager to get started--there are a lot of things to cover and a limited amount of movie time. though I did wish it took more pauses when it needed; or at least longer pauses. I did rather enjoy the film's introduction, though, as charming as it was (an d I truly loved it; and trust me you will, too), it was too disorienting, but not in a very bad way; and by the time it ends and get to meeting the Sovereign for a short amount of time you're still trying to collect yourself from the previous film. It didn't really allow the film to breathe, as it moved from one action sequence, to a short pause for minor exposition, and back into a high octane action sequence. It does this throughout the film. I don't mind action, but I do enjoy build up. I just felt that everything was set-up, after set-up, and the build-up didn't feel too coherent--and the pay offs, did have potential of being complete misses. When we get tot he final act, I did find myself questioning a few choices made by the characters that it felt a bit in authentic and forced. It culminates into a pretty standard action movie climax-- though I very much wished it went in a different direction instead.

Ego's gorgeous planet; lush with beautiful colors,

that seem like a sequence from Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory

The locations are also very stunning, the set design and costumes were on point and quite diverse. The Sovereign did have a very regal and over the top aesthetic and motif, but it also showed how goofy these characters were, as their war room--where they control their drone spaceships, that chase the guardians throughout the Galaxy--is portrayed like a vintage 80s arcade. War can be fun too when your kiosk can kill people for a quarter/token. Ego's planet is the most gorgeous spectacle in the film as the visuals created a dream world where anything is possible, and anything can be shaped and formed, but it does come off with hints of suspicion. It reminded me of the venus fly-trap, and other carnivorous plants that are quite beautiful but surprisingly scary. One of my favorite locations is the brothel where we meet up with Yondu for the first time in the movie, because the whole time, while watching it, I was thinking to myself: ''Just how did James Gunn manage to get a strip club approved for what is technically a Disney movie!"

And let's not forget the soundtrack! I really enjoyed it, though not as memorable as the first soundtrack. What the first one did so well with the music, was that it paired it with visually stunning spectacles and visuals that it seared into your head the appropriate song that should be playing when you see, say, a giant floating head in the middle of space. The only song that had that effect on me, in Volume 2, was the opening song, ELO's "Mr. Blue Sky".

Let's talk characters.

The characters are brilliant in this film; though I did find some issues with the story and plot, I found rare issues with the characters--at least the main cast. Chris Pratt's Star-Lord was tested in this film--though I did enjoy his quippy mannerisms, I feel that he could've done a bit more focus on the dramatic aspects of the character. It was there, but I wish I saw and felt more (again build up is key). I found that Zoe Saldana's Gamora was more interesting to watch when compared to Quill as it explored her relationship with Nebula--and I did enjoy Nebula's arc in this film, and, again, I wish I got more. Rocket's arc with Yondu is by far the highlight of this film-- Gunn composes such a great connection between the two characters as they learn about themselves vicariously through each other. If Rocket is to Luke as Yondu is to Yoda, it is safe to say that the master is learning something from the student just as much as the student is learning from the master. Yondu is my favorite character in this film, and I love how James Gunn gave Michael Rooker such an enjoyable and satisfying character arc. It must be that arrow, that damn awesome arrow.

We also get a few newcomers, specifically Mantis played by Pom Klementieff was a quirky addition, but I feel that she was just there to give the characters an important revelation. I would've much preferred if she discovered this truth along with the Guardians, it would've added her character a bit more depth, something that Mantis sorely needed. Drax and Groot serve as the comic relief in this film and they have some of the best lines and moments in the film. Drax is a bit more fully realized here than in the first film, and I felt that he has become more humorous than his almost serious nature in Volume 1. I think Dave Bautista truly found his calling as Drax, and I can't wait to see how he'll interact with the Avengers in the highly anticipated Avengers: Infinity War. I liked Baby Groot a lot, I think it was a genius move by Gunn and company to go that route because he grows on you (ba-dum-tsss) in ways that was not possible in the previous film. Kurt Russell plays a huge role in the film as Peter Quill's long lost father who happens to be a Celestial--essentially a god in the Marvel Universe-- but I can't help criticize some of the choices his character makes in this film. The third act, without trying to spoil anything, sort of spoils his character for me, as his potential to be something a bit darker--though dark already--becomes moot and comes off as a two-dimensional piece to tie up the film.

Meet the Sovereign. High Priestess Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki), probably has the coolest costume design in the film, especially here: where her golden dress is part of her golden throne.

I want to briefly talk about the villains, because they are literally just that: brief moments in the film. The forces of antagonism in this film--in the form of the Sovereign, though regal and quite antagonistic, proved lackluster, despite their gold finish. That is still something Marvel struggles with: developing compelling villains on the big screen. The Netflix productions, thus far, produced amazing villains in the form of Kingpin, The Purple man, and even Mahershala Ali's Cottonmouth, yet the movies have only given us probably 2 or three solid villains out of 15 (?) films. Marvel also has a problem with the over-saturation of comedy and sometimes a few comedic misfires. I feel that this film was sort of held back by its comedy. There are parts where I questioned the director's choices in tone, specifically in the final battle when a familiar yellow arcade hero appears, and even before that when David Hasselhoff (though a lovely surprise, there are a lot of these lovely surprises scattered throughout the film) makes a cameo in what should've been the most dramatic moment in the film. I think James Gunn should've committed to a much darker route in this film as it would've given the film a more nuanced tone. The movie could've used a better balance in tone, and though I honestly believe that it story was lacking in quite a few places, its characters held the film together and made it a worthwhile journey. It feels as if the film was not meant to be anything too profound or too spectacularly shocking, but, I feel, it was meant to be a way for the audience to truly get to know the characters a bit more on a deeper and human level.

In the end, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was a blast of a film, and a true summer blockbuster. I don't think it's better than the first one, but I would definitely love to watch it again. I think you guys will enjoy it.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is out in theaters now in IMAX and 3D.