GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 – Review

Hooray for May! Sure there have been a few good “popcorn” flicks released so far (KONG: SKULL ISLAND, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, FATE OF THE FURIOUS, GET OUT, even visits with Batman and Wolverine), but with the fifth month, the season of Summer blockbusters really begins. Summer’s also a time for vacation destinations, and over the last nine years, many movie goers have traveled via the multiplex to the Marvel movie universe. This time, universe is the correct term, since most of this flick is set well beyond our home planet, light years from Tony Stark and Captain America. This is the follow-up to the 2014 space epic, which many folks thought would be Marvel Studios’ first stumble, the inevitable box office bomb. It was based on a largely unknown comic book and was directed by a mid-westerner who hadn’t made a big-budget movie before (his two previous works probably cost less than the catering on this one). I mean, it featured a talking racoon and a 7 foot-tall walking tree, for garsh’ sakes! But boy, did their gamble pay off and now Marvel has another big franchise. So, here’s the much-anticipated sequel, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL.2. Let’s pop in that cassette and press play…

And just as with the original film, we’re treated to an 80’s flashback on good ole’ planet Earth, right after that glorious Marvel logo. Not to worry, we’re soon transported to present day well past our home galaxy. The Guardians are still together, and they’re “heroes for hire”. The freelancers are preparing for the latest “gig”: protecting the pricey power batteries that run the Sovereign home world. Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket Racoon (voice of Bradley Cooper), cute lil’ Baby Groot (voice of Vin Diesel), and their leader, Peter Quill AKA Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) await the arrival of a massive. multi-tentacled, pointy-toothed beastie that wants to suck the juice outta’ those batteries. After the big messy battle, the team reports to the leader of the Sovereign, the golden queen Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki) who pays them. But not with gems or money (or that SF cliché “credits”), they turn over a person: Gamora’s deadly sister Nebula (Karen Gillan), who has a bounty on her bald head. But somebody’s got ‘sticky” fingers (or paws) and the good ship Milano is under attack by “zillions” of remote-control fighters. Fortunately an odd white ship comes to the Guardians’ rescue and wipes out the Sovereign forces. After crash landing on a nearby forest planet, Quill and crew meet their defenders, Ego (Kurt Russell) and his aide, the exotic empath Mantis (Pom Klementeff). After dropping a personal bombshell on Quill, Ego invites him to his ship to journey back to his home planet. Gamora and Drax join Peter, while Rocket, along with Groot and Nebula, stay behind to finish repairs on the Milano. However, the critter doesn’t know that Yondu (Michael Rooker), still smarting from his defeat in the first flick, is on his way with an army of Ravagers. But Star-Lord and company may be facing an even greater threat on Ego’s home world, one that could destroy all the galaxies.

So let’s catch up with our returning champions…er…Guardians. Pratt is much more relaxed and confident as a leading man, and a leader in general, in this installment. His Quill is quite funny and a perfect “straight man” to his wacky cohorts. Mixing action heroics and romance (sparks still fly with the gorgeous Gamora) effortlessly, Pratt is also the everyman surrogate for the audience. This gives an extra heft to the strong dramatic elements of this flick, since Quill must truly confront his past and decide where lies his purpose, his destiny. Saldana is splendid as the warrior who prefer battling monsters to working out her feelings. There’s her curious flirtation with Quill and the strained sibling dynamic with sister Nebula. Once again, Bautista as the imposing brute with no filter steals nearly every scene. Drax is still haunted by the loss of his beloved family, but now he’s trying to move on and form new bonds. He’s even starting a hesitant, tentative romance now. The vocal work is top-notch, too. Cooper still delivers a snarling insult, then switches gears to convey the critter’s pain and frustration. Though he repeats those memorable three words, Diesel lets us inside that little wooden guy’s noggin. Gillan is still full of fire and fury as Nebula. Eventually she reveals  the wounded child within the deadly assassin. The character given the most complex arc may be Yondu expertly emoted under all the make-up by Rooker. In the last film, he was the frustrated cartoon villain (a deadly Elmer Fudd) much of the time. In this film’s opening scenes, Yondu is nursing his wounded pride until he must switch teams, and straighten out his complex relationship with Quill. It’s memorable work that’s a highlight in Rooker’s long career.

As for the “newbies”, Russell exploits his effortless swagger and makes great use of his screen charisma as the “bigger than life” Ego. It’s easy to see why Quill is swayed by this graying, but still energetic, lion. Klementieff makes an interesting partner (in crime?) for him. At times, she’s ethereal, but as she begins to fall for the team, particularly Drax, she becomes a frightened fawn, all a jitter as she tries to steer them toward the truth. Debecki as Ayesha, is the ultimate “cool blonde” (she’s practically glowing) lacing her every word with icy menace. Two of the Ravagers, Chris Sullivan as Taserface and Sean Gunn as Kraglin, generate loads of laughs. Plus we get to meet the king of the Ravagers, played with verve and plenty of bombast by a true silver screen “heavyweight champion”.

Hey, it’s the original team from over 50 years ago!
Incredibly, writer/director James Gunn has upped the emotional stakes of this sequel while still giving us just as much action and humor as the original. Yes, the fate of the universe is on the line, but it’s a more personal story. Unlike many blockbusters (looking at you, ya’ bunch of speed demons), the heroes and the villains have a rich emotional center (even a CGI racoon). Oh, but he doesn’t scrimp on the big action sequences, although some are truly overwhelming in their scope (all them’ ships almost create a real “space jam”). In that way, your viewing experience is enhanced by catching it on the biggest screen possible, with booming sound and 3D (yes, it’s worth the upcharge). Speaking of sound, Gunn has once more assembled a “fun-tastic” selection of bouncy, feel-good pop tunes from the past. It is indeed an “awesome mix”, perfect music for cruisin’ cross the stars. The effects and art direction are top of the line. While many science fiction flicks have a dark, murky look (hard to make out the action sometimes) , the Guardians bop from one shiny, candy-colored world to another, like they’re zipping through a trippy, airbrushed double-page spread from a 70’s Heavy Metal magazine. Not to be a party pooper, but fans may be disappointed that the crew is split up for much of the running time (a problem for the last Star Trek film, and the second Avengers flick) and Gunn goes to slow motion a bit too often (they’re walking in slo-mo toward the viewer as bodies glide past). But luckily there are the extras that Marvel movie fans look forward to. There’s a great flashback with a digital face-lift along with end credit scenes (yes there are five!) and a cameo from “the man” himself (in the middle of a favorite alien race from the comics). For a breezy, bouncy two and a quarter jaunt through the cosmos, grab a ticket for the majestic Milano, and dance along with those “A-holes” in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL.2! And don’t worry, they will return!

4.5 Out of 5