Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 -- a review

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 was inevitable, seeing how much money the first film made. And the first movie was a pleasure to watch, being an enjoyable, comedic ride through the cosmos that was an imaginative adventure. Now, in the sequel, Starlord and the gang are back, protecting a race of gold-plated beings from a big ugly monster during a funny title sequence that’s stolen by Baby Groot. No longer a dancing potted plant, little Groot is now free to wander about, getting into and out of trouble as he sees fit, and he’s one of the best things about the sequel.

A pleasant surprise for me was seeing Kurt Russell show up as Starlord’s long lost father. Being a fan of the holy trinity of the John Carpenter-directed action/horror/fantasy films that Russell starred in--Escape From New York, The Thing, and Big Trouble in Little China--I’m convinced that any movie that has Kurt Russell in it is automatically good. But while I was glad to see Russell here, his character, along with the story arc he introduces, only serves to drag the movie down with its dreary pseudo-drama. Instead of fleshing out these characters, this attempt at deep introspection just rings hollow.

I have to admit to never really feeling any great investment in these characters. The first film was enjoyable for me because it was a fun lark that was very humorous. But by dampening the humor this time out in favor of soap opera-ish drama, all writer/director James Gunn manages to do is make Starlord (Chris Pratt) about as much fun as a wet towel. Thankfully the script wakes up by the third act, where we’re presented with a spectacular battle and plenty of the humor that we’ve come to expect from this series, but it feels too little, too late.

Which is not to say that Volume 2 is a total drag. The aforementioned Groot is a highlight of the film, as is Dave Bautista, as the stoic Drax. Bautista, a former wrestler with the WWE, has proven himself to be quite deft with comedy as his scenes in Volume 2 have shown. And let’s not forget Stan (the Man) Lee, the co-creator of so many of Marvel’s major heroes, who has the absolute best cameo in this film, of any Marvel film, bar none. Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 may not be as good as the first film, but when it loosens up and has fun with its characters and situations, it still makes for a pleasant trip through the groovy cosmos. --SF

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