Tuesday Night Matinee: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

by themrmojorisin67

 

Director: James Gunn

Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Kurt Russell

Released: 2017

Trailer

Synopsis: The Guardians—Starlord/Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, and Baby Groot—are back, this time encountering not only the Sovereigns, but also a humanoid being named Ego who claims to be an important figure in Starlord’s past. Meanwhile, Yondu wrestles with his conscience and attempts to redeem himself after finding himself exiled from his fellow Ravagers for previous actions against the group’s code. All of these threads (and more!) eventually intersect, leaving the existence of not only the Guardians, but the future of the universe as we know it, hanging in the balance.

 

Well, I finally saw Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Before I begin to give my opinion of this film, I have to be perfectly honest…

I thought Guardians of the Galaxy was just okay.

Yes, I realize that that assertion is blasphemy. But it really didn’t elicit much of a reaction from me other than, “That was all right.” The action was okay, the characters were kind of cool, and even the soundtrack choices were fun. But something about it, be it the lackluster villain, the hit and miss jokes, or the lack of time to develop these characters beyond the basic “adversity brings a ragtag band of misfits together” plotline, just didn’t really stick with me. Even Groot’s temporary sacrifice, while somewhat sad, rang manipulative and unearned, particularly since that sacrifice is undone by the presence of Baby Groot. It’s not a bad film, but it could have done so much more with its material.

Vol. 2, on the other hand, delivered everything I hoped that the first installment would deliver. The jokes actually made me laugh out loud, compared to the jokes in the first film that mostly elicited nothing more than a chuckle with the occasional hysterical moment. The jailbreak scene in Vol. 2, where Baby Groot has to find a certain object to help Yondu and Rocket Raccoon escape from the brig, is hilarious, and even involves a rather dark comedic moment involving, well…I won’t spoil it here, but the scene is both shocking and amusing, with Yondu and Rocket’s reactions to this moment making this moment work so well.

Speaking of which, the performances in this film are great, particularly from Michael Rooker as Yondu and Kurt Russell as Ego. Rooker was enjoyable in the first Guardians, but he didn’t leave much of a dramatic impact other than having a cool scene involving his whistle-controlled flying arrow weapon. In Vol. 2, his role is expanded and given a surprising amount of depth. The film is as much his story as it is the other Guardians’, and Rooker does a fantastic job portraying Yondu as both tough and compassionate.

Kurt Russell is also great in this film as Ego, and has some great scenes with Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill character. Before I continue with any more critique of the performance, here is a SPOILER WARNING, as what follows will spoil a good chunk of the story.

 

 

SPOILERS FOLLOW

 

While it is obvious that there is more to Ego’s character—namely that he is going to be the primary antagonist—Russell still makes the character interesting and charismatic. This is more than what can be said for previous Marvel film villains, who seem very generic and uninteresting, with very little to them save the most basic of motivations.

Yes, Ego’s motivations are similar to those of, say, Ultron in the last Avengers film, which could be off-putting to some. But the fact that Ego has such a strong connection with Quill (he is Peter’s father, after all) and actually has a unique way of executing his plan makes him a villain that Marvel so desperately needed to keep from falling in that hole of having great heroes, but mediocre and uninteresting villains. The fact that he also uses deception to trick his own son into ultimately being a conduit for his power makes his character that much more diabolical. Needless to say, I wish the film did not conclude Ego’s story so soon; I would have loved to see him in future films, as he’s probably one of my favorite villains the Marvel Cinematic Universe has given us.

 

SPOILERS OVER

 

I would also like to add that Dave Bautista’s acting as Drax is far more hilarious in this film than in the previous one. The script allows Bautista to cut loose and actually be amusing at times, particularly when Drax decides that the best way to defeat a creature with impenetrable skin (which is quickly debunked not only by what follows but by earlier quips by his teammates) is to be devoured by the creature and attack it from the inside.

The effects and cinematography are also very well done. The colors are far more vibrant than those in a majority of the past Marvel films, and definitely “pop” in comparison to the drab and washed-out colors of last year’s Captain America: Civil War. As a result, many of the scenes look like something (to use a cliched phrase) ripped straight from the comics, especially when over-the-top and outlandish things happen, such as Gamora hoisting a ship’s gargantuan laser canon over her shoulder and firing it like it was an ordinary gun.

Ego’s planet looks especially beautiful with its shiny buildings and lush vegetation that look like something out of Oz: The Great and Powerful. Even the moving statues inside of Ego’s home are beautifully designed and do an excellent job of visually conveying Ego’s backstory.

Even the more subtle effects are well done. Disney seems to have nearly perfected its de-aging CG technology, as the effects used to make Kurt Russell look like he did back in the ‘80s are fantastic. Granted, there are some moments where an angle on the face doesn’t look quite right or the mouth doesn’t move normally for a moment. Compared to just seven years ago, however, when Jeff Bridges’ CG young face in Tron: Legacy was considered groundbreaking but hasn’t aged well at all (the effect, not Bridges’ face), this is a huge leap in special effects work that deserves recognition.

The film also features one of the best Stan Lee cameos, even including a continuity nod to another bizarre aspect of the Marvel Universe that I dare not spoil.

That said, the film does have some problems. Vol. 2’s over-reliance on the soundtrack is definitely more obnoxious here than it was in the first film. The characters even acknowledge that they need some fighting music a couple times (at least) in the movie. Granted, the “Mr. Blue Sky” sequence that opens the film is a lot of fun to watch, particularly since it mostly focuses on Baby Groot. But other moments, like the repeated usage of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain,” feel unnecessary.

The pop culture references are hit and miss as well. While references to Pac-Man, Mary Poppins, and even a stealthy, more than likely unintentional reference to the famous airplane scene in North by Northwest work well enough, the repeated references to David Hasselhoff feel rather desperate, like the film is trying to top its predecessor’s references to Kevin Bacon.

It also does not feel as though certain threads are developed enough. The Sovereigns seem braced to have a huge impact on the story, only to become plot devices at convenient moments and ultimately the source of the film’s MacGuffins. It also does not help that they are so easily dealt with each time they show up and are easily overshadowed by Ego’s story. They do serve a purpose, but they almost feel unnecessary throughout most of the runtime.

Gamora and Nebula’s story thread also does not have enough development to make much of an impact on the audience. While what the film does present is somewhat sufficient, a bit more time should have been devoted to it. Or, if that is not an option, it should have been removed. After all, a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is all but guaranteed with how popular the Marvel Cinematic Universe sub-franchise is, especially compared to those of the supposed frontrunners of the Universe such as Thor. So, saving this subplot for the next film would have been a better option.

I also wish that Mantis had more to do in this film. Pom Klementieff does fine with what little she is given, but other than a few scenes where she doles out exposition and uses her powers to read the Guardians’ emotions and make Ego sleep, there’s not much for Mantis to do. Her presence is so small in this film, I almost forgot she was even in the film until I watched the trailer again to capture snapshots for this review.

Other plot elements are also predictable at times, particularly because the foreshadowing of said elements can be painfully on the nose. For example (SPOILERS), a fellow Ravager (played by Sylvester Stallone) berates Yondu for violating the Ravager’s Code and tells him that he will never be honored by his fellow Ravagers in the event of his death. First, this exchange sets up in no uncertain terms that Yondu will indeed redeem himself. Second, this exchange makes it painfully clear that not only will Yondu die at the end, but that the other Ravagers will be there to send him off. Some ambiguity in this foreshadowing would have been appreciated and would have made Yondu’s death more shocking and thus have a far greater impact. (SPOILERS OVER)

Finally, a minor nitpick, but something that distracted me was the product placement in the film. Normally, product placement is not bothersome. In fact, it is understandable that a film features it. Not only does it pay for the film, but it also grounds its world in a relatable reality. The blatant Dairy Queen advertising, however, is distracting, particularly when a cataclysmic moment is about to happen. But this example is not as distracting as the Zune advertisement toward the end, even going as far as telling Quill (and the audience) how many songs it can hold.

But despite these issues, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a good addition to the MCU, and surpasses the first film in quality. There are some moments that are fairly predictable and formulaic, but that goes with the territory with films such as this one, and there are plenty of fun and interesting moments and ideas to make up for this.

Final Score: 8/10

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