"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" Review

Title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Directed by: James Gunn

Written by: James Gunn

Year: 2017


Back in August of 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy came on the comic book/superhero scene and blew most people away, myself included. I still believe that the first film is among the MCU's strongest entries, and a great deal of that has to do with the fact that it felt more like a James Gunn picture than a studio production. Gunn returns to direct the second installment, but can he recapture the magic that made the first film so unique?

Following the events of the first film, the Guardians of the Galaxy are now famed heroes and carry out tasks (but not without pay, of course). While making an escape from a deal-gone-south, the team is rescued by a man claiming to be Peter Quill's father. But in the midst of getting to know this mysterious man, several groups are hunting the heroes.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is intriguing to analyze because there seems to be no main plot. The film is composed of a series of sub-plots that eventually culminate in the third act to create a single storyline. This has two large effects on the film; first, this form of storytelling allows for the characters to be explored further and be expanded upon; second, it gives the movie a lack of central drive. I would like to focus on the latter effect first. Though the picture is heavily enjoyable, I found myself wondering what the point of the story was multiple times. The film meanders throughout a majority of its runtime without a main objective to guide it. As a result, when the main plot finally reveals itself, it comes off as abrupt and forced, an unfortunate consequence.

To get into a bit more detail, the Sovereign race, who are introduced at the start of the picture, end up sticking around for the whole ride. They worked well as a way to reintroduce us to the characters we grew to love in the last film. But the Sovereign add nothing to the plot and only appear when it is convenient. The main villain is multi-layered and captivating to watch, but because of the structure of the plot, their actions in the final act feel rushed and the villain can even come across as a bit goofy.

Another issue I had with the film was the tremendous amount of expository dialogue. On more than a handful of occasions, the film will take a moment to put the plot on pause and explain something the audience needs to know. This is fine when Mantis is relaying information about Ego's planet to the titular crew, for example. It works within the diegesis here. But there is a scene where Yondu begins explaining his past to Rocket, when nobody asked him about it and it bears no relation to the story at that time. This movie stops too many times to deliver exposition to the point where it gets irritating.

But as I mentioned earlier, the structure of the picture allows for countless character moments and rich development unlike anything we have seen in previous MCU movies. The Guardians were already some of the strongest personalities in Marvel's cinematic roster, but here they shine even brighter. This also goes for some of the new characters introduced in this installment. Most of this is done through brilliant pairing. Peter and his father have several touching interactions; Gamora and Nebula get plenty of sister bonding time; and Yandu and Rocket make for both a tragic and comedic combo.

Moving on to the cast, Chris Pratt returns as the lovable Star Lord, with his signature comedy and charm back in full force. Zoe Saldana reprises her role as Gamora, the stern assassin of the group and the straight-man in the comedic dynamic. Saldana continues to excel as the character and because Gamora is given a significant story this time around, Saldana has plenty of material to work with. Dave Bautista is massively entertaining as Drax the Destroyer, however I found the character to be quite mishandled. Aside from two minor action stunts and a deeply moving emotional moment, Drax is strictly used for comedic relief, which works far more than it fails. But I found this restriction bothersome because Drax is supposed to be a formidable fighter and ultimately does nothing of worth. In addition, the film overplays his foolishness to a vexing degree.

Vin Diesel voices Baby Groot and, though a minor role from an acting perspective, Diesel's vocal inflections give the anthropomorphic tree plenty of emotion. Bradley Cooper, once again, knocks it out of the park as Rocket Raccoon. Cooper nails the line delivery and his comedic timing is phenomenal. Kurt Russell is a welcome addition to the cast as Ego, Peter's father. His magnetic presence blends perfectly with the motley cast of characters. Karen Gillan turns out a more resonate performance as Nebula, and Pom Klementieff's Mantis is an enjoyable, lighter part of the film. A surprising highlight of the picture is Michael Rooker as Yondu. Yondu's story arc is a captivating one, and Rooker's performance is fittingly impactful.

Though well-made films, the cinematography in the MCU often lacks style or pizzazz. The first Guardians movie was much more vibrant and memorable with its camerawork, by contrast. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is the first motion picture to be filmed with the Red Weapon 8K camera, a high resolution and efficient new piece of tech. The camera, coupled with some inspired cinematography, makes this film standout amongst its MCU brethren, with popping visuals, gorgeous color blends, and many poster-worthy shots. Additionally, the visual effects are top-notch. Nothing looks out of place and the de-aging effect applied to Kurt Russell's character is seamless.

One of the most appealing aspects of the Guardians films is their soundtracks, comprising of pop hits from decades past. This is a defining quality that the first film used to great effect, as does this follow-up. With great selections such as "Come a Little Bit Closer," "Lake Shore Drive," and "Mr. Blue Sky," I feel that this soundtrack is superior to the first. The musical choices were implemented very well, especially "Southern Nights." My only real gripe is that "Fox on the Run," which is on the album and in the trailers, is nowhere in the film (a nitpick, of course). But Tyler Bates' epic score should not be forgotten. I think watchers should take more notice of his work within this series, as he has probably composed the best scores for the entire franchise.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is an interesting addition to the MCU canon, especially when compared to its predecessor. I fully believe that by the sum of its parts, this sequel surpasses the 2014 original. The characters are the central focus and are explored extensively; the quippy humor is still fresh; the score and soundtrack have seen an upgrade; the cinematography is glorious; and the film is consistently entertaining and a great deal of fun. However, as the old saying goes, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Because of the oddly framed story and excessive exposition, as a whole, I think Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 falls short of being deemed better than the first flick. Still, this is a highly enjoyable and quality picture with a surprisingly tear-jerking ending.

Grade: B+