I was travelling in California with my family when the first
Guardians of the Galaxy came out.
Being the Marvel fanboy that I was and still am, I begged them to go watch it
opening day. After many grumbles about how I was taking time out of the holiday
to see a film about a talking tree and raccoon, they gave in and we saw the film
at the Cinemark Monterey 13 cinema. They were not ready for how US audiences
enjoy films because unlike us British, they are loud about it. I’ve never had a
movie-going experience quite like it, there was clapping and cheering
throughout, it was well deserved and I absolutely loved it! My parents, well
they left the cinema exclaiming how it was one of the best films they had ever
seen and how much they loved Rocket and Groot!
Now here we are; Guardians
of the Galaxy Vol. 2. My parents loved it, so there’s their review. Me,
well I’m the film guy, I like to go a little more in depth with my opinions and
although this film was a fun watch, it was a little bit messier than its
predecessor. Read on to find out my SPOILER FREE verdict.
In their second outing the Guardians must fight to keep
their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s
true parentage. All the main players are back as well as few new faces in the
form of Kurt Russell as Ego, Pom Klementieff as Mantis and Elizabeth Debicki as
Ayesha.
If you think that description of the story is vague, that’s
because there’s not much more to it than that and that’s where the film trips
over for me. In what feels like a TV episode structure, the film’s plot is
pushed along by one or two characters of its ensemble cast, whilst the others
are just reacting to what’s going on, trying to make sense of it. Yes, most of
them have their small arcs which do work nicely into the film, but if you were
hoping characters like Groot and Drax were going to be more than comedic relief
then you will be disappointed.
Thankfully where the story doesn’t add up, the character
interactions do. They’ve set up the family dynamic really well for the group,
they’re brilliant to watch together and bring a lot of laughs. You know how you
could watch the The Avengers just chilling out drinking beer together for two
hours, well you could definitely do the same with the Guardians, the chemistry
between the group is amazing. This film is full on comedy, it’s the most jokey
of all the Marvel films so far and thankfully most of them land. It’s a load of
fun to watch with a large audience and because you care for the characters a
lot, when the going gets tough, you do genuinely feel for them. And with film
being about father – son relationships, it does have some emotional punches.
I could honestly watch this team together all day, even when
the story doesn’t hook me, the characters are so good and well defined that in
the moment it didn’t matter. Drax stole the show in the first film and he is
just as funny here, but for me Rocket was the MVP of Vol. 2. The CGI was
flawless and you get to see Rocket be a full on badass when he takes out a
whole bunch of guys single handily with just his fists and few gadgets. The
music is great yet again and I love how it still plays a big part in the film,
even if the playlist isn’t as good as the first (this is becoming repetitive, I
know) but that is of course subjective.
You guys get the gist, it’s still good, a lot of fun but not
as well balanced or (some would say) as perfect as the first. Another solid
entry into the MCU, Guardians of the
Galaxy Vol. 2 is great time at the cinema, I’m rating the film a 4/5.
What did you think of Marvel’s latest cosmic adventure?
Loved it, hated it? Let me know in the comments below.
Thanks for reading!
