Just Press Play On Vol. 2
The wait is over, Guardians of the Galaxy is back again to take you on another laugh filled romp into the oddities of outer space. However, you may find with this second go around that writer/director James Gunn has traded in a few laughs for some tugs to the old heartstrings.
The Guardians struggle to keep together as a team while dealing with their personal family issues, notably Star-Lord's encounter with his father the ambitious celestial being Ego.
Fans of the first film will not be disappointed, but should try their best not to walk in with the expectation that it will be the same experience. Vol. 2 moves a skosh slower and is more weighted in exposition, focusing its theme on family in every sense of the word, with less stints of action. That's not to say that Vol. 2 lacks action and thrills because it most certainly has plenty to keep fans at bay; however, Vol. 2 is a more mature film and relies on the characters more, rather than the action, to dazzle the crowd.
Drax (played by the delightful Dave Bautista) Yondu (played by Michael Rooker), along with Ego (Star-Lord's biologically celestial father, played by Kurt Russell) and of course baby Groot (Vin Diesel), carry this film; whereas, the first film relies more heavily on the comedic charms of Chris Pratt than the other ragtag misfits. In fact, while the main focus here is Star-Lord hashing things out with his father, Pratt isn't as prominently displayed. However, when he does pop up, he does what he does best: make us laugh. My personal favorite, "I'm gonna make some weird shit!" But pretty much every line Bautista delivers made me laugh my ass off.
With Gunn's shift in the more family-centric thematics, it's somewhat difficult to resist the urge to compare it to the likes of Empire Strikes Back because of the obvious father focus element here; although, Gunn takes his father focus in the opposite direction from biology. He builds up to the heartwarming champion of pariah that we want the film to be, which I think is where the appeal of the franchise really hits home with all of us -- we all have had, or still do have, those feelings of being the misfits on the outer edges of society, and everyone loves a good underdog story. I'm certainly excited to see where a fresh mind like Gunn takes the franchise with his third installment (which is sure to cement his name in cinematic history as one of the best trilogies directed by one individual).
There is not much more that I can say here without giving anything away, which would be a crime against humanity; for maximum pleasure, the less you know the better. And, you already know that it's going to be great, and if you don't, you are truly the pariah in this scenario. You will laugh, you will be awed, and you may even tear up, if you're overly sentimental, but you will definitely have a wonderful time. To me, for whatever it's worth (presumably little to nothing), I feel that the first film is more fun, but Vol. 2 is a refreshingly more mature picture. In a day and age where everyone seems so ready to suck Star Wars' cock, I'd sooner go down on the Guardians, but, hey, that's just me.
Rating: 3.5 celestial deities outta 5.
What did you think of the film? Did Vol. 2 get you in the feels? Share your thoughts and feelings with us in the comments section, and, as always, remember to viddy well!