I wasn’t thrilled when I left the IMAX theater in Syracuse, NY, after seeing the sequel to my all time favorite film ever. I also had a hard time gathering my thoughts about it when preparing to write this. I’ve realized I always get a better grasp on a film the second time I see it, even if I know it was a great film (or not so much), so inevitably, I wanted to see Guardians a second time around. Well I did. And I can tell you my thoughts are much clearer on this splashy sequel. I had no expectations for this to be a better film than the first, and I wasn’t wrong. But I will say that Vol. 2 has plenty of things going for it. Firstly, the overall cast was great. Chris Pratt once again shows his knack for star-leading power as the charismatic Peter Quill aka Star-Lord. The script however wasn’t nearly as slick and clever as the first. There were many moments where the lines delivered were awkward, fell flat, didn’t fit and/or were too cheesy. But nonetheless, Pratt and the cast rose above it (mostly). Top notch performances from Michael Rooker as Yondu (I’ll get to him later), Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Kurt Russell as Ego the Living Planet, and pleasant surprise Sean Gunn as the loveable and loyal Kraglin.
The overall cast of Vol. 2 gave their all despite a weaker script than the first film in the series; from top left clockwise: Vin Diesel as Groot, Elizabeth Debicki as Ayesha (an incredibly disappointing and flat performance on Debicki's part), Chris Pratt as Star Lord, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Dave Bautista as Drax, Michael Rooker as Yondu U'Donta, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Karen Gillan as Nebula, and Kurt Russell as Ego the Living Planet
What was the point of The Sovereign? They had so much potential but it was completely wasted, going from interesting to a complete joke with a pathetic woman of a villain in Elizabeth Debicki’s Ayesha who whined the whole time. Head scratcher. That’s all I got for that part of the film. Visually, Vol. 2 was stunning. In IMAX 3D this was by far and away the best film I’ve seen in this area. (Move out of the way, Avatar and Doctor Strange.) Whether it’s the outer space scenes, Ego’s Planet, or the CGI characters like Rocket and Groot, it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come. While the plot was weak and the script wasn’t stellar, you can tell writer and director James Gunn put a lot of effort into the action sequences, adding artistry and cinematography to the grand sets, leading to an elevated spectacle to behold with the already impeccable CGI and green screen.
CGI, Cinematography and the action sets were standout among this stylish sequel, elevating Vol. 2 even though the plot and script were very much less than captivating
While it won’t hold up against the top tier Marvel films (Winter Soldier, Civil War, Iron Man, Guardians, Avengers), Vol. 2 manages to do what many superhero franchises fail at time and time again (looking at you, DCEU): it has fun. It takes itself more seriously than the first but not too much. I thoroughly enjoyed the character development with Peter, Yondu, and Rocket, and the relationship development between Pratt’s Star-Lord and his father Ego (Russell). The plot is at points incoherent; it’s not as funny as the first, and it’s very up and down. But it was entertaining. What’s the point of a film if it isn’t entertaining? Am I surprised with the rave reviews and overall reception of Vol. 2? Yeah. The film did lack the edgy swagger of the first and its whopping five end credit scenes were *mostly* a waste of time. (The last one with Groot and Peter was golden though.) But the overall film was a success. In a world where the chances of making a critically successful sequel are slim to none, it’s safe to say that Vol. 2’s appeal to both critics and fans should be pleasing to James Gunn and the rest of the production team. I will say that the impact Vol. 2 had on the future of the MCU (or lack thereof) is a bummer. The overall film was a little too long and somehow managed to have a problem that superhero films pretty much never have: it was spread too thin. Most superhero flicks overstuff. Vol. 2 did the exact opposite, which is almost impressive. The film left a lot of promising potential, easter eggs, and possible setups for future films at the door. I may be a fan of how Marvel tries focusing on the single stories of their films rather than the setup, but here Vol. 2 didn’t do it enough. And that’s the reason it won’t hold up well for future films. Like that of The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man 2, there’s a chance that Vol. 2 could very well be forgotten in ten to fifteen years. Do I think it will? No. It will sit with the First Avenger, Thor, Ant-Man, and Doctor Strange as “just relevant enough to watch”. Some people skip Hulk and the second Iron Man film as they have little or no impact. Important introductions like the Watchers, Sylvester Stallone's Starhawk, the original Guardians of the Galaxy, and “Adam” help give Vol. 2 just enough relevance to push it into the second tier of Marvel films. Random tid bit: How about another stellar Awesome Mix from Gunn? Been listening to it on repeat since its release a couple weeks before the film. Best song of the mix? “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac. It was also cool how they incorporated “Brandy” into the story of Peter and his father. Liked that a lot. Once again making the music more than just a soundtrack to a film, but something that holds a place in our protagonist’s heart. WARNING! Do NOT read this paragraph if you don’t want MAJOR spoilers for Vol. 2. Skip it or read on. But you have been warned.
I’ve been saving the best part of the film for last. Michael Rooker. I mentioned him earlier but that wasn’t enough. A renowned veteran actor, I don’t even recognize Rooker as Yondu. I get it, his skin is blue. But personality wise the two are completely different as Rooker fully gives himself to the role. An emotional performance, Rooker meshes badass pirate anti-hero with a guilt-ridden complex due to the decisions he’s made, inevitably leading to death and betrayal. He stole the show from start to finish. The chemistry and development between Rocket and Yondu was the best of the film. The scene where they escape from jail is fun, fun, fun. While Cooper’s Rocket is my overall favorite in the Guardian's series, he is second in this film to Rooker’s Yondu, whose performance deserves a spot in the hall of fame of superhero movies along with RDJ and Heath Ledger. Rooker’s performance receives a cherry on top with a perfectly executed sacrifice and death for Yondu. My friends and I may have been bored and even sleepy at times during this film, but we were most certainly awake and touched by this moment. I was teary myself. Hey. Give me a break ok? It happens to the best of us.
Michael Rooker gives a performance that's worthy of being placed in the same level as RDJ and Heath Ledger in the world of great superhero character portrayals and steals the whole film from start to finish.
In the end, Vol. 2 is a fun, entertaining, spectacle of a sequel that gets bonus points for being the first Marvel film to kill off a major character in a movie (Frigga from Thor 2 and Quicksilver from Avengers 2 don’t count, sorry not sorry), and they did it just right. It took ‘em long enough to do it though. It’s good junk that I myself could watch multiple times when not up for anything that means getting fully invested in. So yeah. Go check it out. The visuals alone are worth the price of admission.
Final Grade: 7/10
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