Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) - Review


Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is here, and I think it's safe to say that it is one of 2017's biggest and most anticipated releases, so after the first film's phenomenal success, can Vol. 2 possibly hope to top that?
Well, I guess the spoiler-free summary of that is: no. Vol. 2 is great: it's a funny, energetic and well-made film, but it can't possibly hope to top the original, in my opinion. Perhaps it's because Guardians shouldn't have a sequel at all. Maybe it should have become a cult hit as opposed to a global mega-franchise, to save us from the inevitable disappoint of a sequel, no matter how good it is. As far as sequels go though, Vol. 2 is great!
Perhaps the real problem this film suffers from is moving various pieces around in a grander Guardians of the Galaxy story without trying to necessarily top that first film. It wants to be its own thing, and that's fantastic, even if perhaps what this film wants to be isn't something that will interest everybody. That being said, if you want to see essentially the next Guardians of the Galaxy film, as opposed to a conclusion of some kind, you'll be satisfied. Vol. 2 makes it clear very early on that it's very much a run-of-the-mill adventure, not trying to do anything too ground-breaking in order to further explore the characters and themes established in Vol. 1.
The plot essentially centres around Quill finally meeting his father - Ego the living planet - while the other Guardians are split up on little sub-plots, building their individuals characters and giving them all little set-pieces before the story brings all of the threads together for a third act that delivers in the way that it should. There's a huge loose thread left dangling at the end of the film, and regrettably it does seem to suffer from being underdeveloped as a whole. But then again, it's clearly material being set-up for the inevitable Vol. 3, and considering how likely that is, I doubt we'll be left hanging.
Chris Pratt is great as ever as Quill, although this time he's given much more dramatic heft to his character, dealing with quite a big shock in the form of Kurt Russell as Ego, who manages to do something with the character I didn't think the film could possibly justify. It might perhaps be a little clichéd, but James Gunn weaves it in so deeply within the film's themes and characters that it works. Dave Bautista is hilarious as Drax, given more comedy to work with this time, and his dynamic with Pom Klementieff as Mantis is really nice to see unfold. Michael Rooker is given a surprising amount of material to work with, while Karen Gillan is left to make evil stares and disgruntled comments throughout. Zoe Saldana slips into her more relaxed role as Gamora, but regrettably she suffers from the Zoe Saldana problem of being the least interesting person in any ensemble cast. The script offers her material, but not much is done with said material.
Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel reprise their roles as Rocket and Groot respectively, and both are really fun characters as always. This time around, Groot is left more as a comedy sidekick than anything, but given how key he was to Vol. 1, giving Rocket more expansion instead works better in many respects. Not to say Groot is sidelined at all; he's given plenty of standout scenes, all of which will satisfy any keen Groot fan out there, but he's perhaps not as involved in the story as before.
There's plenty of other actors in the film, and while all deliver strong performances, none really add much to Vol. 2. Elizabeth Debicki feels almost wasted in a small villain role, and regrettably it suggests that Guardians doesn't really know what to do with actual villains. It works much better with antagonists and protagonists, as opposed to heroes and villains.
The production values of the film are top-notch throughout, with some stellar visual FX work, superb cinematography and some lovely shots throughout. James Gunn's screenplay is witty and engaging, never forgetting the heart of the Guardians, while Tyler Bates' score still boosts the film from the sidelines, still feeling second-place to the Awesome Mix - which, this time is pretty awesome.
Overall, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a great film, and a worthy successor to the first, even if it perhaps stumbles with its villain pushed to a sub-plot and an ending that brings to mind perhaps how little the film really accomplishes. It's nothing ground-breaking, but Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will certainly leave you with a smile.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) - Movie Review

Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor (2022) - Review

Doctor Who: Revelation of the Daleks (1985) - BFI Event Review