I was
only one weekend off from seeing this when it opened, but that was still too
long. I haven’t quite made up my mind
yet as to whether this movie is a tiny bit better or falls just a hair short of
the first installment. What I do know is
that it’s a great film that makes for a terrific time at the movies (premise
spoilers.)
After their
big “saving the galaxy” adventure from the first film, the now self-styled
Guardians having been working together, using their reputation to get odd
protection/muscle jobs here and there.
When Rocket gets on the wrong side of a client (because of course he
does,) the crew lands in hot water, and soon, more than just the issues of
their immediate past are after
them. Chased by Sovereigns (the wronged
clients) and Ravagers alike, the Guardians’ lives are additionally complicated
by the arrival of Gamora’s murderous adopted sister Nebula and, to Peter’s
utter shock, his non-human birth father Ego.
When it
comes to the plot, I don’t think this film hangs together quite as well as the
first one. It excels at the group
dynamic and the emotional beats, and it brings some awesome jokes and a few
really kickass action scenes, but the nuts and bolts of the story itself are a
little shakier. While most of the
threads ultimately come together, it feels kind of disjointed in the middle and
drags a bit. The whole thing with Ego is
a great concept that’s mostly executed really well (Kurt Russell does a
fantastic job,) but there are places where he gets too comic-book corny for me. Also, side note – I loved Drax in the first
movie, but he doesn’t work as well for me here.
I’m afraid he’s suffering from Strax Syndrome (courtesy of Doctor Who): a highly-entertaining, very particular source
of humor in his first appearance, a generic violent buffoon when he next
appears. Of the writing for the central
cast, his was the only one that disappointed me.
While the
big picture isn’t quite all it should be, there are oodles and oodles to love
throughout the film in individual scenes.
All the main characters (even Drax, briefly) get some good emotional
material to work through in addition to some excellent one-liners and badass
moments. I really enjoy the added
screentime for Yondu and Nebula – the film opened up Yondu much more for me as
a character, and I was drawn in deeply by Nebula’s story (Michael Rooker and
Karen Gillan are both great in this movie.)
But oh my gosh, seriously: Baby
Groot. Until further notice, he is my
new favorite thing. So unbelievably
adorable, so funny, still formidable, and I love how his presence can soften
the other Guardians and cement the family vibe between them more firmly, with
all of them acting as informal parents at different points. The trailer had assured me that Baby Groot would
be just as lovable as full-sized Groot in the first movie, but I had no idea
just how amazing he was going to be. Oh my gosh.
In
addition to our heroes, all of whom do great work, the film also features Elizabeth
Debicki (who I remember from Baz Luhrman’s Great
Gatsby) in a very regal performance as the High Priestess of the Sovereigns,
and Pom Klementieff’s Mantis makes a fine addition to the team. And just for fun, the film is dotted with
cool cameos, the best ones naturally being Ben Browder (Crichton!) and Michelle
Yeoh (she has to be coming up in the next one, right? She’s way too awesome to throw away on ten
seconds of screentime.)
Warnings
Language,
comic-book violence, sexual references, drinking, and thematic elements.
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