Movie Info
Movie Name: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Studio: Marvel Studios
Genre(s): Comic Book/Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Comedy
Release Date(s): April 10, 2017 (Japan)/May 5, 2017 (US)
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Someone’s got a big Ego
The Guardians of the Galaxy are on the run again! Recapturing Nebula (Karen Gillan) from the Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki) and the Sovereign, they have accidentally set the full wrath of the race upon them. Their only savior appears to be the return of Ego (Kurt Russell)…the man claiming to be the father of Star-Lord (Chris Pratt). As Peter explores his origin, Gamora (Zoe Saldana) tries to come to terms with her sister Nebula, and Drax (Dave Bautista) tries to figure out Ego’s aide Mantis (Pom Klementieff). Meanwhile, Taserface (Chris Sullivan) has led a mutiny against Yondu (Michael Rooker) leading to the capture of Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) with the Sovereign right behind them…but Ego has a plan that could destroy them all.
It’s all fun & games until a planet eats you
Written and directed by James Gunn, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is the follow-up to the surprise 2014 hit Guardians of the Galaxy. The movie is part of the “third phase” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe following Doctor Strange in 2016. It was released to mixed to positive reviews and a massive box-office response. It received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects.
The Guardians of the Galaxy were one of my favorite teams growing up. The Guardians I loved, however, weren’t the Guardians of the Galaxy of the 2000s. It was the classic team of Vance Astro, Charlie-27, Yondu, Martinex, Starhawk, and Nikki. I did really enjoy the Abnett-Lanning relaunch of the series…but I still long for the original team. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 tries to help rectify it for the fans of the first film and the comic fans.
Knock, Knock!
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 feels a lot like what the Marvel Cinematic Universe is missing. Its plot is very comic book based but still will keep non comic fans interested through the action and humor. It is essentially a comedy that just happens to have a lot of sci-fi action. The movie is kind of long and winding in its plot, but it manages to keep feeling fresh and fast. It does suffer one big Marvel Cinematic Universe problem, it has the villain being the evil version of the hero…but it can be forgiven because it plays with this and it is executed differently than other MCU movies (I wish the joke had been made in the movie since it is a frequent criticism of the MCU).
The cast continues to be great. It is difficult to balance a movie where all the characters are comedians, but Gunn does a good job with the cast. It does get close to verging into Joss Whedon Avengers territory (not a good thing), but Gunn has characters you expect to joke. The movie also is loaded with cameos including my Guardians…it is great to see big screen classic Guardians of the Galaxy. I just wish that we had gotten to see Starhawk (instead of his two halves played by Sylvester Stallone and Michelle Yeoh) and Nikki. I also wonder if we’ll see Krugarr again since he is the future’s Sorcerer Supreme…a title now held by Doctor Strange.
Ok…now can we get an original Guardians of the Galaxy movie (plus, add Nikki)
The movie looks good. The soundtrack plays an even bigger role in this film than the previous film, and I can’t hate a movie that uses Cat Stevens. Watching this, I wish that Doctor Strange had more of the hippie Ego world in its storyline. The action sometimes gets pretty squirrelly, but it does work.
I liked Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but it does verge on the “tries too hard” aspect which worries me a bit about a third outing by the Guardians. It will also be interesting to see how the Guardians mix with the Avengers and the other Marvel Cinematic Universe characters. They have benefitted from this point at being separate, but it is also interesting to note that this story takes place in 2014…a few years ago. The effects of that could also be important. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is already scheduled to have a sequel, but it is followed in MCU by Spider-Man: Homecoming in July 2017.
Related Links:
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
