When a film is as good and as fun as the original “Guardians of the Galaxy” was when it premiered on the big screen two years, you know the sequel is going to have big shoes to fill to live up to the same level of quality.
Volume 2 isn’t quite as fun as the original film, but man, is it ever just as good.
Right from the opening battle where the five heroes take on a giant slug (actually only four of the Guardians take on the slug – Groot, who is in the process of regrowing, is a little too small to partake in the battle), you know you’re in for another wild ride.
All five of the original cast members have returned for this installment and they’re all in fine form. So, too, have many of the supporting characters rejoined as well. And there are quite a few new roles and new Hollywood stars to join the ranks of Marvel’s growing list of A-listers appearing in superhero flicks.
This chapter focuses on the search for Peter Quill’s father. At the opening of the first film, we see young boy Peter at his mother’s bedside as she dies of cancer, but we never get to see his dad. The opening of this story shows the whirlwiAdd Newnd romance of his mom and a being from outer space who impregnates her then doesn’t stick around. Sounds all too familiar.
When Peter is abducted by Yondu (Michael Rooker), it was at his father’s request that the boy be brought to him, but Yondu betrays dad and instead enlists young Peter into his band of thieves since the boy could get into places that the adults could not.
But now dad (Kurt Russell) has come for his son and he has a very interesting surprise for him, too. Turns out Peter has powers thanks to his father’s DNA. Unfortunately, that isn’t the only surprise Peter is destined to learn about dear old dad.
Meanwhile, Gamora (Zoe Saldana) reconnects with half-sister Nebula (Karen Gillan) and there are some still obvious familial issues to be dealt with in that relationship. Also, Groot is having some growing pains of his own and Rocket the Raccoon continues to show off his lack of maturity every chance he gets as well.
But Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) really gets a large chunk of the spotlight, stealing almost every scene he appears in with either a look, an action or a comment. One of his best moments is when new character Mantis (Pom Klementieff), an empath, reads the thoughts of other Guardians much to Drax’s amusement.
The family aspect of the characters and their tribulations are the real focus of the movie and that lends a darker and perhaps even a more sinister underplay which in turn drags down the humor level of some of the scenes almost to the extreme of black comedy.
The secrets that Quill learns about his father, though, could come to destroy the universe as we know it and it falls to him and the Guardians to put things right once again, a fact not lost on the mercenary tendencies expressed by the group’s pint-sized version of Han Solo, Rocket the Raccoon.
Chris Pratt is once again up to the task of playing the pivotal lead in the movie. As Quill, he lends the right level of action star prowess with the convincingly necessary blend of pathos and apathy needed to play the main protagonist in this franchise.
No Marvel movie would be truly complete without a cameo appearance by creator Stan Lee and here, he makes two appearances, one during the storyline (chatting with yet another sideline observer whose presence is always noticed in the Marvel universe even if it’s never felt) and a second during the end credits.
And speaking of “the end credits,” be sure to stay until the conclusion. Marvel has tacked on a total of five Easter eggs, all of which are fun to watch, not to mention informative when it comes to future Marvel movie installments.
One last note. The film is set to the music Quill’s mother recorded for him on the tape he never listened to in the first movie. While some of the music is certainly recognizable, a few of the tunes are lesser known hits of the ‘70s, which in itself adds an interesting dynamic to the storyline.
All in all, this is a great entry into the archives of Marvel movie mythology. I give “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume Two” four and a half out of five stars.
