"Show Time, A-Holes" - A Review of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is not a perfect movie. That doesn’t stop it from being one of Marvel’s best. In fact, I believe it to be overall superior to the first film. This is largely due to the fact that almost nothing feels wasted here. Everyone is given something to do, everyone has an arc (even bit characters), and their payoff affects both them and the plot at large. I think at some point writing the script (or perhaps from the beginning), James Gunn realized that doing a sequel is about more than just throwing a bunch of shit on the screen that people recognize. Sure, Howard the Duck is in it, but I think fans have become accustomed to the level of fan service present in these more recent entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that they’re catching on to the fact that dangling a big shiny object in front of our faces and expecting us to jump just doesn’t cut it anymore. I think the fact that Vol. 2 doesn’t try to retread the things in the first movie that made it work, or duplicate the tone or structure of it, which may be disappointing to some people. When people first saw The Empire Strikes Back, a lot of them thought it was considerably darker and more tense than Star Wars was, and it’s depressing cliffhanger left a lot of them dissatisfied. Years later many regard it to be the best film in the saga.

I’m making a comparison between this film and the last to Star Wars and Empire because their differences are similar in a lot of ways. Like Star Wars, the first Guardians is more whimsical and lighthearted than it’s successor, and this new one, while a little more dark, also fleshes out the characters and builds upon them like Empire did. To the people who didn’t enjoy Vol. 2, my hope is that over time it will grow on them.

That is not to say that the movie doesn’t have humor. I found myself laughing out loud pretty consistently. Drax and Rocket are given the best lines. But we also discover things about their past history and who they are that are rather tragic. To me, sometimes hearing of tragedy makes a usually upbeat character more relatable and endearing. I found myself genuinely caring about these people and what was happening a lot more than I did with Vol. 1.

There’s some negatives I have with the film, but the good far outweighs the bad. Still, they need mentioning. I really don’t like Kurt Russell in this movie, and his role is very important as he’s playing Peter Quill (Star Lord's) father, Ego. Part of it is because I’ve never liked Kurt Russell in any movie I’ve ever seen him in, but it’s also that, with the exception of one brief scene, all he ever says is exposition. We learn hardly anything about him other than when he explains the plot. Sure, he does so in the middle of beautiful set pieces, but there’s so much empty space in the framing between him and Quill during these moments that they might as well be standing in front of a white wall instead. Not only is their dialog boring, but it’s shot boring, too. Which is weird, because excluding these scenes, the cinematography and use of color is really beautiful in this movie. There’s a moment in particular where Gamora (Zoe Saldana) is kneeling in front of a vast sunset that still has a lasting impression in my mind.

Even though Ego is the weakest link in terms of development, he still manages to be one of the MCUs best villains because his motivations are clear. At least he wasn’t out of place and actually serviced the overall story. I just would’ve preferred him to be played by another actor (Jeff Bridges or Josh Brolin would have worked). The third act doesn’t feel like one big set piece either, like most of the MCU endings are in my opinion. As much as I love the first Iron Man, the ending was bloated and cheap. It’s literally a guy in a metal suit fighting another guy in a metal suit till one of them dies. Yawn. Here on the other hand, while the ending is very extravagant and makes use of some amazing special effects, we’re still fed information about the guardians in how they interact with each other. I’m not going to spoil the conclusion, but prepare yourself. It’s more affecting than possibly any ending these MCU films have had.

Lastly, the first time I watched Vol. 2 (I’ve seen it twice now), the first 45 minutes to an hour perplexed me a bit. They’re traveling from planet to planet, but you’re not sure where it’s going or when the movie is actually going to start. Don’t panic though - it goes somewhere, and the first act establishes a lot of plot points that are essential for later. Again, nothing is wasted, but this fact did make it a more enjoyable experience the second time around. I don’t feel like giving a grade for Guardians Vol. 2, but I do highly recommend seeing it. It might end up surprising you.