Movie Review – Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 2

There are two reviews here; Dan’s and Jill’s, enjoy!

Dan says:

The first GotG is, I think, the very best of the Marvel movies. While GotGv2 isn’t quite as good, it certainly didn’t disappoint.

The theme of the story (father/son reunion) isn’t anything new, but writer/director James Gunn weaves a thread into the story that makes it uniquely his own.

[pullquote]In a larger context, I think this is why Marvel has been so successful: the movies have plenty of action and spectacle, but are ultimately about relationships and sacrifice.[/pullquote] (Note to DC: this is how you do it.)

The humor of GotGv2 is abundant, although I don’t think it has quite as many memorable lines as the original.

Jill says:

To start with — I am a worshiper of the original GotG. It is not only my favorite Marvel movie, but my favorite superhero movie, and one of my all-time favorite EVER films. I can’t count how many times I watched Guardians, danced along to Peter’s mix tape, and laughed myself silly at pretty much anything Rocket did. I want to soar through space with these guys on the Milano. [pullquote position=”right”]Three years I’ve waited to see this team of strangely competent wackos return.[/pullquote] I saw the opening day 3D RPX Guardians double feature, and handily won a trivia prize during the intermission. I’m listening to Awesome Mix, Vol 1, right now. Clearly, I’m not a casual fan.

So here’s the thing about the sequel: the main plot is the sticking point of the film. I honestly found the Kurt Russel scenes a bit tedious (though certainly very pretty). Without spoiling anything, boo on the big reveal. And blah to the Sovereign. Even Taserface didn’t do much for me – didn’t we see him in Pirates of the Caribbean 2? (Good through-joke on his ‘outlaw’ name, though. Ha!) There’s a reason why everything in the trailers are about the team and not the plot – the storyline is merely meh. I missed Rhomann Dey, and all the pink people and The Collector, wanted another prison sequence, and even wondered where dumb old Thanos had gotten himself to.

What I really wanted were more ensemble moments with the Guardians. Those moments shined. I was over the moon to have more Yondu and Nebula. Bring it on! I look forward to seeing Baby Groot grow up. I was pleasantly surprised that little Groot, though still deadly, was not just a small version of his old self. This tree is definitely now an infant, and the group understands this. There were some very sweet, intimate little moments with our ‘family’ and their baby.

My feeling is that this film will grow on me. It does deepen one or two of the characters’ back stories, even if it doesn’t further anything. Or, well, much…without giving away a very sad thing.

James Gunn reports he is helming this as a trilogy; perhaps this will be the quiet one of the three. It was a smaller story – which normally I appreciate – but in this tale, I wanted more connection to the larger MCU tale. I know I need to have a re-watch or three, and I probably sound a little petulant. The movie is good! I just have a high bar set. GotGv2 will assuredly grow on me. And now I am listening to Awesome Mix Vol 2…not AS fun as the first, but I can feel it growing on me already.

Movie Grade: A-