It is beyond me how James Gunn has managed to create a sequel as funny, witty, and entertaining as the original
When Guardians Of The Galaxy initially came out a few years ago, there wasn’t a great fanfare of anticipation as most Marvel movies receive. To most casual movie goers, the story of this set of characters is mostly unknown. When that initial movie came out, it was met with an amazing reception. However, now that these characters are all household names and Chris Pratt is an icon of cool, the pressure to repeat that success is finally there. The great news is that the sequel lives up to be a worthy sequel in every sense. Following up after the first film, the crew now offers their services around the galaxy, but Peter Quill gets a new clue about who his father might be. It follows Peter as he discovers his heritage and the incredible journey it takes him and his crew on.
James Gunn really did a phenomenal job with this film. He captured the same essence of playful but dangerous adventure and instilled it in this film seamlessly. He also manages to give the audience everything they wanted and more. If you want evidence of that, there’s no need to look further than the opening scene. It’s one of the best opening credits scene you’ll see this year, all thanks to fan favorite baby Groot, who not only lives up to the hype, but is the most magnetic character of the entire film. In all respects, even to managing the team dynamic and chemistry among the cast, Gunn knocks this film out of the park.
If you’re a fan of the Guardians franchise and Marvel movies, chances are you’re a fan of the Fast and Furious series, and if you’ve seen the latest film, you know that peppering in quality humor at key moments during an action film is great if done right, but also hard. It didn’t quit play for them. However, Gunn delivers with great quips throughout the film. Gunn will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire film. It takes real talent as a director to engage an audience with action, adventure, romance, and humor, at the same time. The cherry on top of it all is the amazing score of classic songs.
Everyone who’ll see this movie will check it out because their a fan of the MCU or a fan of Chris Pratt and Pratt, like his other films, is amazing. He delivers on being that relatable character in a very alien and un-relatable reality. He isn’t alone in his great performance, every single performance is great throughout the film, from Saldana and Bautista, to the A-list voice actors Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper, to even the more minor characters such as the memorable “Taserface”. Michael Rooker was certainly a standout performance, even among a sea of great performances, not to mention the brief but gripping performance of Sylvester Stallone.
At the end of the day, the theme of this movie is about being a family and what that means. It’s a common theme we’ve all seen before. The Fast and the Furious is a franchise built on it. However, this film does a better job of analyzing those relationship better than the Fast franchise. Beneath the action and humor are some really good touching moments of self reflection and a close look on the relationship between father and son, brothers, and sisters. Groot is even representative of a baby in the family. The film also draws very strongly from the notion of the Hawksian group that classic director Howard Hawks pioneered in his films. Rooker’s character very much follows a redemption storyline out of a Hawks’ film. By adopting this style even more strongly than he did in the initial film, Gunn creates a very likable, very cohesive group that many modern films, even the Avengers, doesn’t quite capture.
It doesn’t matter how you look at this movie, it is a winner in every respect. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is the definitive standout blockbuster of the summer. If you like movies or like having, go check this movie out.
