As Guardians of the Galaxy volume 2 hits yet another week at the top of the box office, I’m excited to see it remain at a well-deserved slot. The movie explains plot holes, such as why the Guardians gang was able to hold the infinity stone in the first installment without dying, and delves deeper into the characters we only got a glance at in the first film, making them more lovable and more human. (Even though they’re not actually human but a raccoon, a sentient tree, two aliens, and a half-human half-god.)
While a few jokes fall flat and a couple of the comments felt more uncomfortable than funny (a couple of innuendos and moments where the movie paused over a joke instead of moving on), the majority of the humor was the quirky one liners that made the original an unexpected smash hit.
Drax’s personal development was an unexpected, nice surprise. I found the scene between him and Mantis where she felt his pain over his daughter particularly touching. The audience got to see how Drax was feeling on the inside through Mantis, and it was an especially clever way to give a vulnerable side to a traditionally stoic character.
Mantis, however, felt rather underdeveloped. Marvel had a chance to create a new strong character who could join the team, but Mantis was a bit underwhelming. She did help the heroes in the end, but it felt too late and rushed. She was flat, and her entire personality could be described as naive and emotional. Even with that, I hope Marvel does continue to show her and hopefully develops her character more, as she still has the potential for growth.
Baby Groot was as adorable as he appeared to be in the trailers, and he was put at the forefront of the show as much as possible without Marvel shoving him down the audience’s throat. Rocket was his witty self, but the creators managed to add more depth to even this trash panda through his bond with Yondu and ultimate explanation for his erratic behavior. With all the other character development being said, this was still very much a Star-lord movie, delving deeply into his heritage and his life before the first Guardians movie. If you aren’t a Star-lord fan, the majority of this movie may be a tad boring.
Now to the not so great.
The section featuring the Sovereign people and Ayesha felt a little shoehorned into the movie. Ayesha is typically a much more prominent character in Marvel lore, and to have her as a side villain in this movie just so they can have her be a major baddie in a later installment is as annoying as Marvel using every individual movie over the past couple of years as a trailer for Infinity Wars.
Seriously, Thanos was introduced in an after credits scene during The Avengers (2012) which left everyone scrambling for the comics trying to figure out who the purple guy was. The first part of the actual movie featuring Thanos (Avengers: Infinity War) isn’t scheduled to be released until 2018 and the second part isn’t expected until 2019.
Which brings me to the question; whether Star-Lord and the rest of the guardians will be featured at all in the next Avengers film. While Star-lord is not a traditional Avenger, his heritage as son of Ego and his possible connection to the infinity stone, coupled with Gamora being a daughter of Thanos, makes the Guardians team a very relevant and potentially powerful ally to the regular team. (It’s also been hinted to happen by writer Chris Markus). But how the CGI and sarcastic humor of Guardians would translate over to the decidedly different styled rest of the Marvel cinematic universe, or if Marvel would take such a crossover risk, is yet to be seen.
Regardless, Guardians of the Galaxy volume 2 is a good time for nerds, children, and anyone looking to lose themselves in a silly space adventure.
8/10
