Expectations are a sequel's biggest foe. James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy was an unexpected surprise for many when it dropped in 2014. I was fairly excited for the film due to Super and Slither, two of Gunn's lower-budget gems. Still, the film managed to excel at breathing funky humor and sensibilities into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The sequel has retained much of that intoxicating funk but nevertheless never reaches the same polished quirkiness of the first film.
Volume 2 starts with a great opening sequence that follow baby Groot as he dances while the rest of the team battles a giant space monster. This sequence encapsulates much of what makes these films so appealing. There is humor, zippy action, strange details (the monster sprays rainbow glitter) and great group dynamics.
The film's plot mirrors those comic book issues that often sit between big story arcs where the characters get developed a bit more and the stakes are far less gigantic. This feels about as close as Marvel will ever get to a Richard Linklater hangout movie. For a large chunk of the film's two-plus running time, the Guardians are just shooting the shit.
The central plot here surrounds a deal that the Guardians make to return some super-batteries to a race of gold-painted people. Rocket decides to double-cross the planet and soon the Guardians are on the run. This leads them to split up and Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is found by his father Ego (Kurt Russell). Much like the Fast and Furious franchise, family is at the center of the film here. Gomora (Zoe Saldana) is given a more complex relationship with her sister Nebula (Karen Gillan) for example. We also learn a lot more about Yondu (Michael Rooker). Baby Groot (Vin Diesel) is just cute.
The film works when it focuses on these familial dynamics and deepens the characters and what make them tick. Director Gunn feels like he wants to make a low-key dramedy here but also wants have space goo, trippy visuals, and lots of low-brow humor. The mixture doesn't always work as it did with the more action-oriented original. Particularly in the third act, the film tacks on the standard plot contrivance of putting the world, or galaxy here, in peril to have our heroes save the day. I love that at times you can feel Gunn really getting to let his freak-flag fly, as if he is that punk who goes corporate so he screw things up from the inside. Still, Marvel is too big to let him throw out the formula completely and so we get a loud battle at the end that does very little new.
In its best moments, Volume 2 feels like a movie Gunn made to watch with friends while on drugs. The visuals are as drug-fueled as a Gasper Noe film at times. When the gang is just hanging about and the film breathes, I was reminded of exactly why I enjoyed the first film so much. When the machinations of the MCU are felt, the film feels less original and fun. There are some jokes that get repetitive and I do wish a Tango & Cash reunion had happened, yes Sly Stallone is in the film, but overall this was a fun way to kick off the summer movie season.
3.5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment