Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 is a prettier, more subtle film than it’s predecessor. Lacking in surprise this time, it more than makes up for it with heart.
Going into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, I had a couple of concerns. After all, you can only rely on surprise once, and Guardians of the Galaxy was one heck of a surprise. A whole cast of relatively unknown characters, a weird setting unconnected to the rest of the MCU. So much could go wrong. It didn’t though.
And so here we are.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 captures the feeling of reading comic books in a way that many of the other Marvel and DC films just haven’t. It’s not just director James Gunn’s style that apes the panel work, or the witty yet concise script straight out of speech bubbles. The whole film is paced and layered in such a way that watching the story feels like you’re leisurely turning the pages and absorbing the narrative.
To elaborate, the Story feels like a Comics volume. 5-6 individual comic books telling one cohesive story. It’s also got that sense of cutaway panels to allow for one scene gags. We open in media res with our heroes on a job, killing an inter dimensional monster and reminding us of everyone’s character and relationship in establishing shots.
From Moment one, there’s that amazing use of music. Electric Light Orchestra get the honour of playing over the opening Guardians Scene, and it rather sets the tone for the whole film. Great music over a dramatic scene which is underpinned by on the same humour everyone loved in the first one.
From there, we go on a galaxy wide adventure, picking up shortly after the first film. The story feels like the Vol: 2 in the title is earned. This film feels like a continuation of the same thematic story we saw in the first film. If you get the chance, watch the first one again before seeing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. It really improves the experience.
From there, each beat in the story feels like the a natural conclusion to a chapter. Plot threads and narrative arcs are layered carefully, with not a moment wasted. It could almost feel overwhelming, with story and jokes being hurled at the audience. Except Gunn knows when to crank the valve and let the pressure out. Partly this is due to the comedy, partly due to the way in which breathing space is crafted into the film. As soon as the joke risks becoming unfunny,or the action too gratuitous, Gunn breaks away for a split second. Just long enough for the audience to catch up and appreciate what’s going on.
I will say that the plot of this film feels a little better integrated to the characters than Guardians One. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 has a much more organically developing conflict, compared to the relative sameness of the Guardians defending Xandar from Ronan’s Fleet. As many critics pointed out, it was very similar to the first Avengers. Here, everything is driven by the characters and their interactions. However, as a result of that, the plot is really just a vehicle here.
This is very much Star Lord’s (Peter Quill) ((Chris Pratt)) story. The plot is centred around his Parenthood, and the appearance of his father, played by Kurt Russell. (Not a spoiler. You find out like ten minutes in.) It’s a very natural evolution of the story threads left dangling at the end of Guardians One, same as many of the other plot points. Pratt does a great job with Quill, doing his best when he’s trying to play off Russell, and matching the veteran comfortably.
Except by far, the rest of the cast outshine him.
Gamora (Zoe Saldana) has her own storyline surrounding her relationship with her Sister Nebula (Karen Gillen) going on, and yet still manages to find the time to add depth to her relationship with Quill. She also has the role of playing the straight man to a lot of the jokes. It helps establish her character a little better and sets her apart from the rest of the group. Her relationship with Baby Groot is by far one of the sweetest touches in a movie that’s already very focussed on highlighting how important these characters are to each other.
Batista? He delivers a performance that plays wonderfully with his character foibles. Drax is still obliviously funny, but there’s a wonderful growth to his character here. He’s now able to talk about his tragic past in a way that feels as if he’s naturally come to terms with it. Batista deserves real credit for some terrific character work here. Part of this is his counterpart in Mantis (Pom Klementieff) a newcomer with the power to Feel and Project Emotions. She’s being played here as a very naive, but again, looking to do the right thing.
Michael Rooker’s Yondu and Bradley Cooper’s Rocket have a whole host of scenes together. Both do a terrific job of exposing the vulnerability of these “Badass” characters in a way that feels organic. They also get some of the best action sequences in the film too, so there’s plenty for them to work off in that regard.
And then we have Baby Groot. Which Vin Diesel has again provided the voice for. Baby Groot gets a lot of Screen Time. Most of that, is weirdly meta jokes about how adorable he is or how he is a tiny skinny kid who should definitely not be anywhere all this mayhem. When they reveal the baby Groot toys, I expect them to sell wildly.
This film also featured two characters who I never. Ever expected to see in a marvel film or anywhere else. Both are comic accurate, and realised wonderfully in a way that made me gasp when they appeared on screen fully. It would be cruel to spoil them, so I won’t. Experiencing them on the big screen is reward enough in itself.
The visual effects in this film deserve credit too. Aside from one or two ropey scenes where Kurt Russell and Chris Pratt are very clearly on a sound stage, the film looks gorgeous. Sumptuous planetary designs are only the beginning. There’s momentary scenes which have a lovingly crafted aesthetic, and each one is uniquely pretty.
I’m really in love with the Cosmic Marvel setting with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and Thor: Ragnarok. The use of colour and design really creates a feast for the audience to enjoy. Even the grittier and darker scenes have bursts of neon to counter the grimness.
As well as this, the physical props and shot design deserve credit. I mentioned above that some scenes feel like layered comic panels, and they have that unique type of energy you can only really achieve in that medium. Propwise, anyone involved with the designs for Yondu’s Ravagers deserves a pat on the back. Every scene with them has hidden gags and little touches that make these awful pirates into individual characters.
Ayesha of the Sovereign (Elizabeth Debicki) plays an excellent Space Tyrant who is involved with the Guardians. Everything about her time on screen is entertaining, and yet just threatening enough to not undermine her. The colour palette and designs for her species also go a long way in selling the Cosmic theme. It’s pure Flash Gordon and 7o’s/80’s Sci Fi.
As well as this, the designs for the villains are stunning. Without spoiling anything, There’s a few scenes in act three where some visually arresting effects are used to really sell how powerful a character is. Earlier, I said that the plot organically developed through the characters, and it does. This is partly why there were gasps in my Cinema when some specific actions of the villain were revealed. The stakes feel personal to the characters and therefore to the audience. This focus is what sells the film. It’s a deeper dive into who these characters are, and why they need the family that the Guardians provide.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 works best when that suffix is fully appreciated. This is Volume 2 of the same story. Everything feels like a continuation of the first film. Where we had the sheer shock factor of these strange and odd characters last time, now we are allowed to really see what makes them tick. These characters are all searching for family in the end, and that tone is what drives the film. It works. The Jokes might be the same, but this film has a sense of heart that really sells it. As for those spoilers I’ve been avoiding? Just go see this film. It’s wacky, and heartfelt with some truly weird sequences that you do not want to know about ahead of time.
(Also, five short vignettes throughout the credit sequences. Stick around, but don’t expect teases for the rest of the MCU)