I've pretty much forgotten about what happened in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie even though it only came out a few years ago. That doesn't say a lot about the current Hollywood super-hero surge. They do all tend to blur together, especially the Marvel ones. Cue the hero, the wisecracks, the villain, and the action finale with multiple explosions. But since we're heading into the summer movie season, it's hard to really complain. If you go to a packed theater on a Friday night with a raucous crowd, of course you want pure bliss entertainment. Who cares if a few years later what you saw is forgotten? You were there, you recall. You smiled. You laughed. You forgot about the trials and tribulations of daily life for two hours and left happy. Isn't that good enough? And that's pretty much what you're paying for if you see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. It's fun, it's funny, it's entertaining, but it's also the same old, cliche-heavy spectacle you've seen from Marvel and Hollywood for years.
I've read comic books since the late 80's and had never even heard of The Guardians of the Galaxy until the movie came out. Marvel was either really flailing for new movies to make or I was just oblivious. Either way, director and co-writer James Gunn, of Slither fame, made a fun, surprise hit of a movie the first time around. I can't remember the plot or the villain, but I do remember the characters, the 70's music, and that it was enjoyable. It was also a stroke of genius casting Chris Pratt, the goofy, ex-fat guy from the Parks & Recreation TV show. Now Pratt is a bonafide, buff movie star. Who saw that coming?
Since the first film was a hit ($700 million worldwide!), this new one has gotten the red carpet treatment. Famous names: Kurt Russel! Sylvester Stallone in a one-minute, superfluous cameo! A bigger budget (even though 99% of it was filmed on a green screen set). And a hot release date (the first weekend of May). The best thing Marvel has done, though, is let James Gunn write and direct. It definitely pays off that Gunn wrote the script. While the story is so-so, the film has a ton of humor in it. From the quips to the physical comedy, a lot of this is genuinely hilarious. I somehow doubt that would have happened if this script was melded together by seventeen different screenwriters like it's usually done with these super-hero flicks.
The basic plot in this film is the classic lost boy goes home trope. Chris Pratt is Peter Quill, a half Earthling that is part of the rag-tag group known as the Guardians of the Galaxy. He only knew that his mom was a human and his dad was some stranger from the stars. His father finds him and chaos ensues! It would probably help if you saw (and remembered) the first film. The old cast is back; Rocket Raccoon, the talking raccoon character voiced by Bradley Cooper that is half-amusing and half-annoying, Drax, the muscled alien played by the old WWE wrestler Dave Bautista (who gets all the funny lines in this one), Gamora, the green-skinned alien played by Star Trek's Zoe Saldana, and Groot, voiced, apparently, by Vin Diesel, who is now Baby Groot for some reason. Michael Rooker as the blue-skinned Yondu is back as well, and the evil blue-skinned cyborg lady Nebula played by Dr. Who's Karen Gillan returns (yes, in space everyone must have various colored skin...because it's cool!). If you have no idea who these characters are, then you'll be totally lost here. But the jokes are amusing and the film is entertaining, so it won't be a dull lost.
By the end of this film, when an entire planet is exploding and ships are flying and shooting all over the place and everything is moving, the movie becomes a sloppy, silly mess. And if it's one negative in this movie it's that there aren't really any good action scenes. No great choreographed fisticuffs or awe-inspiring chase scenes. The film pretty much only works when it's dealing with hijinks and jokes. And the core group of characters are a truly entertaining bunch. I'd almost rather just see them bickering in a Seinfeld coffee shop than running around in space blowing things up.
The best sequence in the entire film is the opening credits. While the gang is fighting a squid-like monstrosity in the blurred out background, the camera is focused on Baby Groot dancing to "Mr. Blue Sky" by E.L.O. while the credits slap onto the screen. It's kind of apt; there is action, but the focus is on the music, the comedy, the fun. A thousand people die in this movie but who cares? It's summer movie season! *** (out of ****)
