Guardians of the Galaxy 2 “officially opens tomorrow, but of course movie theaters are starting to show it tonight, so off I went. GoTG2 had a high bar to reach because the first movie was one of the surprise hits of 2014. So did the sequel beat the original or was it only so-so?
This movie was not as action packed as the first one, but it made up for it by exploring family relationships in multiple ways and on multiple levels. The central relationship is of course Peter and his dad Ego “the living planet” played by Kurt Russell. Russell is excellent in the role, he exudes charm when needed, and “ego” that defined the character in the comic books. We also explore the relationship between “sisters” Nebula and Gamora…almost to the point that it overshadows everything else. Nebula(played by Karen Gilliam) stands out among the secondary characters because Director/Writer James Gunn gives us so much of her backstory and why she hates Gamora so much. Yondu Udonta and the many Ravenger clans have their own backstory. Sylvester Stallone plays “the leader” of all the Ravenger clans, and although he is only in a few scenes, he plays the part well. Yondu and his relationship with Peter Quill is also explored, along with the reason why Yondu never turned Quill to his father as referenced in the first movie.
Of course we need a villain, and in this role we get Ayesha leader of “The Sovereign”. The Sovereign hires the Guardians, but in true Guardians fashion of doing a “bit of good” and a “bit of bad”, the Sovereign later wants the guardians dead. The villain is not as well defined as in the first movie, but she works as a plot device that allows the story to move forward.
Of course we have to deal with “baby Groot” and his wide eyed child like wonder along with Rocket still dealing with his inferiority complex. Both Rocket and Groot have a lot of scenery to chew up, and they do it well. The movie makes the Guardians into a family unit,with all the struggles of keeping such different personalities meshed as a cohesive unit.
There are 5 mid and end credit scenes, and while they do not advance the larger Marvel movie universe, they do add to the future of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Yes there will be a third movie, but no date listed, only that the “Guardians will return”.
Overall if you are looking for the action style of the first movie, it is not there, but the movie still hits on all cylinders as a fun way to start the summer movie season.
3 out of 5 stars
