Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, and Kurt Russell.  Released on May 5, 2017, the film has Peter Quill and the Guardians traveling across the cosmos to learn more about his true parentage.

The film is directed by James Gunn, who also directed Slither and Super.  It is a sequel to the 2014 film, Guardians of the Galaxy (also directed by Gunn), and the fifteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Just like any other year since 2008, this year’s summer movie season kicks off with the latest MCU film that takes us back into the colorful world of space.  2014 saw the release of Guardians of the Galaxy, which at first was deemed as Marvel Studios’ first failure, but wound up surprising everyone thanks to its glowing reviews and its successful box office run.  In case you’re wondering, I was one of the people who really enjoyed Guardians.  It’s no surprise that this sequel is one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year because we got the original cast back in their respective roles, plus some new characters like Kurt Russell as Peter’s dad and…Sylvester Stallone?  Huh, no wonder the fourth Expendables film isn’t going anywhere.  The film has already met most of people's expectations due to its early overseas start and critical reception, so let’s see if it can meet mine.

The story takes place shortly after the events of the first film, with Peter (played by Pratt) and his friends getting into some hot water once again.  Like its predecessor, the Guardians are pretty much doing their own thing while the Avengers handle their own problems on Earth.  Clearly, if you love the first Guardians of the Galaxy film, I can assure you that you will have a good time watching the sequel.  Director James Gunn delivered the exact same qualities that made its predecessor one of the biggest hits of 2014: the characters, the visuals, and the humor.  Once again, the cast did a great job portraying their respective characters, especially Bautista as Drax the Destroyer.  Oh my God, I can not tell you how much I love his amazing portrayal.  He was, in my opinion, the best part of the film.  Baby Groot was also a nice little highlight as well because he’s there when he needs to be there.  He doesn’t try to steal the show every few seconds or anything.  He provided the right amount of cuteness and humor that just made me want to go “Awwww…”.  Kurt Russell was a splendid addition to the cast as Ego, Peter’s real father, despite the fact that his true motives were quite obvious.  The only character that had some pretty impressive development was Peter’s adoptive father, Yondu, played by Michael Rooker.  I’m not sure if I could explain his motives without giving away any spoilers, but I will say that he made me feel bad for him.  The visual effects were very colorful and truly bring out the worlds that are beyond ours, and kudos to the costume designers and makeup team for bringing certain characters to life.  The CGI does get a bit crazy from time to time, but once you get used to it, you’ll be fine.  The film also had its share of humor that the other films in the MCU have been using since the first Iron Man film back in 2008.  There were some laughs here and there, and of course, there were a few big laughs to go along with it.  If you’ve grown tired of its use of humor, then I’m pretty sure you’re going to have a miserable time watching a talking raccoon and a baby humanoid tree creature fight a bunch of space creatures…in space.  The story not only explores more of Peter Quill’s past, but it also showcases what it truly means to have a father.  While it didn’t quite match the emotional impact of the first film and (I’m just going to throw it on here.) Captain America: Civil War, the way they express those themes was properly executed in the midst of its CGI majesty.  

Overall, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is a visually stunning, action-packed sequel that is also a solid addition to the MCU collection.  While it didn’t offer anything that’ll make it as good or better than its predecessor, it still offers what people would expect from a film that has a talking raccoon and a tree creature that only says “I am Groot”.  The stars were fantastic in their roles, the visuals were very pleasing in terms of the action and the locations, the humor was often hilarious, and the storytelling was pretty solid despite its predictable moments.  Like I said before, if you like the first Guardians movie, then the sequel will do nothing but please you until it’s time to get back to Earth for the new Spider-Man adventure.  However, if you don’t like the first film, then there’s a good chance that this film will make you want to stab yourself with Yondu’s arrow.  If you’re planning on seeing it, make sure you stay throughout the entire end credits sequence because there are five extra scenes that are worth staying for.  Yeah, you read that right.  There are actually five of them in this film.  Hope your bladder doesn’t explode during one of those scenes.

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