Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

They're back with great music from the past!

If you had to choose the finest MCU films I'm sure the answer would be the Captain America trilogy & the Guardians of the Galaxy, in no particular order whatsoever. While the Cap movies are all serious, the Guardians are all about having fun while saving the day. I have to admit that when the first film came out, I was exhausted of watching superhero films, I had this feeling of "everything's been done before" and/or "every superhero film is derivative" So my expectations were pretty low, and biased by my bad mood. In fact, I had to re watch Guardians of the Galaxy 3 times until I finally came out of my fanboy state to see that I was in front of one of the finest MCU films ever made, so why so serious?

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, is a two hour & fourteen minute roller-coaster ride that bounces up & down among action, drama, jokes and a few surprises.

James Gunn takes us on a thrilling action adventure that is as humorous as it is exciting. You should approach the film expecting to be constantly laughing through almost every, if not every single scene. And you will also be surprised not to come short on the more alternate of emotions as well, as this turns into one of Marvels most emotionally breathtaking films to date. This riveting sequel is not one to leave it's fans walking out of the cinema with their heads hanging down in disappointment. But rather left glued to their seats wanting more, even after the commencement of the five post-credit scenes.

Starlord returns.

So does Rocket Racoon.

Plotwise, the long-awaited continuation of the Awesome Mix Vol 1. regroups us with The Guardians of the Galaxy, who survive by doing some good, some bad and a bit of both throughout the universes. On their journey through space they help others out of trouble and more often than not, work themselves into trouble. When they are met by Ego, a mysterious and powerful being, the future of this unlikely bunch of misfits is all but certain. What purpose does Ego have in mind for our beloved Star- Lord? What will become of the Guardians? How does an iconic 80's action movie- star have a place in this film? Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. will provide overall satisfying answers.

The tone and humor which got so many people hooked on the original, is preserved for its sequel. Thank Gunn for that! James Gunn managed to recapture that tone and sense of humor almost perfectly a second time over. All of the Guardians have their distinct personalities and fitting sense of humor but are given a lot more character development in Volume 2. The characters Gunn chose to reintroduce, are interesting due to compelling backstories and some creative, touching and funny character moments. Watching action scenes featuring characters you love and care about, adds so much drama and weight to the action and makes the movie all the more enjoyable. The action itself is creative, fun and often times hilariously over the top. 

Are you sure you wanna meet your dad?

So that's how I escaped marriage.

With any great superhero film, there comes the need for a compelling villain. MARVEL doesn't have an amazing track record as far as villains go. Remember the villain of Thor: The Dark World, or his plan? No, me neither... Or what about the incredible emotional depth that was given to that bald guy from Ant-Man... Oh wait. With great relief I can say that the Guardians face off against a much more compelling and interesting villain in Vol 2. than in the original. His plan and motivation could be considered abstract and pretty vague. But to its credit, the movie does take its time to set up the big bad plan reveal and by that point you're on board with it. Volume 2 takes a lot of time to develop a lot of characters. All this time and effort pays off at the end with an incredible final act and an emotional ending which left me in tears.

Finally, a special mention needs to be made for Baby Groot, who steals every scene he's in. He's adorable, funny, bad-ass and oh so very charming! An absolute fan favorite and a toy-seller for sure. Also, Yondu gets some genuine great development. His character arch is so touching, so unexpected and emotional. It elevated the entire film.

As far as the actual Awesome Mix Vol 2. goes, I can happily say it's amazing! With a lot of upbeat classics and heartwarming ballads, this soundtrack is a must-own.

Baby Groot!

Sister love.

One of the reasons Guardians of the Galaxy is so beloved is because of its tight story. It is based in the same universe as The Avengers and its heroes but didn't need to tie in to the other films so firmly. Just an infinity stone and a cameo by Thanos were enough to establish the connection. What we got was a solid stand-alone film that had a compact story with colorful characters that didn't need to set up six other films. Can you name another MARVEL film that had the exact same advantage? Because of the fact that Volume 2 pays so much attention to character development for a lot more characters than just the Guardians, the story loses focus and a firm grip on the plot. Although the backstories given to our characters, are pretty cool and interesting, it's the way they are conveyed that makes the film lose some steam. There's a lot of exposition and not all of it through well written dialogue. I would've preferred some tight flashback scenes. A lot more "Show", a lot less "Tell".

Then there's the unfortunate need to set up plot-points and characters for future Guardians- films. All this makes for a bit of a messy film with some pacing issues. Gunn clearly tried to balance all these character and plot-points and hasn't come unscathed out of the ordeal. It's weird he went down this route because story-wise, this film is even more disconnected from the Infinity War than the fist one. So setting up so much material for a sequel, is an odd choice because it feels so unnecessary. 

New family members.

An odd couple.

The climax battle is huge! a whole planet on peril, the Guardians outnumbered, and  a collection of explosions and super powers that will give you the thrills! The sad part is that not everyone will survive, yet the sacrifice will expand the GOTG universe for a third part for sure. 

The 5 after credit scenes (yes, five ) are hilarious and I won't say anything else in order to avoid spoiling them for you. There are also some very unexpected cameos, and I'm sure one will be freaking loved by 80's pop culture fans. Coincidentally, the film solves a fan theory mystery, that's been around for quite some time but, I won't spoil that either. Also, I loved Drax in the sequel, his one liners are excellent and had me laughing the most!

Overall, Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, slightly bends under the weight of its predecessor but still manages to deliver a fun Space adventure and some much appreciated character development. Even though Gunn and his gang, incorporated a lot more exposition and sequel setups, Volume 2 is still an Awesome Mix of fun, action, drama and colorful characters. With a fantastic ending, I can't wait to see the Guardians return! 

Here's the movie trailer:

Guardians Of The Galaxy

1940's Serials are back.

Guardians of the Galaxy is the latest entry into what is known as the Marvel Comics Cinematic Universe. Based upon the characters from the same comic book, the film was perhaps the least expected out of what's Marvel has been doing lately. Let's face it, who out of the many comic book readers around the globe has the Guardians as they're favorite read? Not many, I'm sure. Nevertheless, Marvel Studios are an experienced team and they knew this 80's obscure comic book would suit perfectly in a motion picture version, let's just remember this is not the first time Marvel Studios thinks of a second/third class comic book character. They already did it before in 2008 with Ironman. Yes, you read that right, I wrote Ironman. 

Connoisseurs of the comic book scene do know that Ironman was never Marvel's finest. Their top of the line heroes had always been Spiderman, Captain America, X-Men, Hulk & The Fantastic 4. Of course that was until the release of the first Ironman film, who not only positioned the character into the spotlight of films but it also allow to grow in its original source. Hell, not even the Avengers were so relevant before these films happened!

it's so dark in here.

Now, what does all this jibber jabber have to do with the Guardians of the Galaxy? 

The answer is: everything! as Marvel learned they could use the cinematic universe to foster their products characters, they would have no issues presenting a film with unfamiliar characters. Would DC Comics have the balls to do the same? Time will tell.

The real Guardians of the Galaxy.

The motion picture Guardians of the Galaxy.

One writer from IMDB said that Marvel could have "played it safe, but went into a bold new direction".
 
Well I don't know about you, but filling a movie with pop culture references to grab your attention and money, in what is quite literally "just another sci-fi adventure", is NOT taking a risk by any means. Maybe the IMDB reviewer meant "taking a risk" as releasing a film with unfamiliar characters for the poser nation of comic book film lovers, I repeat comic book film lovers, not comic book lovers, there is a huge difference there.

Some have compared this movie to Star Wars (father, forgive them for they have sinned), and even while that film was derivative of Saturday morning serials and classic science fiction films and TV, what made Star Wars unique is the creative ways it tips it's hat at the genre, and more specifically how hard everyone worked to make it their own. There was more depth to it, and it left you wondering, "didn't we see that in something else"? However Guardians Of The Galaxy embellishes with pop culture, very much like the roller-coaster ride operator who turns on the top 40 or R&B station while he locks you in your seat. That's not creating something unique, it's hopping on the back of something that's previously established, and it takes no effort to do so, only money (our money).

The bad guys.

The worse guy.

But don't take my word for it, see for yourself. Checking reviews for the film in IMDB and other highly respected Blogs, on almost every page someone writes their summary quoting the "Hooked on a Feeling" song. I know I've said this too many times before, people can think whatever they want BUT it's really weird that everyone is talking this film as an original piece that had never been seen before in theaters. That is a mere lie, bloody lie chums. Perhaps this film works wonders with children and teenagers who still have a world to experience, but to us, adults, the film does not offer anything we haven't seen before, and state of the art CGI do not make a film good just because.

I DID like Guardians of the Galaxy for it's art design, effects, stunts, sound design, and the battered underscore by Tyler Bates which was brilliant. But with scenes in which we have Chris Pratt making Kevin Bacon sound like a universal liberator of man during a romantic scene with Zoe Saldana, (and who references his name later in the film like a punch line) this movie is the epitome of that age old prediction, "Pop Will Eat Itself".

Rocket Raccoon.

a talking raccoon and a tree.

This movie is a mess of the worst kind: a never-ending cascade of contrivance after contrivance.

The plot, if it could be called so, is kickstarted by the theft of a magical plot device that evil people want. This also happens in The Avengers and Man of Steel, and it's not getting any more creative. The evil people fight the good guys, there's explosions and snarky humor everywhere, and it never rises above the level of an excuse plot. Characters get beaten close to death so the movie can have a sad moment before they get revived - all the protagonists are invincible. There's one particularly shameful scene where a character gets cast out into space and another character risks death to save them. But surprise! Somehow, a fleet of spaceships somewhere managed to find their exact location and arrive to save both within a minute! See, friendship saves the day again!

The dialog is just as useless as the plot: the characters either make juvenile jokes, exposit once again that they need to bring the magical plot device somewhere in order to prevent genocide by the evil guy (in case the audience forgot), have ham-fisted discussions about the value of friendship and overcoming adversity with all the subtlety of a bull in a china shop, or explain completely obvious things. The worst of this is when a character steps out into a visibly darkened corridor and comments on how dark it is.

Avatar?

Howard the Duck will be back.

I watched this movie only because my brother was so looking forward to it that I downloaded it for himself and watched it together (hell, a movie ticket is way too expensive to waste on a film like this). The film was highly anticipated, compared to blockbusters and boom! the hype around it was so damn bing that everyone wanted to see it. Today's film in review, The Guardians of the Galaxy is not a film, it's a product. Every bombastic special effect and every cardboard cutout character reek of a movie trying to sell itself and its tie-in action figures and comic books to 12-year old kids. The humor is juvenile, the plot and characters are shallow and facile, explosions and fighting are shoehorned in at every turn... there is no natural characterization, no genuine emotion, and no signs of intelligence. This movie is junk food cinema at its worst. We deserve better. 

Either way, since this is obviously the first in a new franchise, I'm sure we will find out what Marvel's priorities are in the next installment. Let's hope it's not just "The next Empire Strikes Back". 

Here's the movie trailer:

And here one of my favorite YouTube channels, Cinema Sins, with their signature "Everything wrong with..." video about GOTG:

 

And since GOTG is so over rated, let's add another great video courtesy of the "How it should have ended" Youtube team: