Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2

The largely risk-averse, money-printing machine that is Marvel Studios took an unexpected walk on the wild side with 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy. Adapting a relatively obscure property centered around a group of eccentric protagonists with criminal backgrounds is a ballsy move for a studio that specializes in palatable, formulaic entertainment for the masses. The film's twisted, zany approach to the superhero genre ended up striking a chord with audiences, as Guardians went on to become the highest-grossing non-Avengers movie in the history of the MCU ($333.1 mil domestically, $773.3 mil worldwide). After three years of heavy anticipation, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 has finally arrived and for better or worse, it's pretty much exactly what you'd expect a sequel to the beloved global phenomenon to be like.  

Guardians of the Galaxy's surprise breakout success can be attributed to its immensely likable protagonists and warped sense of humor. In a not-so-surprising development, those same ingredients are what make Vol.2 so enjoyable. Writer/director James Gunn tackles the material with the same giddy, depraved glee that be brought to the first installment, and Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Rocket (voice of Bradley Cooper) and Drax (Dave Bautista) are as colorful, snarky and dysfunctional as ever. They'll probably be a point down the line where all of the friendly bickering/insults, lightning-paced fight scenes and random 80's pop culture references will get stale, but for now, the Guardians wacky camaraderie is still a ton of fun to watch.   

When Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 strays away from playing the hits, it runs into a bit of trouble. As you could probably deduce by the heavily-marketed plot point of Star-Lord being reunited with his long-lost father (a perfectly-cast Kurt Russell), this film spends a lot of time exploring the meaning of family. While this attempt to add an emotional backbone to this breezy franchise is certainly noble, it ends up adding a whole lot of unnecessary, faux-sentimental bullshit to the proceedings.

As talented and distinct of a filmmaker as Gunn is, he has no grasp on how to write or direct emotional moments without having them feel ridiculously forced. Every single monologue about familial bonds is so overblown and melodramatic that it feels like something out of a Nicolas Sparks book. Not only are these monologues laughably heavy-handed, but they are ridiculously out-of-place in a film that's as goofy as this. Placing weepy exchanges involving just about every character that isn't a catchphrase-spouting tree in-between jokes about Knight Rider and the size of Drax's poop makes for some jarring tonal shifts that take away from the cohesiveness of the final product.  

With all the hype surrounding it and Marvel's sketchy track record with sequels, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is pretty much a best-case scenario for the comic book giant. While it certainly has more narrative flaws and generally feels less unique than its predecessor, it's still a rollicking, amusing ride that should satisfy the droves of people that loved the original. The "if it ain't broke don't fix it" model may not be the most interesting filmmaking approach in the world, but for crowd-pleasing fare like this, it works just fine.   

4/5 Stars