There are movies you like. There are movies you love. And there are movies that destroy you with the best kind of feels and leave you a rambling wreck of emotion.
At the very least, it’s hard not to love ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’. As a franchise, it doesn’t take itself too seriously or becomes bogged down in the morality-as-angst themes that typically go along with the superhero genre. 'Vol. 2' is fun, it’s silly, it blows stuff up regularly and it has a baby Groot that will quite possibly steal your heart and crush your soul with only three words.
If you don’t love ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’, you might actually be dead inside.
'Vol. 2' picks up not too far from where the original movie ended. Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord (aka Chris Pratt, who is contractually obligated to be shirtless at least once per film) has taken a rag-tag group of criminal misfits and accidentally made himself a family.
Perhaps stranger, that neurotic family of his somehow managed to save the galaxy using an Infinity Stone rather than burning to death just by touching it.
But it’s hard to keep your criminal cred when you’re known as the Guardians of the Galaxy. They’re legit now, even if they’re not quite on the side of lawful good. These days, when people can’t solve a problem on their own, they call the Guardians.
Maybe it’s not the most functional family you’ll ever see, but they care about each other in their own random, sometimes weird ways. But when a job goes south – and a beardy dude in a space egg shows up claiming to be Peter’s Dad – things are clearly going to change.
With their kind of luck – and with Gamora’s psychotic sister Nebula and Peter’s childhood abductor Yondu dragged into the mix – it’s a fairly safe bet things aren’t likely to change for the better.
‘Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2’ is what happens when you take a brilliant idea and let your writers run with it. It’s hilarious and heartbreaking; the sort of movie that destroys your ability to sit quietly and watch passively. You’ll laugh (probably inappropriately). You’ll ‘aww’. You’ll even get a touch weepy. It’s that kind of a movie. It’s the best kind of movie.
There are a few quibbles with characterisation-for-lols and some moments that could have been expanded outwards for more depth. But that’s an issue with all ensemble flicks: you can’t give everyone’s backstory and character arc all the time they deserve.
But even with a few niggling issues, it’s hard not to be dazzled. The music kicks all the ass possible and utterly embraces it’s dodgy, old-school roots. Like in the original, the soundtrack is sentimental and plot pivotal, while still being really hard not to sing-along to.
The fight scenes are riddled with brilliant choreography and effects, perfect for edge-of-your-seat lingering. This isn’t an action movie for the sake of explosion porn. There’s violence and chaos galore, but never at the expense of the plot or for the sake of coolness alone.
Still, the effects are stunning (whether in space battles or in the quiet beauty of a new planet). The attention to detail here is staggering to behold and worth a second viewing on its own.
If you like your action epics with a helping of snark, warmth and hilarity, you’re really going to want to see this.
