(reviewed by our guest critic: The Movie Knight) The Guardians of the Galaxy are back! Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Baby Groot (Vin Diesel) have been hired by the Sovereign to fight off an inter-dimensional monster. The aliens then turn on the Guardians when they realize Rocket took something they revered as holy from them. The group is rescued by Ego (Kurt Russell), who is revealed to be Peter’s long lost father.
It’s now tradition that Marvel Studios kicks off the summer movie season. The question always remains… Just because one has a strong box office it does not necessarily mean that it’s a quality film. The studio took a big risk when they made the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, as the title did not have the same recognition as Captain America or Iron Man. The gamble paid off and that was largely due to the writing and direction of James Gunn who gives the audience a wild romp the like of which had not yet been seen in the Marvel Universe.
Vol. 2 surpasses the first movie. For one, it is very funny throughout. More than anything else, you will hear a lot of laughter in your theater. Second, the picture carries a strong message about family. Not just about our blood relatives, but also to those people who are closest to us. Other movies have certainly explored this theme, but it is not one you’d expect from a super hero movie. The Avengers are a team; the Guardians of the Galaxy are a family!
The visuals and special effects are pretty astonishing. It’s even worth seeing the movie in 3D to help take in all the eye candy Gunn and cinematographer, Henry Braham, provide us on this ride. The movie doesn’t always work when it tries to be sentimental, but it ends on a strong note, giving a good kick off to the 2017 summer movie season. We’ll have to see if that momentum can be sustained.
3 tiaras.