Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) Review

I liked the original Guardians of the Galaxy. It's not one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe entries that I re-watch as much as I do with some of the others, but I know that's it's an overall good time. The characters have a great sense of camaraderie, it has some great visuals, provides some funky music, and packs plenty of laughs. It made us care for a talking tree that only says one phrase and a machine-gun-toting raccoon. That is an accomplishment right there.

Three years later, we are treated to a well-deserved sequel that gives the summer movie season a great start (but how long that will keep up is a mystery). Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (I guess the volume refers to the music?) is also a good time. People coming in to see it this weekend will know what to expect: funny quips, good selection of retro music, and an obligatory Stan Lee cameo. What more could you ask for?

This time around, our hero Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star Lord (Chris Pratt) begins to discover his roots after finally meeting his long-lost father, Ego (Kurt Russell). That's kind of it. There are also some sub-plots that do come together in the end, and many of them deliver on what they're supposed to do. They could have easily crowded the film, but with the exception of the gold people, they're executed well and don't make the film feel unfocused. In fact, half the group splits up as a way to give them something to do and give them a satisfying pay-off.

The relationship between Star Lord and his father is one of the highlights of the film. They lead to some heartwarming moments when they try to make up for lost time. At the same time, though, there is a feeling of sadness because of that. Think about it, Star Lord watched his mom die at the beginning of the first movie, and he had to grow up with some space pirates, never knowing his dad. There is some emotional weight to all this that makes it all compelling.

Actually, what I find to be a huge step forward from the original is that the characters are a lot more compelling this time around. Not only do we learn more about Star Lord alongside him, but we see things like the tragic relationship and backstory between Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and her sister, Nebula (Karen Gillan), Rocket (Bradley Cooper) being a playful, competitive jerk, and Yondu (Michael Rooker) coming to grips with who he is. In fact, I really liked Yondu this time around. He didn't leave much of an impression on me in the first film, so I'm glad he did in this one. Without spoiling anything, I felt so much for him, and that's saying a lot.

The ones who I felt were underutilized were Drax (Dave Bautista) and Groot (Vin Diesel). Perhaps I shouldn't fault this too much since the script is already balanced enough, but there isn't much to them. Drax is there to act like a child in some parts while also befriending this alien chick (Pom Klementieff) which hardly goes anywhere. Meanwhile, Baby Groot is mostly there to look adorable. What makes up for that, though, is that they are still entertaining to watch and deliver some of the funnier moments.

That's another great thing that this film offers: it packs just enough comedy like the first film did. I found myself giggling to bursting out laughing at a lot of moments. The dialogue is not only great, but the execution and directing makes it so much fun to sit through. James Gunn proves to be not just a great comedic writer, but as a director, too.

He is, however, lacking as an action director. I found myself not remembering or looking back at the action set-pieces. That's because those takes a backseat. They're there, but don't appear to captivate the eyes as much. The first film is also guilty of this, in my opinion. The most memorable thing in THAT movie is Star Lord challenging Ronan to a dance-off. I dunno, maybe I just still have the airport scene from Captain America: Civil War in my mind. (Dang, that set-piece was awesome.)

A lot of the film spends its time just relaxing, with characters talking about their feelings or exchanging witty banter. To me, this makes up for the bland action scenes. I like seeing these characters together, and I like their dialogue. If I can care about these characters, then I guess it's good enough.

I suppose while I'm at it: the selection of licensed songs is nowhere near as memorable. By that, I mean, I didn't find myself humming these tunes. The first film had songs like "Hooked on a Feeling," "O-O-H Child," and "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)." I bopped my head during the songs that played in this movie, but ended up forgetting them afterwards. I guess I just have different ways of enjoying music.

Overall, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is enjoyable. While I wouldn't put it on my Top 5 MCU movies, it's every bit as thrilling as the first, but also more emotionally involving. It knows that it just wants to have fun, and it knows when it's necessary to chill out. I do think it's a little lacking in terms of wow factor (again, the action scenes and songs), but I managed to feel for these characters a lot. That is enough for me to say...

I AM GROOT

That translates to "GOOD OUTWEIGH THE BAD," by the way.