Review of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) by Spangle — 02 Jun 2017

The sequel to the only Marvel film that I have loved was a prospect that I was very much looking forward to back in 2014. However, since then, Marvel films have gotten progressively more and more generic with the marks from the assembly line obstructing every image of the film. Last year's Captain America: Civil War was the first sign of trouble at Marvel studio with a made-by-committee checklist type of film that just fell flat. Doctor Strange, however, took it a step further and was a film made by both committee and focus group. The results were absolutely alarming. As such, there was no way I was rushing out to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Part of it was fear that the Guardians would be ruined as well, but a lot of it was low expectations as demanded by being so underwhelmed by Marvel and the superhero genre as a whole in 2016. It seemed as though superhero movies were no longer something I could enjoy like everybody else with jokes I did not find funny and plots that were hardly worth my time. Fortunately, Guardians Vol. 2 somewhat changed that.

I say somewhat because this film is still littered with issues. The original was defined by its raw and unexpected parent-driven emotion, its sense of family, constant jokes, interesting worlds and planets, music from the 80s, and more. This film has all of that, but slightly worse. It lacks the originality and inspiration found in the original on these fronts, even while possessing the most inspiration and daring found in the Marvel Cinematic Universe right now. This film tosses in neon (akin to Drive or other neon-lit favorites) and barren landscapes (akin to Mad Max: Fury Road) to the mix after the moviegoer surveys received by Marvel advised them to include both due to how "in" both were at the moment. Blended with the rehashing and fan service from the original, the film certainly feels like a film that was made to be pleasing, but not challenging or unique. It is a conveyor belt film like Marvel's other recent output, but it is by way of director James Gunn. With a light hearted energy where the film knows how stupid it all is, the film somehow sticks the landing and is like a slightly shinier and more precisely put together piece from that very same conveyor belt.

Yet, though it sticks the landing, the film's writing does still often leave a lot to be desired. One of the most egregious missteps comes in the very beginning. Dropping us into a situation where the Guardians face off with some monster to protect batteries at the behest of a race of people known as the Sovereign people, the film then introduces us to the high priestess of those people, Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki). With her first words being forced exposition about who the Sovereign people are even though the Guardians should already know that, the film not just tips its hand that these people will keep popping up, but it is a line of dialogue that adds nothing to the story and never comes into play in any meaningful way. They hired the Guardians to defend this battery and then encounter them throughout the film. Leave it at that. There is no defined need to explain who they are because it is nothing but unneeded exposition and in-your-face foreshadowing.

The film's in-your-face foreshadow is only foreshadowed by this awful moment of exposition, however. Once introduced to Peter's (Chris Pratt) father, Ego (Kurt Russell), we are bombarded by Gamora (Zoe Saldana) immediately warning Peter that he may not be all good. After wanting him to find his father, she immediately jumps past the honeymoon period and alerts the audience that there is more to Ego than may immediately meet the eye. Through not-so-subtle repeated mentions of secrets held by Ego and some mystery regarding whether or not he is everything he claims to be, the film continuously hints at a big twist and reveal that is forthcoming. By the time it arrives, Gunn plays it as if it were a twist even if it had been spelled out and fully outlined by the time it is finally revealed. Instead of a shock, it becomes a situation where the audience just waits for Peter and the Guardians to finally wake up and realize that Ego is not good. Though the reveal is quite nice with the mountain of bodies, the film's shock and surprise reveal about who the true antagonist is about as secretive and subtle as James Gunn coming out and saying that Ego is bad at the very beginning of the movie. Naming him Ego is also a major clue here, particularly with his cliche demands of the world.

This cliched demand to destroy the world and make it in his own image is one of the film's many cliches that really do hold it back, as is often the case with superhero films, particularly Marvel ones. Though handed a compelling villain, the film largely does not take advantage of him and instead just turns him into another "destroy the world" villain, which is a shame. As is often the case, the film also has a "love conquers all" message that kills him.