Following up on the success and critical reception of the first film was always going to be a bit of a challenge for Star-Lord and the rest of the team, but Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 manages to hit all the right notes with ease. Quill’s Awesome Mix Vol. 2 mixtape is enough to put a smile on your face throughout the film, but with some of the best characters on the big screen at the moment, coupled with eye-blistering special effects, a solid story and relentless laughs it manages to go beyond expectations.
In all fairness, with or without a good story, the characters themselves are what makes the Guardians Of The Galaxy films such big hitters. It could have been a film about a trip to the supermarket to get a bag of apples and a bumper pack of toilet roles for Drax’s famously large number 2s and it still would have been one of the best films of the year. The dialogue alone would be priceless. Vol. 2 takes this to the next level, though, weaving in new dynamics that help to move the series on and building on some of the outlier characters from the first film.
It’s a slightly complicated plot that sees them fighting inter-dimensional monsters on a job for the gold-skinned Sovereign race before getting mixed up with Peter Quill’s dad Ego. The “dad’s back” plot direction may seem a bit contrived in the trailer, but it’s much smarter in the full film, helping to develop the relationships between all of the characters and leading on to the prospect of a third film in the series.
Chris Pratt (Passengers) leads the cast well as Quill/Star-Lord, delivering everything from great one-liners to incredible action sequences, and emotional dialogue. You don’t expect a film like this to be able to be credible and self-deprecating at the same time, but that’s exactly what it is and it’s not just Pratt that manages to build in so much depth to their characters.
Zoe Saldana (Star Trek: Beyond), Dave Dautista (Blade Runner 2049), Bradley Cooper (War Dogs) and even Vin Diesel (The Last Witch Hunter) all have their moments of lightness and shade as Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Rocket and Groot. Michael Rooker is pretty integral to it all too as Yondu Udonta, and he slowly reels you in to create sentiment for a character you wouldn’t imagine being so easy to love. Karen Gillan (Doctor Who) is just as incredible as Nebula as she was in Guardians Of The Galaxy, but again with a lot more character development than before.
Pom Klementieff is hilarious as Mantis, Elizabeth Debicki (The Man From U.N.C.L.E.) works well as Ayesha and Sylvester Stallone (Creed) puts in a great small appearance as Stakar Ogord / Starhawk, who we’re hoping we’ll see more of in the future films. The Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 cast is rounded off by Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight), who is exceptional as Star-Lord’s complicated dad Ego.
The special effects behind the film are amazing for the most part, with minor exception of Ego’s storytelling pods, which just look a bit too basic to fit in with the rest of the film’s very high visual standards. However, it’s the way that the cinematography combines with the special effects that makes the film such a great watch with clever use of perspective, focus and lighting to craft a lot of great scenes throughout the movie.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 is a must-watch for superhero, sci-fi and comedy movie lovers. It doesn’t really need to go far to keep you entertained, but with a story that takes you light years away, while still leaving a lot of possible story developments for the future, it’s a whole lot of fun and well worth a watch on the big screen. The effects are impressive enough to make it a contender for 3D viewing, but with such a great bunch of characters and the barrage of jokes it works just as well in 2D.
It may not have the same element of surprise as the first film, but it definitely makes for a great follow-up to the 2014 debut for the Guardians. The Guardians Of The Galaxy 2 DVD release date has now been confirmed for early September, so we’re expecting it to be high up on a lot of collection lists.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 review: 4.5/5
