(dir, James Gunn)
 |
| Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
"I'm gonna make some weird shit."
Picking up after the events of Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter Quill and his band of misfits
encounter his father, the mysterious Ego, while a race of alien royalty, The
Sovereign, and a mutinous faction of Ravagers threaten to tear the team apart in
their attempt to fulfill the bounties placed on the Guardians’ heads.
After the first Guardians
of the Galaxy blew away audience expectations and became a critical darling
that showcased what the Marvel Cinematic Universe is capable of when they truly
left the street level stuff behind, James Gunn was faced with the daunting
question of how to follow it up. As the MCU has proven, returning directors
haven’t had the greatest creative success with sequels. So rather than to further
attempt to aim for corporate synergy and build closer to the ever approaching
showdown with Thanos in next year’s Infinity
War, James Gunn decided the only way Vol.
2 could fulfill the promise of the first film was for it to be even more of
a James Gunn film and chart his own course. If you’re familiar with Gunn’s work
from Slither, Super, or even his days at Troma, then those works provide a strong
sense of what to expect from Vol. 2.
The sequel is funnier, more emotional, weirder, and ultimately more indulgent
than its predecessor. While it lacks the light-footedness of the first, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 truly
feels like a voice-driven director showcase of the likes that we haven’t seen
in the MCU in some time. While the central viewer question, “is it better than
the first?” faces any sequel, not every follow-up needs to pull an Empire Strikes Back (a film that Vol. 2 shares a number of parallels
with) and exceed the quality of the first. Guardians
of the Galaxy Vol. 2 isn’t better than the first, but it is equal to it, its
own unique strengths and weakness different from the first while also providing
a continuing arc of themes and characters dynamics that feel natural in its aim
not to beat out the first, but to continue the forward motion to the tune of
Awesome Mix Vol. 2.
The film wastes no time getting things moving. After the
Guardians stop an inter-dimensional monster on behalf of the Sovereign nation
(and Rocket steals a few of their batteries, setting both The Sovereign and The
Ravagers on their tails) the Guardians immediately encounter Ego (Kurt
Russell). While so many films would have played the revelation of Peter’s
father as a big reveal, particularly given the emphasis placed on it at the end
of the last film, Guardians doesn’t go for the misdirect. Here, the revelation
isn’t used as a twist for the sake of the audience, but is instead revealed for
the sake of the story and to provide time for the emotional foundation
necessary for the characters’ arc. Every story beat in this film (excepting the
romantic and self-aware “unspoken thing” between Peter and Gamora) is for the
sake of moving the characters forward, rather than relying on fan-service. Oh,
there’s plenty of fan-service, what with Gunn’s penchant for Easter eggs
revolving on the cosmic side of Marvel, but when it comes to the meat of Vol. 2, this is a logic based narrative
that stems from giving every character an arc of their own. And while some have
suggested that Vol. 2 follows too
many similar beats as the first film, the different heartspaces these
characters find themselves in gives Vol.
2 an entirely different flavor than the first.
The returning Guardians all display a greater degree of
comfort in their roles, and Pratt, who has become one of Hollywood’s most
likable leading men is able to explore an even greater emotional range this
time around. There’s a sincerity to Quill, such that even when he’s being a
scoundrel and cracking-wise, we’re never more than an arms-length away from the
emotional vulnerability that serves as a noble reflection of humanity.
Collectively, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, and Vin Diesel have
no problem reminding us why we loved these characters in the first place, while
finding new pockets of vulnerability, heroism, humor, and inevitability the
loneliness that bring the team together but also threatens to divide them this
time around.
New Guardians Nebula (Karen Gillan) and Yondu (Michael
Rooker), and newcomer Mantis (Pom Klementieff) each define themselves within an
already diverse group of eclectic characters. Klementieff portrays the
antennaed empath, Mantis, with a naïve innocence and infectious enthusiasm that
adds a welcome new dynamic to the team, particularly when she’s in the presence
of Drax’s direct and literal personality. Together, Drax and Mantis create many
of the film’s funniest scenes. But it’s Gillan and Rooker who deliver the
film’s most impressive performances, each turning their characters’ reputations
as villains into complex individuals who find heroism through their hurt. Both
characters unwittingly find themselves as part of a family again, and as a
result lose some of their edge while gaining a discovery of the selves they’d
forgotten or buried.
Russell, charismatic and ever capable of defining himself through
roles created by distinct voices, brings heart and gravitas to the role of the
lonely god, Ego. Ego provides one of the few instances in the MCU where the
adversary makes for a compelling, and fully realized threat with clear
motivations that stem from a similar place as the heroes’. Ego, a living planet
who has built a body for himself, is one of the many examples in the film of
James Gunn repurposing comic history to better fit the needs of the film. This isn’t
a case of grounding the source material to make it easier to present, as so
many comic book adaptations do, but of preserving the weirdness while also
creating stronger thematic ties. Gunn knows his comic history, but isn’t tied
to it and that knowledge gives him freedom. He takes Ego, a giant purple planet
with a face and beard in the comics, and alters him not only into the ultimate
“cool dad” on the surface, but a thematic means to discuss individually. While
half of the Guardians are on Ego’s utopia, they become aware of his godlike
abilities to spread his consciousness across the galaxy and become other
planets through terraforming. The conflict that ensues isn’t just about a son
realizing the fallibility of an absent father, but in finding a way to combat
homogeny while also emphasizing commonality and difference between being as one
and being a team.
So much of Guardians
of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is built on parallels. We see these parallels through
certain callbacks to the first film, through the more unexpected music
selection, which this time utilizes repeated motifs, and the characters’
personalities. By dividing the Guardians into factions for most of the film,
those captured by the Ravagers, and those on Ego’s planet, we’re able to get a
truer sense of these individuals and watch new bonds develop. Families aren’t
created simply through a collective relationship, but through separate
interactions and relationships within larger relationships. It’s this notion
that Ego, in millenniums of experience, fails to see the smaller picture within
his grand design, is unable to comprehend. The Guardians may be built on the
principle that they’re all unique, but when it comes to their emotional ties,
they are each driven by loneliness and their desire to be part of a family
while maintaining their own will and sense of identity. Yes, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is about
family, but it offers a more unique analysis of what that means in terms of individuals
than any comic book film has had the interest in exploring.
The film is easily one of Marvel’s best looking films, and
even though the cinematographer and production designer from the first film
were swept up in Doctor Strange,
Henry Braham and Scott Chambliss work magic in making Guardians visually
distinct from the rest of the MCU. As great as Vol. 2 looks and sounds (you’ll get no soundtrack spoilers from
me), what makes Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.
2 so special is how evident it is that Gunn cares deeply about these
characters. While so many comic book movie directors can claim fandom or an
interesting take, it truly feels that each and every character in this film is
an extension of James Gunn and that he knows them through and through. While
the film is a bit stuffed with character moments and gags, rather than plot
beats, a self-indulgent film is far preferable to a factory made film, and Vol. 2 gives such a clear look inside
the head of one of our most offbeat modern directors. In the comics, the cosmic
side of the Marvel Universe is often the most difficult to grasp, feeling
unnecessarily obtuse and emotionless. But within the Marvel Cinematic Universe,
Gunn’s cosmic adventures have proven to be one of the very best aspects of this
connected franchise, and certainly the most rewarding emotional experience. Sure,
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 may be
a popcorn film, but it’s definitely a Chicago mix, a balance of sweetness and
cheese that’s impossible not to love.
Grade: A
