"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2": More Character, More Story, and Never Enough Baby Groot!

   The summer movie season is here, people! The month of May has so many promising movies slated that as a movie-lover I don't know how to contain the giddiness within! This weekend marks the beginning with Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, a rip-roarin' space opera that is a blast to watch. The big question that everyone will have going in is whether or not Vol. 2 will be as good or better than the first. I think that is an unfair question. The first Guardians of the Galaxy was such a huge surprise hit. Nobody expected it to be as amazing as it was. Heck, outside of the nerd-inclined society, nobody really knew who or what the Gaurdians of the Galaxy were. What writer/director James Gunn did with that property was nothing short of brilliant, blending a memorable soundtrack, unforgettable characters, and humor to boot, within a gigantic space epic that ultimately widened the spectrum of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. How in the heck does one top that? How you might ask? You do the smart thing and not the typical thing: forgo doubling down on spectacle, while doubling down on story and characters.

   Vol. 2 is not without said spectacle, humor and awesome music, but that's not the focal point of the movie, which most sequels would tend to focus on. With Star-Lord's new Awesome Mix Tape #2 as our backdrop, the story follows the crew on their many adventures while discovering Peter's true parentage. Yes, they have to save the galaxy once again, but for some reason I couldn't help but feel like the story arc for all of the guardians (save maybe Drax) had so much depth and growth that ultimately it felt like a smaller story. This movie is very much about family dynamics, and the relationships you form. When we meet the guardians, they have been working together for some time as a protection team for hire. As the narrative unfolds we learn who Peter's father is (played by Kurt Russell) and we begin to see the ramifications of certain relationships, which in turn give us more insight into why these characters are the way they are. It subverts the notion that as a sequel it needed to double-down on everything, when in retrospect it becomes less of an action movie and more of a character piece.

   The main focal point, despite the various character arcs, is really Peter and his lineage. Kurt Russell is just an amazing man. The fact that he is now a part of the MCU is just plain awesome. That being said, his character was one of the more weaker aspects. It's not a spoiler, it's in the trailer, but we learn that he is Ego, Peter's father. Most of Ego's purpose in the movie is to spew out tons of expository garble-degoop. There are moments between Peter and Ego that are pretty funny and somewhat heart-warming, but he was ultimately used as an info machine. That doesn't mean Kurt Russell was bad though, because he's awesome...and can do no wrong. Across the board the acting in the movie is really well done. Christ Pratt carries a lot of the emotional arc of the story and he balances the humor and heart really well. Dave Bautista's Drax has probably the funniest lines throughout the entire movie, Zoe Saldana's Gamora was great, Rocket is as fun as we expect him to be while also having some truly emotional moments, and Baby Groot...I-I can't even. He's the most adorable little tree monster you will ever see. All that aside, the biggest standout for me was Michael Rooker as Yondu. Arguably the best performance of the entire movie, James Gunn doesn't just leave the emotional character development to the heroes. We learn more about Yondu and why he is the way he is and it's wonderful.

 
   Again, what James Gunn and Marvel have done here, I think, is really smart. Vol. 2 is not without some awesome action sequences. The moment we are first re-introduced to the Guardians is so hilariously action-packed that I was exhausted from laughter by the time the opening credits had finished rolling. But amidst the spectacle, the focus is the characters. The movie doesn't do much to add to the world-building of the overarching Cinematic Universe, however it enlarges the world and scope of who these characters are, leaving it open to explore and flesh them out even further. As a film, the narrative isn't as streamlined as the first, it is kind of all over the place, but not so much that it takes away from the experience. The antagonists of the movie - a race of gold people who, to be fair, are somewhat justified in their actions...sort of -  were kind of lame, which tends to be Marvel's weakness. Other than Loki, the villains of the MCU are usually the weakest point of their movies.

   When all is said and done, Vol. 2 is a freakin' blast. I enjoyed it so much. It's hilarious, heart-warming, visually-stunning, well-acted, well-produced, with a soundtrack that was great for this narrative but not as cool as the one in the first film. I think that outside the Captain America franchise, the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is easily one the best within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. People will love this movie, and I'm excited to see where they go from here.