[Review] ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ Emphasizes Character Over Story

Editor’s Note: Warning, some spoilers will follow.

Even though it’s filled with plenty of epic-scale space fights, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 feels like a more confined story than the first, seeing as how the action is primarily kept on two planets, both of which are sparsely inhabited. Emphasizing characters over story was clearly the mandate, and on more than one occasion the movie mocks this very notion by having an action sequence occur mostly off-camera while we focus on a single character who isn’t in the fray. The story also wants to be sincere, but director James Gunn can’t help himself at times, with some of the more dramatic moments being undercut by excessive mugging or weirdly goofy bits.

Gunn has clearly seen Doctor Strange, however, and is trying to up the ante on those trippy, psychedelic visuals in a way that makes sense in his corner of the Marvel universe. There’s even a literal journey to the center of the mind. There are also probably more on-camera deaths than in any other Marvel movie, and not all due to villains, either; Yondu (Michael Rooker), the space-redneck who’s kinda scummy but still charismatic, massacres the entire crew of a crowded spaceship in a scene that maximizes the 3D effects and is played almost purely for humor. In the context of the movie, it’s somewhat acceptable–outer space as depicted here is very much a kill-or-be-killed environment. But if you’re the sort of viewer who likes to think about the morality of the folks you’re rooting for…you may not want to.

The Guardians’ troubles this time around begin when Rocket (Bradley Cooper) decides to annoy a very touchy race of gold people called The Sovereign by stealing some valuable energy sources after they’ve already paid the gang for a job well done. Fleeing from the Sovereign fleet of drones, which (quite deliberately, I suspect) resemble a swarm of live-action Galaxian aliens and are controlled out of what looks like Donald Trump’s personal Dave and Buster’s, the Guardians are saved by the sudden appearance of Peter “Star-Lord” Quill’s mysterious father, aptly named Ego (Kurt Russell). For reasons that are more about script structure demands than actual story sense, Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), and Drax (Dave Bautista) go with Ego to his home planet, while Rocket and Baby Groot (Vin Diesel’s voice given Chipmunks treatment) remain on the E.T./Spielberg-tribute planet with a captive Nebula (Karen Gillan). Yondu reenters the picture when the rest of his Ravager clan turn their backs on him for letting Star-Lord go the last time, and we get quick cameos from Sylvester Stallone, Michelle Yeoh, and a few others that are undoubtedly meant to set up sequel events.

Rocket and Groot wind up teaming with Yondu against the Ravagers, as Nebula seeks vengeance on her sister Gamora, and Star-Lord tries to figure out his newfound powers that come from his dad. Obviously, all is not as it seems, or the movie would be over quickly, but it does feel like good ol’ Peter could be a bit more tempted by his new powers than he actually is. When the threat of losing them inevitably comes up, his decision feels a bit too easy: what ought to be the One Ring is merely icing on the cosmic cake.

If it seems like I disliked the movie, I may be overly harping on the minor nits. Overall, it feels like spending time with old friends again, and the use of depth and size contrasts in the 3D is spectacular, if a lot to take in at times. Team newcomer Mantis (Pom Klementieff) is a welcome addition; like a female version of Drax, she takes things literally, and provides someone for neuro-atypical female fans to identify with.

Still: why does Drax need a spacesuit in this one, when he didn’t last time? Argghllebargle!

References and allusions flow freely, as Quill again makes references to the Earth pop culture he remembers, leading to a pretty spectacular cameo, and maybe the best Mary Poppins joke ever. Other nods are more subtle, like Rocket behaving at one point like Templeton from Charlotte’s Web, or new villain Taserface having asterisk-shaped pupils like the characters on Rick and Morty. Sean Gunn’s Kraglin gets more to do this time around, and thankfully seems up to the challenge, delivering real poignancy despite his brother’s best efforts in the opposite direction. The Guardians franchise still delivers the most bang for the buck of any of the Marvel sub-series, and the end credits seem to be setting up at least three possible sequel ideas; comic fans will notice that Nova’s route to Infinity War is also getting solidly established.

If Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 has any point to make, it’s this: family members can be jerks to each other and yell all the time, but in the end, they’re still family. Beware only the ones who aren’t honest with you, and I honestly love this movie despite its relative simplicity, because the characters do feel like my relatives for real.