Directed by:
James GunnScreenplay:
James GunnCinematography:
Henry BrahamComposer:
Tyler BatesCast:
Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Kurt Russell, Elizabeth Debicki (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
Set to the all-new sonic backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, Marvel Studios' "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" continues the team's adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill's true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes' aid as the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand. (Walt Disney US)
(more)Videos (28)
Reviews (15)
David Hasselhoff and his talking car meant a lot to me too… volume 2 of Guardians of the Galaxy plays on a family note (did Vin Diesel drag this in from Fast and Furious?) and an emotional cartwheel. An evil bastard can have a heart of gold and, vice-versa, a golden bastard can have a heart of evil. The continuing storyline revealing Quill’s origins is convincingly perverse and the idea with the living planet is sufficiently unusual. A welcome return of Tango and Cash, parody of the USA’s drone policy, Drax’s humorous interjections and Groot’s cute smile. Nothing changes in terms of acting, everybody is having a great time, Gunn’s childhood dream with rainbow bubbles comes true and nostalgic music creates gallons of good feelings with an emotionally draining ending even more intense than volume 1. Absolutely happy with this.
()
I had fun, but I can't say that I would rush to the cinema a second time. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 plays it safe, and unfortunately so much so that it's a little disappointing at times. What does that mean? More of the things that worked last time: more dancing Groot, more dumb Drax, more Peter Quill slapstick, and even weirder aliens. All mixed with spectacular action, humour and an 80s feel. This is what fans want and expect, and James Gunn gave it to them. But unfortunately, in his quest to "cram in more of the stuff we liked last time", he forgets a little bit about the story and, most importantly, that he should have shown some new stuff too. It's as if there was someone in the studio walking around with a stick and slapping everyone who wanted to come up with something new or try to do something different. The second Guardians of the Galaxy is exactly what it should be, but unfortunately it doesn't try to step outside of its own shadow in the slightest, which is a bit of a shame. Two days after the screening, the film practically disappeared from my mind.
()
“You're like Mary Poppins.” Especially during the middle part, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is more soap opera than space opera, but after the first film, which ended with the founding of the “family”, the shift to family values seems to me like a logical development. In fact, the filmmakers laid the groundwork for the emotionally powerful climax and, sooner or later, most of the motifs that seemingly hold back the narrative are meaningfully brought into play (we know in advance, for example, that little Groot really should not be entrusted with important tasks). At the same time, the narrative of disgruntled parents (both real and surrogate) and unhappy children is in line with the nostalgic tone of the film, which seeks (and finds) its true quality through songs and pop-culture references to the past (just like numerous contemporary Hollywood films enchanted by the 1980s aesthetic). The modern and egotistical treatment à la Minecraft (create your own world) doesn’t work. The search for a place where you will feel good (in the end, of course, it turns out that it’s not the place that matters, but the people) forms the main storyline of the outwardly episodic and, compared to the first instalment (where everything was held together by a single MacGuffin), rather tight narrative. For example, the organisation of the plot through the use of songs from Peter’s cassette tape, or the possibility/impossibility of listening to them, works better. Of course, the film is most entertaining when it doesn’t take itself seriously and makes its disdain for the conventions of superhero mega-films ostentatiously clear to us (the opening action sequence, when we don’t actually see the action, is the funniest one in the whole film). Gunn again tries out ways to approach a massive action scene without it being confusing. He had a somewhat bigger budget to accomplish that, so he could have dispensed with even more (several scenes overtly reference old video games – Space Invaders, Galaga, Pac-Man – and there’s a space variation on the famous air-raid scene from North by Northwest, and a cameo from David Hasselhoff and an allusion to Mary Poppins are incorporated into the epic action climax). Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a high-octane summer blockbuster that, thanks to its action sequences, soundtrack and inimitable heroes, retains enough personality to make it stand out among the many, many other comic-book movies and make you forgive it for its greater predictability and occasional loss of pace. 80%
()
It's like gutting the core of Red Dwarf, stretching it for two hours, throwing it in a magic box where special effects slaves work, and then having it generate a "movie." The first half is still quite bearable, and, in particular, Rocket manages to do what nobody could do in the first part, which is to plant personal moments and one-liners. However, the moment when the villain is defined, the following came to me: "Fuck it!", because then you're just honestly ticking off all the properties of the standard Marvel menu. No dessert, no surprise.
()
The sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy is more or less in the same vein as the first one, but it doesn't bring much new. It's decent fun no doubt. Drax and the raccoon are the funniest again, Starlord is a bit bland and didn't seem to have enough space, I didn't like Kurt Russell much and Stallone is only here for maybe two minutes, so there's not much to look forward to. The film is a bit too colourful and quite infantile in places for my taste, and the big finale is actually the weakest part, as it is nothing but a massive digital mess that you can't really absorb and you don’t really care how it ends. The highlight for me was the scene in the forest where the raccoon disarms his opponents with ingenious traps. I probably won't watch it again and would classify it as one of the more mediocre Marvel films. I suspect DC will kick Marvel's ass this year with Wonder Woman. 75%
()
Ads