by Chris Feil
Superhero sequels these days seem burdened to go more bigger than bombastic. If the entire human race isn’t at stake and they aren’t finding new ways to topple more and more skyscrapers, they aren’t following the rules of engagement. So it is with some relief that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 operates very much on the same level and ambitions as its predecessor, its sights on delivering what it did before and just as well. It gets what we loved about it before, and doesn’t mistake it for empty spectacle.
That means more bickering, more quips, and more retro tunes as our space badasses once again defend the galaxy - but also about the same amount of scale in regards to what they are saving us from...
Even Vol. 2’s villain’s interplanetary reach for destruction seems positively intimate when compared to the likes of Ultron smashing a chunk of the Earth into itself. Your affection towards the sequel is therefore likely to fall right in line with your thoughts on the first installment.
Where the film does prove to be more ambitious is in the emotional connections between our heroes. Gamora and Nebula’s tenuous sisterhood becomes more defined, while the passion between Gamora and Peter Quill remains evasive. The film stretches to make the sometimes dastardly Yondu a patriarch to a few of the Guardians, but Michael Rooker is charming enough to pull off the the softer side of a gruff character without being too saccharine. Baby Groot is now the literal little brother that he always was in the group’s roles, while Rocket remains the drunk uncle.
But it’s the swift arrival of Peter’s absentee father Ego (Kurt Russell, a recent movie star comeback we aren’t appreciating enough) that provides the story’s main backbone. And his sudden presence in Peter’s life brings up more questions than the personal ones we know are coming. Russell provides the charm that the film somewhat denies Chris Pratt from delivering - Peter Quill is just a little sad this time, guys. As Mantis, Pom Klementieff hilariously matches Dave Bautista’s Drax for deadpan directness.
But the most delightful new blood in the film is Elizabeth Debicki as golden warrior queen Ayesha, the Guardians’ newest villain. She’s all vengeful rage but still coolly disposed, like all Game of Thrones seriousness dunked in a vat of fabulous. We can't wait to see more of what she brings to the MCU!
Guardians is a more emotional piece to the MCU puzzle than its fellow snarky superheroes, and this sequel succeeds by being light and loose with that depth of feeling. While it plays some of its surrounding themes with a heavier dose of literalism that lacks that light touch (the naming of Russell’s Ego brings a few groans), the film remains a neon breeze by taking itself seriously only in the right amounts.
If not the most revolutionary start to the summer movie season, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 does deliver a fun kickoff of easy laughs and warmth.
Grade: B