I saw both Guardians of Galaxy films at the cinema, and on both occasions have felt more than a little underwhelmed. I kept hearing that the first was the new Star Wars, and upon seeing it though much the same as I did about Iron Man 2. It was entertaining, but ultimately disappointing. After repeated viewings the first films has grown on me, and though by now means Star Wars, it is definitely a solid film, and worthy of rewatching. The same cannot be said of Vol.2.
The Plot
I have no issue with the basic plot, and the idea of Starlord’s father being a living planet it fine. The issue is the crassness of this part of the film, with so much devoted to exposition, followed by a truly awful boss fight that brings back sad memories of Superman vs Zod. The opening should have been great, but was spilt by the naff Groot sequence that pulled attention from the adults. Maybe keep this for the cartoon stories instead.
I did like the Sovereign race and the Ravager plot line, and felt both of these were constrained by the never-ending story on Ego. Hopefully we’ll see more of both and their colourful character in the next films.
The Characters
The best part of the series in my opinion. Each of the characters, and the actors are great. They fit in with the story perfectly, and carry the film through its weaker moments. That said, they are rather one-dimensional, with most of them now following standard tropes. Kurt Russell was excellent, and I hope to see him back to more mainstream cinema soon.
Juvenile Groot sucked. Sorry, but I liked the original character, and this one is the Jar Jar Binks of the GoG films. Cutesy sequences, and dancing about is fine for pre-schoolers, but a disappointment compared to the rest of the film.
The Aesthetics
Bright, colourful and over the top. I like the look of the film, and the retro-soundtrack works just fine for me. I preferred the sing choice in the original, but this one was good enough. On a good quality OLED television, this film is stunning.
Summary
Looks great, sounds great and is filled with fun, entertaining characters. The plot is weak, and far too many crass jokes are thrown into the film for my taste. The film knows it’s going to sell well, and it seems to revel in that.
Adequate, but still fun. I’d give it a 3 out of 5.
