Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: A funny but more conventional sequel

THE first Guardians of the Galaxy movie seemingly came out of nowhere to wow and surprise us. Can its sequel live up to the same expectations?

REVIEW

LET’S be clear on one thing — Baby Groot is ridiculously cute.

Like, think of the cutest puppy you’ve ever seen. Now think of that puppy doing a little puppy yawn, stretching his puppy mouth open, tongue curling and eyes slowly blinking and that’s how cute Baby Groot is, times five.

Having glimpsed the absolute adorableness of Baby Groot (Vin Diesel) in the closing credits of Guardians of the Galaxy, its sequel went full tilt, starting with the mini wood nymph dancing about while a chaotic battle against a many-tentacled monster takes place in the background.

Wait until you see him dance.

That opening scene will give you a sense of how Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 approached its return — capturing the parts that worked so well in the first hit and amplifying it, maybe too much.

Which means more of Drax’s (Dave Bautista) straightforward, literal takes on everything (“I have famously huge turds”), more of Rocket’s (Bradley Cooper) prickliness and more of Peter Quill’s (Chris Pratt) smart-alec barbs. Oh, and Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Nebula (Karen Gillan) engaging in fisticuffs — because sibling rivalries never really let up.

What it does mean is that Guardians 2 is a much bigger movie than the original surprise that managed to rake in $800 million even though its titular heroes were fairly obscure Marvel characters without a built-in audience.

The first movie had a breezy energy that breathed new life into a genre that could take itself too seriously. While the second film was never going to be able to recreate the alchemy of the first — expectations being the most important elixir there — that playful spirit is still jumping around. It’s just a much bigger and more conventional spirit.

An expanded crew.

The first half of the movie is unfocused and often lacks momentum with bits of narrative detritus flung about and ultimately dragging it down.

One of the film’s weakest points is its overlong run time. Clocking in at two hours and 15 minutes, it’s unnecessarily stretched with much of that excess time used to service an ultimately pointless subplot — well, pointless to Vol. 2.

This, unfortunately, is the consequence of Guardians 2 existing within a franchise that’s obsessed with setting up the next film rather than being purely about the current one. It’s an indulgence at the expense of a tighter picture but one that will, presumably, pay off years down the track in the already announced Vol. 3.

But when it settles in about midway through, and when it’s clear what this sequel is actually about, Guardians 2 picks up.

Framed around family — the ones we’re born with and the ones we make for ourselves — Peter’s heretofore elusive dad Ego (Kurt Russell) rescues him from a jam and seduces him to his mission on his fantastical planet.

Ego’s true intentions and Peter’s connection to his father’s plans and heritage is what drives the back half of the movie.

In addition to our heroes, others to return include Yondu (Michael Rooker), the Ravager pseudo-dad to Peter, and Yondu’s sidekick Kraglin (Sean Gunn). We also meet some new peeps such as empathic Mantis (Pom Klementieff), the genealogy-obsessed Sovereigns and a band of Ravager leaders (spot the cameos!) who will surely play a much larger role in the next instalment.

One guess why he’s named Ego?

From Ego’s incredibly lush and imaginative planet to the industrial bowels of Yondu’s ship, the bigger production budget has meant Guardians 2 is able to take it up a notch in the effects department and the result is a visually inventive spectacular. It’s not Doctor Strange-level, but it’s almost there.

The music, of course, is thumpingly good. Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain is used twice, with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham’s electric vocals lending a charged energy to a crucial moment in the story while George Harrison’s My Sweet Lord aptly rings out over the gang’s arrival on Ego’s planet.

The likes of Sam Cooke, Glen Campbell and Electric Light Orchestra all feature while Cat Steven’s Father and Son may feel like an on-the-nose inclusion but is weepily effective nonetheless.

Still warm, goofy and fun, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a welcome return for our oddball heroes but it is a far more traditional comic book movie than its irreverent predecessor.

Rating: 3.5/5

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is out in cinemas now.

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Band of outcasts, plus more Baby Groot!

Originally published as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: A funny but more conventional sequel