15 – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2
Once again, the MCU hits another home run. But in this particular one, there were a few things I didn’t particularly like. My gripes are minor, but they are there. Anyway, I’ll get to them in a bit. There is so much to praise in this movie. The visual effects were top notch. The new characters were incredible. The continuing character development of returning characters was phenomenal. And strangely enough, the color pallet of the film was stunning, making it visually beautiful. And as with the first Guardians film, the music was so cool!
Of course, Star Lord, Gamora, Drax, and Rocket came back. And even though Groot died during the first film, his progeny, Baby Groot, who was simply too cute for words, joined the team. And then, in addition, Yondu joins up, and the interesting empath, Mantis. And we can’t forget their enemies. Nebula, kind-of, Ego, the living planet, and Ayesha, the Golden High Priestess of the Sovreign people. But then, Ego was really the big bad. Nebula was just trying to beat her sister Gamora in Battle because of unresolved daddy issues, and Ayesha was justifiably upset because Rocket stole her people’s property. They both just wanted a little revenge, and went to extremes to get it. But Ego was an insane Celestial, bent on taking over the universe. So I have to mention Kurt Russell, as Ego. He was so cool! He looked good, he acted the hell out of the part, and he looked like he was having a good time doing it. He’s just a darn good actor.
Just like every MCU film, this movie had a lot of fantastic action. Even the opening scene, where the opening credits were being shown, was an action sequence. It started off fun as Baby Groot dances around, seemingly oblivious to the fierce battle going on behind him. The Guardians are fighting a giant, multicolored-fire-breathing, blob monster with tentacles. Then there’s a space battle with Ayesha’s remote-piloted fleet, a skirmish in the forest as Rocket single-handedly trounces Yondu’s Ravagers, until Yondu stops him with his mentally controlled arrow, another fight between Gamora and Nebula, Yondu and Rocket’s escape from Taserface, and finally, the climactic battle between the Guardians, the Sovereign’s forces, and Ego. There were so many action sequences to love.
But there was also some pretty amazing emotional content to the film as well. The bonding between the daughters of Thanos was touching. Though, that seemed to pale in comparison to Yondu’s death and the Ravager funeral scene. It is such ride. It brings me close to tears every time I see it. I love the way in which they burned his body with rainbow flames, and then the Ravagers put on a beautiful fireworks display in his honor. And while that is happening, the Guardians seem to be drawn closer together as a family.
And it was that neon rainbow color pallet that really stood out to me. From simple fires to grand explosions, the bright pinks, purples, greens, blues, yellows, and oranges are visually captivating. And the gorgeous fantasy design of Ego’s planet was just mesmerizing. The iridescent bubbles, the landscapes that look like fantasy paintings, Ego’s opulent palace. Even the dark and disturbing underground cavern with the bones of his children held a certain amount of innate beauty that cannot be overlooked.
But I can’t forget the things I didn’t like, and there were really only two. First was Drax. He is supposed to be a big bad-ass, but for some reason, they turned him into a laughing buffoon. I don’t mind a funny moment once in a while, but his constant merriment and ridiculously awkward comments felt forced, and as a result, it blunted how dangerous he is supposed to be. The other is Mantis. While I like Pom Klementieff and the character she created, the only thing she shares with her comic book counterpart is her name. I don’t mind the new character. Just don’t call her Mantis. The real Mantis is the Celestial Madonna. This one? Not even close.
Top 10 Favorite Parts
- The opening fight with the Abilisk
- Rocket defends his ship from the Ravagers
- Rocket makes fun of Taserface’s name
- Peter, Gamora, and Drax arrive on Ego’s planet and see the diorama that tells his story.
- Star Lord bonds with his father, Ego and learns to control the Celestial energy.
- Gamora and Nebula’s battle.
- Rocket, Baby Groot, and Yondu excape from the Ravager ship. Yondu shows what his arrow can really do.
- Rocket explains how the bomb works to Baby Groot
- Star Lord and Ego fight, creating constructs of living energy, while the guardians attempt to escape the dangerous planet.
- Yondu’s Ravager funeral. So Beautifully done.