Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) Movie Review

Synopsis:

Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and his team continue their adventures throughout the galaxy. Peter soon discovers the truth about his heritage from the father he never knew, Ego (Kurt Russell).

Review:

James Gunn's first Guardians of the Galaxy was a successful smash hit. Marvel Studios decided to bring him back to direct its sequel.

For fans of the previous film, Guardians Vol. 2 brings similar elements, such as vibrant visuals and some fun performances.

This sequel falters, though, in its tired use of humor and scattered plot.

As a whole, humor served the first Guardians movie well. In Guardians Vol. 2, James Gunn goes overboard.

Take any scene where there’s supposed to be story development. In most cases, a character will always come equipped with a joke.

Most of these jokes are from Drax (Dave Bautista), who becomes a nuisance over time.

One other element of this film is a directionless approach to storytelling. This presents a negative effect on investment.

While the first Guardians movie’s plot was simple in retrospect, its pacing was brisk and focused.

There’s for example, a side plot that involves a race called The Sovereign.

This is a group who Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) stole valuable items from.

They are there to serve one of two purposes; to be a joke or inserted at random points throughout the plot.

Otherwise, they’re pointless additions and offer nothing of value.

Guardians Vol. 2 strengths lie in Peter Quill and his father Ego. It also finds strength in lesser-known characters such as Yondu (Michael Rooker).

For context, most of Ego’s backstory is through exposition. Despite this, it’s clear that Kurt Russell had fun with his character in this movie.

Michael Rooker’s Yondu is also given more development. This includes the action scenes and his interactions with the other Guardians.

As expected, this film ventures to a variety of different planets. Each one presented with a unique visual style.

To split up these journeys are many action sequences to fill in those gaps.

Most of these have good CGI and visual effects. Despite this, there are times when the action feels devoid of weight.

Also, they are often difficult to follow due to editing or too many objects on screen at once.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, Guardians Vol. 2 is a competent, colorful, if somewhat uneven movie that juggles too much at once.

If the plot had dedicated focus on the conflict with Ego, it would have felt more cohesive.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's positives are its good performances.

It also includes development from characters you wouldn’t expect. As a whole, it's recommended to Guardians or MCU fans.

Sam’s Action Reaction score:

Characters - 7/10

Story - 6/10

Action - 6/10

CGI and visuals - 7.5/10

Soundtrack - 7/10

Overall score: 6.7 out of 10