5 of 5 stars
Finally got to see it this week. As so many have said, if you liked the first one, you will love this one. I’m going to talk about it a little, but fair warning:
******MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD******
Okay. The story basically is the Guardians are hired to protect some fancy batteries on a planet of superhumans, the Sovereign, who are all genetically engineered and created in laboratories. They also are completely full of themselves. They slay the monster, but Rocket is Rocket and pockets some of the precious batteries. The Sovereign attacks the Guardians’ ship with drones and all looks pretty bleak until a mysterious figure blasts all the drones. The Guardians crash on a planet, and the mysterious fellow reveals himself as Peter’s father, Ego. Ego takes Peter, Gamora, and Drax to his planet, leaving Rocket, Baby Groot, and Gamora’s sister, Nebula (who they were returning for the bounty on her) to repair the ship. Ego draws Peter in with tales of his mother, and how Ego has been searching for Peter for years. He also reveals he is a Celestial, a god-like being who can create and destroy by controlling the energy on his planet. He shows that Peter can manipulate this Light, as well. Gamora feels something is wrong, but Peter won’t listen. He’s found the father he’s been searching for since his mother died. Rocket gets captured by Yondu (sent to bring the Guardians back to the Sovreign), Yondu’s crew mutinies, and Rocket discovers why Yondu never turned Peter over to Ego. Naturally, Ego is not who he pretends to be, and has a universe-wide plan of destruction for his own gain, and Peter is essential to it. And that’s the main story of the movie, so I will stop with the details here. Suffice to say, it’s Guardians saving the day once again. And maybe, learning a few things about themselves in the process. Maybe…
Of course, the soundtrack is another of Peter’s Awesome Mix tapes of music his mother loved and taught him to love. Songs are a mix of hits and lesser known pieces, with artists like ELO, Fleetwood Mac, Glen Campbell, Cat Stevens, and Looking Glass, among others. It’s just as catchy as the first one.
The script is quite good, perhaps not great, but it keeps the rather snarky tone of the first. The one-upsmanship between Rocket and Peter is going stronger than ever. There are many memorable lines, and lots and lots of snark and laugh-worthy moments. Cultural references from Peter’s growing up years are everywhere, and everyone except Peter is delightfully ignorant of all of them. “I’m Mary Poppins!” No reference for you, but one of the best. Baby Groot is easily the best character in the movie- adorable, a little ditzy, and just as articulate as in the first. He can say more with one “I am Groot” than most people can with a paragraph. There are more feels in this story, as well, with a little more character development and depth that had me sad, excited, a little scared, and laughing out loud in many parts. Any flaws or gaps are not apparent enough to make you stop mid-watch and say: “Huh?” For me, that makes it a good movie. Sure, we can talk about this and that plot hole, things not explained or that didn’t exactly make sense, but if those things all occur after the movie is over, the writers did their job. They kept me entertained. Oh, and yes, stay through the credits, not only for the now-expected Marvel vignettes, but there is a lot going on just in the credits themselves.
It was funny, touching, had plenty of action, lots of snappy dialogue, talented acting, and was a delight overall. Go see it. You won’t regret it.
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