Saving the Universe is bound to get you noticed, and in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”, we find the dysfunctional Guardians reaping the benefits of their newly found notoriety by being hired to resolve threats all over the galaxy.
The film opens with Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), and Groot (Vin Diesel), battling a gigantic creature at the request of a race known as the Sovereign.
During a frantic and hysterical battle the crew is eventually triumphant and accepts their payment, which is the form of Nebula (Karen Gillan), who the crew look to turn in for a very lucrative bounty and settle some old scores in the process.
Of course their naturally ability to find trouble arises thanks to Rocket, and soon they have a very large and motivated new enemy gunning for them which results in them crashing on a remote planet. A mysterious benefactor named Ego (Kurt Russell), arrives and claims to have a connection with Peter and he, Gamora, and Drax head off with Ego and his assistant Mantis (Pom Klementieff), to his planet while the rest of the crew repair the ship.
As if things were not complicated enough, Yondu (Michael Rooker) and his crew of Revengers arrive hoping to collect a Bounty on the Guardians that has the group divided and facing serious danger.
A new and greater threat is soon discovered and despite internal tensions and conflicts, the Guardians must once again risk everything to save the universe once again.
The new film hits the ground running with plenty of action and humor and gives the characters new and old plenty of great moments that really expand upon their characters. The only issue is that the film does have some slow pacing in the middle as we are given numerous CGI landscapes where the crew walks around talking, but little else. With such a large cast, this is done to allow the characters to grow and new ones to be properly introduced, but it can at times drag on. Thankfully the finale is filled with the trademark humor and action that fans have come to expect which although very CGI heavy does result in a very satisfying and surprisingly touching finale.
The cast works well with one another and the jokes fly frequently throughout. Writer/Director James Gunn has done a great job in expanding the characters and introducing new ones as we see new layers of complexity to the characters that explain their actions and motivations in ways not usually shown in comic themed movies.
I would strongly suggest waiting through the credits for the numerous bonus scenes and keep an eye out during the film for some special surprises as the film is littered with them.
As the characters will soon transition to “The Avengers: Infinity War” which is currently filming audiences will not have to wait as long to see the dysfunctional Guardians family on their next outing, and thankfully we have an enjoyable new outing to enjoy until then.
4 stars out of 5
Second review by Tracey Barrientos
The guardians are back in the latest installment of Tim Gun’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The fifteenth film in the Marvel pictures franchise. The ensemble cast includes the always handsome earth born Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), bad ass beautiful Gamora (Zoe Saldana), the always has something to say Rocket raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), the absolutely adorable Baby Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) and the extremely buff Drax (Dave Bautista). Some new characters and surprise guests can be seen s well.
This time around the group is hired by the golden race of the Sovereign to protect their very powerful batteries from others that are after them. Also held by the Sovereign is Gamora’s sister Nebula (Karen Gillian) whom has some serious sibling issues. After fighting a huge space monster and retrieving Nebula they irritate the Sovereign and flee for their lives. While fleeing though, a man followed them. The man ends up being Ego (Kurt Russel) who ends up being Peter’s long lost father finally finds him and reunites with him.
Guardians of the Galaxy is absolutely hysterical. It delivers the right amount of humor at the perfect time. It is also full of adventure and action for the entire family though some elements may be too much for the little ones. I really enjoyed this film and of course my favorite parts were scenes that involved baby Groot. For those of you whom haven’t seen the first installment, don’t worry. The second installment can stand on its own. The music is on point as well. At one point I took a second and looked at the audience and everybody’s heads were bopping to the music selections. This is a film that can’t be missed. Also I would definitely recommend viewing this film in not only 3D but in IMAX as well. If I had to sum up this film with one word it would be…EPIC!!!
5 out of 5 stars!
