Film Review: Cut of Nostalgia in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’

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CHICAGO – When I first saw “Guardians of the Galaxy” I was unfamiliar with the comic book source. I enjoyed the film, but worried it might be just a little too nerdy and obscure to develop a following. Now with “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” the series has solidified itself as the class clowns of the Marvel Studios cinematic universe, and it’s been embraced for it.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Volume 2 doesn’t quite have the freshness of its predecessor, but still manages to win audiences over with its goofy pop culture-addled sensibilities. It’s not quite as much of its own thing, and more of a conventional Marvel movie, but it still mostly works. They’ve made the larger Marvel Comics Universe a little more welcoming to the bit players and oddballs on the fringes, and at this rate it’s not inconceivable Marvel could build a whole Simpsons-sized world of fringe characters, where even one-joke bit players get a chance to shine.

This time Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Rocket Raccoon (voice of Bradley Cooper), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista) and a twig sized groot (voiced by Vin Diesel, in his most expressive performance) come across Ego, Quill’s Dad (Kurt Russell, these days apparently cornering the market on rugged authority figures in blockbuster franchises). They happen to all be on the run from a golden race of prissy beings called “The Sovereign,” after an ill-advised prank gets the Guardians on their bad side. The Sovereign are essentially the boarding school-bred “Mean Girls” of the galaxy, but they occupy space in this film as little more than franchise duty, tying this story into upcoming adventures.

Continue reading for Spike Walter’s full review of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”

The Crews Gets Down in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’
Photo credit: Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Pictures

Continue reading for Spike Walter’s full review of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”