This time, it’s personal.
Writer/director James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is one of Marvel Studios’ best films. It carries the same irreverence, rich color palette and fantastic throwback soundtrack that made Gunn’s first Guardians such a blast, and it’s free both from the setup of a new ensemble and from the sense that the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is just another cameo away. I tend to enjoy the interconnectedness of the MCU, but getting a film like Guardians Vol. 2—which is both physically and narratively very far away from Iron Man and Captain America—is a great reminder that Marvel has a lot of chips to cash, and they can push the envelope beyond what their audience is used to. James Gunn’s sequel isn’t perfect, but he takes what worked the first time and infuses it with richer character drama and more deeply felt relationships, resulting in one of the most emotional Marvel outings yet.
After banding together to guard the galaxy in the first film, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and (now baby) Groot (Vin Diesel) are marooned on a remote planet when a job goes awry. Coming to their aid is Ego (Kurt Russell), Peter’s long-missing biological father. He takes Peter, Gamora and Drax to visit his home world while Rocket works to repair the Guardian’s ship. On the team’s tail are Yondu (Michael Rooker) and the Ravagers, and the Sovereign, a race of gold-skinned people who seem to exist to be easily offended.
Gunn takes a page out of the Empire Strikes Back playbook by splitting up his primary team and giving them new scene partners. Yondu has a hugely expanded role from the first film, and he makes a terrific sparring partner for Rocket, who is struggling to adjust to being a part of the Guardians family after years of teaming only with Groot. Russell oozes charisma as Ego and finds a nice dynamic with Pratt as he fleshes out the love story between himself and Quill’s mother. Drax spends most of his time with Ego’s empath servant Mantis (Pom Klementieff), who is a solid addition to the cast, though the portrayal approaches an offensive stereotype of an asian servant one might expect in an old Bond movie. The actress does what she can with the mostly good material, as do Saldana and Karen Gillan (returning as cyborg Nebula) as feuding sisters. Nebula is much better served here than in the first film, though her storyline with Gamora doesn’t feel big enough for Saldana as a co-lead.
It’s disappointing that the female characters aren’t given as much to do as their male counterparts, but it’s clear from the very first scene of the film that the central focus is Peter Quill’s relationship with Ego, and the film tells that story with flair. Nearly every element of the film is rooted in their story, and it’s why Vol. 2 is so affecting throughout. Gunn has once again curated a top-notch soundtrack of classic songs to score his drama and action—most of which are creatively executed—and that personal touch is felt from the first scene to the last. Even those characters who are underserved feel like they’ve been guided by a director who deeply loves them, and that makes all the difference in a film as big as Guardians Vol. 2.
The irony that hangs over this film is that its biggest drawback is also its secret weapon. As a standalone film, Guardians Vol. 2 is a bit aimless; it's really just a collection of character scenes until a threat presents itself and the Guardians must protect the galaxy. There's no specific item driving the central drama, as there is in the first film and in most other Marvel joints (antagonist X has all-powerful Y, and is planning to use it to destroy heavily populated Z). Marvel is good at making each film fun, even when those films can be redundant, which is why Vol. 2’s slack narrative and abundance of character-driven drama works so well in the context of this franchise. Marvel lets Gunn take his foot off the gas peddle and tell a story about family dynamics; connecting with a father figure, rebuilding bridges with a spurned sister, and raising a child. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has its missteps, but its vibrancy and heart truly win the day.