By Giana Haynia
Marvel Studios has a long streak of exciting movies and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2” extended that streak. “Volume 2,” which came out on Friday, May 5, takes place only months after the the final scene of the first “Guardians.” The film centers around the dysfunctional team of misfits as they come across the movie’s main protagonist, Peter Quill/Star-Lord’s long-lost father. The fast-paced action and non-stop humor that audiences loved in the first “Guardians” continues in its sequel.
Returning cast include Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, and Vin Diesel as Groot. New additions to the cast are Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Kurt Russell as Ego, and Elizabeth Debicki as Ayesha. Returning director James Gunn did the impossible; he made the sequel better than the first.
One of the biggest aspects of the “Guardians” movie was the laugh-out-loud comedy, and the sequel delivered. The deadpan humor of Drax (Bautista) is one of the best parts of the movie, and the adorable Baby Groot (Diesel) in nearly every scene elicits a smile through most of the movie, alongside its new endearing character, Mantis. She and Drax were great together throughout the movie, and the unlikely pair formed an interesting dynamic. No joke fell flat, which is unusual in not just Marvel movies, but movies in general. However, the film wasn’t all laughs and jokes. “Volume 2” had what the first “Guardians” lacked, heartfelt moments and tear-jerking scenes.
The ensemble movie did what the “The Avengers” and the sequel, “The Avengers: Age of Ultron” fell flat on: putting a spotlight on each character and giving them a storyline of their own. Audiences received more backstory on each of the main characters than in the first installment. Instead of just facing the villain, each character had their fair share of internal conflicts. Gamora, for example, had a more compelling story with her cold sister, Nebula, than “Frozen.” The two were at odds throughout the course of the movie. When Quill found his father, Ego, he turned out not to be the person he thought he was just when they started to bond.
The sequel is the whole package: funny, clever, heartwarming, heartbreaking. It lived up to the hype and more; it is definitely worth seeing more than once. This movie would get a rating of five out of five.
