Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Review: Intermission to Vol 3

Guardians of the Galaxy is the scrappy motley crew who stood out among the cookie-cutter superheroes of MCU. The first movie oozed nostalgia and charm that masked Marvel’s formula well enough. Vol. 2 is an intermission before the third movie, rather than a sequel of its own.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 has everything that you expect – smarmy banter, slapstick action, scrappy tech, and ’80s references. The movie starts with an opening sequence that you would only find in this franchise – a baby tree dancing to Mr. Blue Sky from Electric Light Orchestra while his companions fight a monster in the background.

As sequels often do, Vol. 2 offers more of the same. Charismatic space outlaw Peter Quill is pining for badass and delegated voice of reason Gamora, muscle head Drax turns awkward moments into punchlines, trash panda professional asshole Rocket insults everything within 5 feet of his furry feet, and Groot is the adorable mascot.

Recurring and new characters add more funny interactions to the story.  Clueless Mantis and Yondu’s loopy flying dart never fails to be amusing.

The whole cast is great with standout Pom Klementieff. Kurt Russell does what he does and it’s no wonder how a being named Ego is the father of Quill. Karen Gillian is indistinguishable as Nebula, who grows on you.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 doesn’t do anything different.

We are introduced to the big bad (with the perfectly cast Elizabeth Debicki) and new marauding characters that will appear in the next installment so James Gunn can skip the exposition. The Guardians are now a seasoned group, but the movie is still about Quill in a tacked-on story about his father.

Joining the roster of evil space Dads and aptly named Ego, you’ll already know what’s going to eventually happen. He threatens the galaxy in a simplistic and pointless endgame.

The first GOTG used Marvel’s formula in its own way, while the second goes through the motions of rote storytelling as it lays the foundation for the third movie. Even the well-intentioned emotional moments feel obviously staged. It doesn’t help that the action is redundant and the soundtrack isn’t as catchy as before.

Nonetheless, viewers who just want to be entertained can still find this enjoyable, even though it’s weighed down by the mechanics of franchise-building. At the least, it’s an enjoyable filler about a father-and-son relationship.