Marvel has kicked off the superhero summer season with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, helmed once more by James Gunn. In an attempt to capture lightning once again, they stumble ever so slightly, but the film is still as entertaining as any film in the MCU to date.

The film starts out with the Guardians working as a team to fulfill a contract to protect a planet and its precious resources. Since the close of Vol. 1 the Guardians are working as a team and consider themselves a family of sort, more so than just friends. Due to some atypical self-destructive behaviour by Rocket, the team is chased by a fleet of warships and end up being saved by Kurt Russell’s Ego, a character revealed at SDCC last year.



This is where the story deviates from the first film and is partially why I consider it a 'small' film. The story revolves around Peter Quill and his family issues, particularly who his father is and who his father was. To say more would spoil the film, but everything that happens centres around Peter coming to terms with his father’s actions, his upbringing and ultimately choosing his own path while acknowledging his past.

Interspersed among the overarching narrative are further familial themes focusing on Gamora and Nebula, as well as Rocket. In the end the story serves to prove to one and all that this team is a family and not just a band of do-gooders for hire.

The main story satisfyingly answers all the questions the viewers and Peter have. Unfortunately, in a film that is just under two and quarter hours, the other sub-plots and characters do get shifted to the background. Particularly unsatisfying was the resolution of the Gamora/Nebula relationship. This arc could be a film on its own dealing with betrayal, loss and ultimately redemption. Having said that, Michael Rooker’s Yondu gets a particularly affecting arc as he is given more depth and dimension. Rooker gives by far the most nuanced performance of the cast.

At the opposite end of the spectrum we have Karen Gillan’s Nebula. Much like in Vol. 1, she is the weakest performer, which makes no sense given her outstanding performance as Amy Pond in Doctor Who. She is a one dimensional, Christian-Bale-as-Batman voiced character, that never evinces an ounce of sympathy from the viewer. Gillan is not at all convincing and more is the pity.



The rest of the cast delivers a performance comparable to that of the first film. Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana are charismatic leads with Pratt flirting and struggling to articulate his feelings and Saldana convincingly failing to feign disinterest. Dave Bautista as Drax is a great, loveable oaf, but he is used more for comic relief, given that you know whenever you see him, he will deliver the punch line. That is unfortunate as both he and the character have more to offer.

We do see a glimpse of that little bit more in a scene with the empath Mantis when he talks about his deceased daughter. Mantis is the newcomer to the team and is played with sense of loneliness and innocence borne of isolation very well by Pom Klementief. Her wide eyed innocence is a welcome antidote to the general world weariness of the majority of the cast and Drax’s inability to use his inner voice.

Rocket follows a very similar character arc, masking insecurity with sarcasm. He does get one very impressive sequence, part of which you see in the trailers. This scene showcases his ingenuity and just how dangerous he can be and is quite easily my favourite scene.

Baby Groot is cute(it's Vin Diesel’s most nuanced performance outside of the Iron Giant), but his rise to prominence is quite possibly to the film’s detriment. He has two scenes where he is the centre of attention, the first is during the opening credits and basically expands on dancing Baby Groot from the post credits sequence of Vol. 1. This scene serves to bring Awesome Mix Vol. 2 to the forefront as well as showcase how cute Groot is. Sadly, it just goes on a tad too long. The same can be said for the second scene with Groot adorably getting confused when asked to fetch an object. Cutting these scenes down would’ve helped the pace and run time of the film.

The soundtrack feels a little more forced than the first film, but unlike Suicide Squad is still an integral part of the story. Two examples point to this problem: the opening credits scene is one, but they can also be a subtle nod to how much respect the team has for Peter as their de facto leader. The soundtrack is great, but just does not have the same hook that Blue Swede’s Hooked on a Feeling or that The Jackson 5’s I Want You Back had.

We have all read the think pieces on Marvel’s biggest problem, forgettable villains. Vol. 1 certainly suffered from that as Ronan the Accuser was criminally wasted, but in Vol. 2 the villain is almost on par with Loki. His motivation is not one note, like Loki he is the hero of his own story and feels what he is doing is right. The villain is a welcome addition to Marvel’s cinematic library and I hope he will be used in Phase 5.



The film displays the most colourful visuals since the first Thor’s depiction of Asgard. Ego’s creations are wondrous and serve to subtly showcase his power. While they obviously use a ton of green screen and wire work, it never feels false or out of place. The 3D is well implemented, normally I have trouble keeping focus, but in this case James Gunn has constructed his scenes to never distract you with the 3D or to make it difficult to focus on the subject of a scene.

Vol. 2 is one of Marvel’s better sequels, just behind Winter Soldier and head and shoulders above Iron Man 2, Age of Ultron and Thor the Dark World. It stumbles as it focuses more on Peter than the team and doesn’t live up to the heights of Vol. 1. However, it is a good film and great entertainment that will keep you in your seat for the full running time.

On that note, stay to the very last credit, there are five mid- and post-credit sequences. It is getting ridiculous, but they do add that little bit extra to the film and the character development as well as setting up the next film. And before I forget, Kevin Feige and this film have confirmed a fan theory regarding Stan Lee and it is the best theory ever produced by fans. I won’t spoil it, but Marvel’s comics fans will get it immediately.