I had enjoyed the first GotG but had trouble ranking it with respect to other parts of the Marvel Cinematic, er, Universe. It's just so different. First of all, very little takes place on Earth, and only one major character, Peter "Star-Lord" Quill (Chris Pratt), is even half human, tho others tend to have an implausible similarity. Second, the Guardians are antiheroes, first teaming up for a prison break. Third, they're mostly rather subtle in powers, and their equipment isn't very innovative. The movie relied almost entirely on a sense of fun via dialog, emotion, and retro references. It worked, but I had yet to see how well it could work again, apart from the perhaps overly faithful first episode of the ensuing TV series.
Vol. 2 first shows the Guardians, having earned their moniker, doing what they do when the galaxy isn't facing clear and present danger: mercenary work. And a little theft on the side by the most corrupt ones, which is why such big-time saviors still have a lot of people after their hides. But those pursuers are arguably incidental to the main plot. Peter finally meets his mysterious biological father, Ego (Kurt Russell), who's actually extremely powerful and offers to share his wonders. Gamora (Zoe Saldana) thinks it's too good to be true, especially after hints from Ego's empathic companion, Mantis (Pom Klementieff); but Peter, tired of his unrequited crush on Gamora, dismisses the suspicion as resentment. Of course, anyone familiar with stories in general should guess who's correct....
Yeah, I didn't fit all the individual Guardians into that summary paragraph, but they all matter; believe me. In fact, the filmmakers do a pretty careful balance of scenes to that end. The Guardians spend a good chunk of time split up, as do other key players, leading to various opportunities for personalities to bounce off each other.
Gamora, in addition to sorting out how to deal with Peter, must come to grips with her sister Nebula (Karen Gillan), first appearing this time around as the Guardians' prisoner. There seems to be no love lost between the sisters, but we soon come to see that Nebula is not really any closer to their wicked father Thanos. We pity her and hope for her redemption.
Groot (Vin Diesel)...well, it's no spoiler to say he's not half the tree-thingy he used to be. Once the powerhouse of the group, he's become nearly useless with his tiny stature and even tinier brain. And he was never noted for intelligence, so his gags get extra lowbrow. Still entertaining when a handful of affiliates consistently understand exactly what he means by "I am Groot."
If anyone has changed in persona as much as Groot has in appearance, it's Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista). You won't find him stewing over Thanos or tripping over metaphors. Now he laughs heartily and often, with as much insensitivity as vanity. Almost everything he says is supposed to be funny to the audience. Fortunately, he also develops a soft spot for the initially off-putting Mantis. Perhaps that's why revenge for his family isn't at the forefront of his thoughts anymore.
Moving on from the guy who used to take everything literally to the guy who takes everything, literally, Rocket (Bradley Cooper) may no longer be the cutest thing on the screen, but he's pretty much unchanged: a big jerk in a small, raccoon-like body. Half the time you want to slap him for his shameless self-serving behavior, and half the time you appreciate what he contributes to the party. Obviously, he wants you to focus on the latter half. My dad thinks Cooper must have had fun voicing Rocket, because his repartee is so over-the-top.
Thanks to the parental issues, Yondu (Michael Rooker) gets a slightly bigger role than before. (Kinda like another father figure in a recent sequel.) He had led a gang called the Ravagers in abducting a young Peter and raising him as a thief. Their interactions in Peter's adulthood have been complicated, but they get some clarity by the time the Ravagers have something of a civil war (not as epic as another).
If Marvel has gained one thing from its deal with Disney, it's an emotional capacity I've rarely seen in other superhero flicks. I could take or leave the hectic, video game-like action sequences and hit-and-miss humor. The soundtrack more or less lives up to its vaunted predecessor, but who attends cinema for that? No, the real winning ingredient for me is the running theme of family or, if you will, ohana. It takes a ragtag bunch of misfits and renders them sweet. Poignant, even. I could hardly believe what they put right before the end credits (not that that's where any MCU movie truly ends).
Overall, I like Vol. 2 about as much as Vol. 1. Will I care to see a third outing? Probably, but I'll definitely need a good wait time in between.
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