Justin and I saw Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 on May 6, 2017! Most people that know me are well aware I'm not a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, namely anything related to The Avengers, but I make an exception for the excellence that is Guardians of the Galaxy. Both Guardians of the Galaxy movies are epic, well constructed, deeply layered movies that deliver in terms of character development, action sequences, and entertainment value. James Gunn knows what he's doing with these movies! This is the man that made Super ( a truly underrated dark super hero movie), so I'm confident with what this man puts together in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
I think the overall storyline of Peter Quill/Starlord exploring his parentage is extremely well done! It was a tremendous story where Chris Pratt may have given one of, if not, the best work of his career. He's a solid actor, but I think his work as Starlord is his best role. He was even better in this sequel than the original as he dealt with even more things on an emotional level. Realistically, I think you can say that about all the characters. Emotions were on an all time high, and I thought that was necessary since the group has become a closer unit since the first movie. Pratt went through an entire gamut of emotions reuniting with his father, Ego. Kurt Russell gave a fantastic performance as Ego. In my opinion, Russell is one of the most consistent actors, and has been for years. My favorite work of his was Stunt Man Mike in Death Proof, but his work here set the stage for the whole movie, and he succeeded in flying colors. Everything kind of revolved around the Peter Quill/Ego storyline. It was a well written story, which provided the audience with great twists connecting both movies.
Gamora is my favorite character. I have always been a big fan of Zoe Saldana. I think she's an absolute bad ass. The Gamora character is awesome looking, has amazing fighting skills, a personality that helps her rise above her past, and in this movie, she presented a more emotional version of the character. As the characters become closer, it makes sense that she makes sure she can protect everybody around her, especially Peter, and her estranged sister, Nebula. Saldana provided a great physical and emotional connection for the audience. She was a bad ass fighter, but she also showed that she knows how to act on that screen. Great work, Zoe!
I think we need to talk about the amazing Karen Gillan for a second! Since I first saw her as Amy Pond, I knew she would be a big deal. This red headed Irish goddess is just dominating right now. She just had a role in The Circle (which was a really underrated movie in my opinion), she's kicking butt as Nebula here, and she'll be in Jumanji and other projects coming up. This is a woman that just understands her roles. I think the Nebula character is extremely intriguing. The look of the character is awesome, but why is she constantly angry? This movie explores the reasons why. I fully empathize (thanks, Mantis!) with Nebula. Just thinking about the torture she suffered while Thanos reconstructed her is horrific to think about. Gamora understands the struggle as she had her own personal issues with Thanos for similar reasons. Gamora suffered physically, but Nebula suffered both physically and emotionally. I hope Gamora and Nebula beat the hell out of Thanos together. They are the best siblings since Sarah Manning and her sestras on Orphan Black! Great performance by Gillan that should be discussed more! It was a standout role that showed how solid of an actress she is.
Dave Bautista's Drax feels like the heart of the group at times. The line where Drax says they aren't friends, they're family was received well by the audience. People clapped at the line, which was pretty cool to see. Drax had some great humor throughout this movie, particularly in scenes with Mantis. I think Drax needs it based on what he's been through in the past. He has been able to calm down since the first movie due to this connection he has with Gamora, Starlord, Rocket, and Groot. Bradley Cooper once again delivers some of the best lines as Rocket, and he also showed how much the group means to him on many levels. Rocket is a character that feels like Logan/Wolverine. They both were created by scientists/dangerous programs, and become agitated easily, but they are integral parts of their groups and try to find a way to ensure survival.
Michael Rookers' Yondu was phenomenal! Great performance by Rooker portraying a solid anti-hero character in Yondu! The expansion of this character's motivations and personality are explained, and make you care even more about the character. Yondu definitely hits the audience on an emotional level. A lot of it has to do with Gunn's writing of the character, but Rooker's performance is what sells Yondu the best. Amazing work that results in some great twists and gut-wrenching emotion.
Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 is just as amazing as the first movie providing fans with compelling storylines, particularly the Starlord/Ego story, incredible character development, a pheonemanl cast, great action sequences, brilliant, vivid colors, great twists, and an overall epic universe that gives it a definite 5/5.
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