THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
We knew that Guardians of the Galaxy would get a sequel after its surprise success in 2014, and it was worth the wait when it arrived in 2017.
PLOT
Vol. 2 shows our titular group of heroes go through another chaotic adventure in this sequel, taking places only 2 months after protecting Xandar from Ronan the Accuser. The Guardians would protect valuable batteries from a giant abilisk for the Sovereign race in exchange of Nebula, who attempted to steal batteries for herself. The Sovereign then decide attack the Guardians when Rocket stole from them. They are thankfully saved by a man named Ego, claims to be Peter Quill's father. Quill, Drax and Gamora go to Ego's planet while Rocket prepares their damaged ship. Ego reveals to them that he is a Celestial and became his own planet traveling around the galaxy when he met Peter's mother, Meredith (Laura Haddock). Yondu Udonta is hired by High Priestess Ayesha to capture the Guardians. His hesitance when finding Rocket and Groot leads to a mutiny within his Ravager crew, giving Nebula the opportunity to escape and go after Gamora. With the aid of Kraglin, the trio of Rocket, Yondu & Groot wipe out the Ravagers led by the new leader Taserface (Chris Sullivan) and go find Ego, but Taserface tips the Sovereign Yondu's coordinates before death. Nebula spares Gamora when finding her, making amends with her. Ego reveals to his son Peter that he's been planning to terraform the universe into an extension of himself. It has taken so long to do so because it needs the power of two celestials. Ego had bred with many females throughout the galaxy besides Meredith and had Yondu traffic them to him but none had his genes except Peter. Knowing this, he killed them all; The trafficking job also got Yondu exiled from his Ravager community and when he found out what Ego was doing, he chose to raise Peter rather than possibly send him to his death. Ego's empathic servant, Mantis, explains this to Drax, Gamora & Nebula before it's too late. Ego chooses to reveal that he's responsible for Meredith's cancer which leads to Peter refusing to join him, wanting to kill him instead. As everyone reunites, they agree to kill Ego to save the galaxy. Nebula helps get rid of the Sovereign by using her cybernetic arm to activate lasers from Yondu’s ship, which destroys the entire fleet. With instructions from Rocket, Groot plants a bomb in Ego's brain, which kills him. Quill is last to escape but Yondu saves him as he dies in the vacuums of space. After Yondu's funeral, Mantis chooses to stay with the Guardians but Nebula decides to go after Thanos. The film ends with multiple post credit scenes, Kraglin practicing using Yondu’s fin and arrow, Ravager Skagar Ogord (Sylvester Stallone) reunites with ex teammates and Ayesha creating a new advanced being dubbed ‘Adam’.
THOUGHTS
Looking back at this film, it is crazy how so much had happened. James Gunn made a sequel that is just as excellent as its predecessor. With the use of visual effects, the action and comedy sequences improve significantly. The same can be said with the ‘Awesome Mix Vol. 2’ soundtrack. This sequel is pretty awesome but it still has some story flaws of its own. First off, due to the advanced technology, it is odd for Ayesha to travel all the way to planet Contraxia to hire Yondu, rather than just call her. I knew the mutiny was bound to happen but Yondu should’ve discussed how dangerous it would be to kill the Guaridans before finding them, not right then and there. That scene is mainly an excuse for Nebula to escape. I know Mantis is afraid of Ego but if she really wanted to tell Drax about his plot, she should’ve said it anyway as Gamora interrupted. It was an odd excuse to drag out the reveal. I know this sequel is months apart from the first film but I feel like Ego should’ve found Peter sooner if he found out he survived touching and Infinity Stone. Lastly, it was dumb for Ego to reveal what he did to Meredith. If he really wanted Peter on his side, he should’ve not told him. Ignore all of this, than you will appreciate the sequel for what it is. Going back to the goods, the dynamic of realizing that Yondu was more of a father Quill could ever imagine is a welcome surprise, as not only did it make Yondu more important than expected, it expresses that parentage comes in many shapes and forms in the most positive aspect. Michael Rooker improved big time with Yondu, reflecting his character’s regrets and fatherly love all through his facial expressions. The phrase “He may have been your father boy, but he wasn’t your daddy. I’m sorry I didn’t do any of it right. I’m damn lucky you’re my boy” is gut wrenching because it is reflecting that parenting isn’t perfect, the least one can do is appreciate what they’ve done in their lives for so long. When you realize that, it makes his death the most heartbreaking moment in the MCU, until the stuff we got in Endgame. Chris Pratt again pulls off another great performance of Star Lord, embracing his path of acceptance, this time with Yondu being his father figure all along. Although the romance of Gamora and Quill was never a thing in the comics, it doesn't feel forced in this film. Zoe Saldana is great again channeling her character’s conflict of making amends with her sister Nebula after years of conflict, while pushing Quill away out of fear of losing him. Between all of it, she is still as noble as we first met her. Drax cracks more jokes than he kicks ass in this movie and although it is nowhere near his comic book counterpart, it still pays off in the hands of Dave Bautista. He gave the biggest laugh when he questions Ego’s anatomy. I know Vin Diesel doesn’t do a lot with Groot because he’s only saying ‘I am Groot’ but it sounds pretty challenging that he has to do it while sounding like a child, that is commitment that shouldn’t go unnoticed. Bradley Cooper gives another good portrayal of voicing Rocket for showing him at his most conflicted. It is this story where he realizes that he needs to think of others aside from himself. He and his friends are lucky to survive, but that would’ve not happened had he not stole the batteries. These turn of events now makes him more cautious with his decisions. The development of Sean Gunn's Kraglin was another welcome surprise, showing that despite feeling jealous of Quill being a favorite to Yondu, he is still loyal to his captain because he knows they were decisions. I do hope that his growth continues to grow. I enjoyed how Nebula chooses to redeem herself because she is a broken person that wanted love in her warrior life and chooses to give it first when she spares Gamora. Karen Gillan pulls it off again with this complex character. This arc for her becomes one of the greatest character developments throughout the MCU. Pom Klementieff is adorable as Mantis, making the character from shy to brave when overcoming Ego. Elizabeth Debicki is perfectly over the top for Ayesha and since this character is responsible for creating Adam Warlock, than that makes Vol. 3 even more exciting. The addition of showing Yondu's original Ravager crew was satisfying as there were the original Guardians in the comics, like Yondu. I do hope they have a presence in the sequel as well. I have mixed feelings on if Stan Lee really is a Watcher, but if it is true, then it is a cool explanation to his various MCU cameos. The joke on the name Taserface is funny the first time, but is less funny after multiple viewings. Last but not least, when it comes to Kurt Rusell's Ego, that is the definitive example of a surprise villain. He was someone we enjoyed but ended up hating later. It is already upsetting when he reveals that he killed Meredith but you will end up hating as much as any other villain when he destroys Peter's walkman. The shot where we see him in his planet form was honestly bone chilling. I didn't mind that Thanos wasn't in this movie, but it would've been cooler if he was. Overall, Guardians ofthe Galaxy Vol. 2 is a great sequel that lives up to the hype. If you enjoyed the first film with these characters, then you will feel the same with this one.
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