Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Welcome back to my blog! There are a lot of great sci-fi movies coming out in 2017. I was looking forward to the new Guardians of the Galaxy film for quite a while. Today, I'm writing a review for Volume 2. This film has a lot of great qualities, so break out the popcorn and lets see where the commentary leads.

​I usually start with a movie's stronger elements. Actually, I'm a huge fan of Volume 2. The first installment set the bar really high, so I was worried about the success of potential sequels. Sometimes the sequels are very disappointing when the first movie is really good. However, I was quite impressed with this one. Volume 2 is witty, exciting, and crazy with really great characters. The visual effects are excellent in this film. I never know what to expect at the Academy Awards, but Volume 2 certainly deserves attention in terms of visual effects. There's a huge amount of world building in this movie. I doubt that it's easy to create a fictional galaxy and every landscape within it. But the visual effects department really brought a high amount of creativity with high quality CGI. I have to admit that it's hard to have a successful superhero film and space opera without a lot of explosions. You'll get to see plenty of catastrophes and it's a lot of fun to watch.

​I was also impressed with the characters and their development. There's a much bigger cast of characters in Volume 2. You'll still get to see Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot of course. But some of the supporting characters like Yondu and Nebula play a more significant role in this film. There are several new characters, including some villains and another supporting character named Mantis. When movies are stuffed with characters, it's really hard for anyone to have enough attention. I felt like each character played an important role and some of them had plenty of development. Star-Lord is the film's protagonist and he's a versatile character. At time, he brings out a lot of comical elements. The writers also gave his character a lot of depth with more emotional and personal growth. It seemed like I saw a little more dimension and screen time for Gamora too. Baby Groot is adorable and hilarious. The film makers found interesting ways to utilize his minute size. I definitely want to talk about Kurt Russell as Ego, Star-Lord's father and a cosmic entity called a Celestial. Many of the MCU villains have been disappointing, but Ego really shines as an intergalactic threat. He almost stole the show. Ego is conniving, manipulative, and downright menacing when his true agenda unfolds. As a cosmic entity, he has the ability to take on many forms, which was also showcased with great visual effects.

​Much like the first Guardians of the Galaxy film, I have to give Volume 2 a lot of credit for being original. This is one of the most unique franchises I've seen in cinema. A lot of space operas start to look the same after a while, but Guardians of the Galaxy is special for some reason. Maybe it's the blend of fun characters, wacky stories, actions scenes, humor, and intricate universes. Prepare to die laughing if you watch this movie. Even the most serious scenes are a little bit funny. A lot of the film's concepts should be nonsense, but they actually work. Ego is more or less a living planet and shape shifter, but the writers found a way to sell the concept effectively. I can't really explain everything. You'll just have to watch the movie and then everything will make sense.

​Volume 2 doesn't have a lot of shortcomings. I would say the plot is very simple. This film relies more on the characters and visual effects. Overall, the plot introduces Star-Lord's father and some new characters who will probably serve a significant purpose in the third film. I'm pretty sure Guardians of the Galaxy is going to be trilogy franchise. It means Volume 2 will be a bridge between the first and third films. I'm not crazy about that idea, but it's typically what happens in trilogies.

​This movie is over the top. It's wild and zany with CGI that's larger than life. Some of the humor brings a huge amount of silliness to the movie. Basically, some of its strengths are also problematic. There are times when it gets a little bit too wacky. It's a small imperfection, but I suppose some viewers might feel overwhelmed by everything that's happening in the film.

​Did anybody else see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 yet? I would love to hear your feedback in the comment section. The year is flying by quickly, but I still have a lot of topics to cover. I'm going to have more interviews, film reviews, discussions about steampunk, and posts about my outings to sci-fi conventions. Keep your eyes peeled for next week's post and enjoy your night at the movies.