Guardians of the Galaxy broke away from the traditional super hero movie and gave us something light-hearted and fun, so when the opportunity to see Vol 2 came about, I jumped at the chance.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2..Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel)..Ph: Film Frame..©Marvel Studios 2017
The opening scene of Vol 2 relies on the most adorable character in the movie, baby Groot. Unlike Vol 1 which tugged at our heartstrings with the death of Peter’s mother, Vol 2 opens with something far more lighthearted, baby Groot dancing while the rest of the Guardians battle yet another foe. This lets you know that the second installment of Guardians of the Galaxy will be less serious than the first one.
The major theme of Vol 2 is family and the people we care about.
The relationship between Peter and Gamora, Rocket Raccoon and the rest of the Guardians, Gamora and Nebula, Yondu and his surprising fatherly affection for Peter, and the relationship between Peter and Ego – his long lost father, all get explored to some degree in this movie.
While this might seem endearing, none of these relationships are fully explored and end up coming across as shallow.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2..L to R: Star-Lord/Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Drax (Dave Bautista), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) and Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper)..Ph: Film Frame..©Marvel Studios 2017
Other than the usual theme of “we need to save the galaxy”, this is the only thread connecting the entire movie which comes across as nothing more than (at times forced) entertainment.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 is a cheesy, mindlessly entertaining movie. It does not live up to the free-spirited ease and sincerity of the first installment and proves that making a sequel to a successful movie is not as easy as copying and pasting the same script and slapstick comedy used in many movies.