After enjoying the first Guardians of the Galaxy, I was really looking forward to Vol. 2. The first movie had already shown how much fun this strange group of characters could be, so I was curious whether the second one could bring the same feeling without simply repeating what worked before.
Thankfully, it did feel different. The movie was still full of jokes, colorful planets, strange creatures and big action scenes, but this time I felt that the characters were more important than the actual adventure. It spent more time showing who these people were when they were not busy saving the galaxy.
One thing I really liked was the way the movie started with a huge action scene but did not make the action itself the main focus. The Guardians were doing what they did best, while Baby Groot was busy doing his own little thing in the middle of everything. That combination of a serious situation and something completely ridiculous set the tone very quickly.
And honestly, Baby Groot was impossible to ignore. I knew the character was going to be popular before watching the movie, but I still found myself paying attention every time he appeared. He was tiny, innocent and often completely confused, which gave the movie a lot of its lighter moments.
The visual side of Vol. 2 was also something I enjoyed a lot. The first movie already had a strong colorful look, but this one seemed even more comfortable with bright colors and unusual environments. Some planets looked almost unreal, with huge landscapes, strange creatures and glowing locations filling the screen.
The music was another big part of the experience. The Guardians movies had always used older songs in a way that made them feel connected to the characters, and Vol. 2 continued that idea. There were several moments where the music and visuals worked together so well that I remembered the scene more because of the song than the dialogue.
But underneath all the jokes and colorful action, I thought the movie was really about family.
That part worked for me because the Guardians were not a normal family at all. They argued, annoyed each other, made terrible decisions and sometimes acted like children, but there was still a strong connection between them. They had all been through difficult things in their own lives, and being together had slowly given them something they did not have before.
Peter Quill was especially interesting this time. In the first movie, I mostly saw him as the funny and confident leader of the group. Here, I got to see more of the person behind that attitude, especially when the story started dealing with his relationship with his father.
Chris Pratt handled those quieter moments well. He was still funny, but I liked that the movie allowed him to be more emotional without turning him into a completely different character. There were moments where his usual confidence disappeared, and those scenes gave the character more depth.
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Gamora and Nebula also had a much more interesting relationship this time. They were very different from each other, but their history made it clear why there was so much anger between them. I liked that the movie did not simply treat Nebula as another villain who needed to be defeated. Her feelings toward Gamora were much more personal.
Then there was Rocket.
Rocket remained one of my favorite characters because he was funny on the outside but clearly carried a lot of insecurity underneath. He often acted like he did not care about anyone, yet his actions suggested the opposite. I thought this was one of the strongest character ideas in the movie.
Yondu was another character who surprised me. I did not expect to become as interested in his story as I did. Michael Rooker gave him a rough personality, but there was also something sad behind the way he behaved. His connection with Rocket gave some of the quieter scenes more meaning.
The comedy was mostly very good too. Some jokes were silly, some were completely ridiculous, and a few were probably aimed at people who enjoyed the first movie's humor. I especially liked the way Drax treated almost everything seriously while everyone else was trying to figure out what was going on.
Drax and Mantis were a funny combination. Mantis had a completely different personality from the rest of the Guardians, and Drax's lack of humor made their conversations even better. I liked how she was introduced without immediately feeling like another copy of an existing character.
What I took from the movie was that family does not always mean people who are related to you. Sometimes it can be the people you meet, the people who understand your problems, or even the people who constantly annoy you but still stay when things get difficult.
That idea fit the Guardians perfectly.
The first Guardians movie introduced me to this weird group and made me enjoy spending time with them. Vol. 2 made me feel a little more connected to them. It was still a crazy space adventure, but underneath all that craziness, it was really a movie about people trying to figure out where they belonged.
All photos of the post are collected from The Movie Database and/or IMDB.
Until next time.
Rating: 80/100
