Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2

Director : James Gunn
Year : 2017
Genre : Superhero
Rating : ****

While it may lack the kitsch novelty of it's convention-bending predecessor, James Gunns' highly anticipated superhero sequel 'Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2' proudly boasts the same sharp humour, fun characters and pure unabashed joy that made the 2014 original such a wonderfully strange and unexpected surprise. Many critics have complained about the constant stream of superhero movies we have endured over the past decade or so and yes, even I have had my fill of CGI-heavy action spectaculars. However, if they are all going to be as truly entertaining as 'Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2', then I'm sure I can sit through a few more yet.

Chris Pratt once again stars as the wisecracking, gun- toting smuggler-turned-hero Peter Quill/Star Lord who, with the help of his fellow Guardians Drax (Dave Bautista), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Baby Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), attempts to unravel the mystery of his parentage while also saving the universe from enemies both old and new - one of whom turns out to be an intergalactic deity who plans to use his extraordinary powers for rather nefarious purposes.

As was the case with the first film, 'Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2' is chock-a-block full of jokes and almost every one hits it's mark. Whether its an obscure reference to a popular 80's TV show or a very on the nose jab at someone's facial deformity, the film relentlessly throws gag after gag at us. Thankfully the cast are all highly talented comedic actors and every single one manages to make the jokes work to their full potential.

Chris Pratt is effortlessly charming and charismatic as the smoothtalking  Quill whose sharp tongue and dry wit provides 'Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2's with many of its harder laughs while wrestler Dave Bautista once again shines as the dim-witted Drax. Other comedic highlights come in the form of the aggressive yet adorable Baby Groot who practically steals the show in the first five minutes and Bradley Cooper who is simply hilarious as the cantankerous Rocket whose running skit surrounding an enemies ridiculous name plays like an extended tribute to 'The Life Of Brian'.

But amongst the films endless stream of one-liners and insults, 'Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2' also contains a great deal of hard-earned emotion and while I was expecting the same zany comedy that made the original film so enjoyable, I was also quite taken aback by just how much this movie tugged on the heartstrings while also tickling the funnybone. Be warned, you may just find yourself welling up in last 10 minutes or so.

At 136 minutes in length, 'Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2' is a bit too long and while I unequivocally loved it from beginning to end, the humour and the emotional heft are somewhat lost in the cacophony of the effects-heavy final act. But in all honesty, these blips pale in comparison when the rest of the movie is just so damn entertaining. It's exciting, it's funny, it's colourful, it's surprisingly moving - it's basically everything you could possibly want in a Summer blockbuster. Throw in a jukebox soundtrack which includes songs from the likes of E.L.O, Fleetwood Mac and George Harrison (any film which features the sublime majesty of 'My Sweet Lord' is OK in my book) as well as cameos from PacMan and David Hasselhoff for good measure and you have yet another movie that proves that there is still plenty of life left in the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe.