Showtime, Groot-Holes
I realize it’s been a while, but it’s time again. Grab a seat, class is in session.
As I’m sure most of you are noticing, there’s a trend with the Professor and my movie reviews. It’s not entirely on purpose, but it has mostly been Marvel movies that I give you the skinny on when I finish with them. It just kind of happens that way. I do see other movies, for the record. Just watched The Circle last weekend. Let’s just say there’s a reason I didn’t review it…(wait for the on demand if you want to see it, that’s all I’m sayin’.) So with that being said, it’s not real shock that I’m sitting down to review the latest movie out today. Strap on the jet packs and space suits gang, today we’re talking:
As always, I’ll try to give you my feelings on the movie with no spoilers. Kind of easier said than done with this one, but I’ll do my best. Also as always, right up front, I liked this movie a lot. A lot. If I’m giving an immediate comparison after only one viewing? I enjoyed Vol. 1 a little bit more, but not by a whole lot. Maybe because Vol. 1, for me, is a little more original as I had no idea who the characters were or anything going into it. With Vol. 2, it didn’t feel as new. I can’t say that’s a bad thing, I’ve gone into virtually every other Marvel universe movie with a fairly large understanding of what I was about to see. I’ve read the comics on pretty much everything else that has been released. I had never read any Guardians comics going in to the first one, so everything was a surprise. That tends to make a movie pop a little more, I think. Again, that’s not to take away from this one, that’s just part of why I think I enjoyed Vol. 1 a little more. Let’s get into this one a little.
What did I like: pretty much everything. As with the vast majority of Marvel products, the casting choices are great. The original cast is back, all moving seamlessly back into their characters, not missing a beat. If anything, the characters are much stronger in Vol. 2. There is a lot more fleshed out for everyone in this movie, save for maybe Groot, but that should be expected. Some people won’t enjoy this one as much because of that, because there is more character development in Vol. 2. We learn more of what lies beneath with characters like Drax, Rocket, and even Nebula. I know it sounds like a lot, but it’s done just right. They don’t spend a ton of time on this development, but they give us exactly what we need to get deeper into their stories. The addition of Mantis and Ego to the cast are great. You can’t really go wrong with Kurt Russell to begin with, but his portrayal of Ego was both fun and terrifying, when you find what his purpose is. Not being overly familiar with Pom Klementieff, I was not overly expecting much, but her Mantis is fantastic. It’s a little different from what I remember in the comics, but she’s extremely enjoyable and adds a great character for the future. My favorite two parts of the movie, however, are probably the soundtrack and the visuals. If you a little older, like me (sigh), the soundtrack will really sing to you (no pun intended). Fleetwood Mac, Sam Cooke, George Harrison, Cat Stevens, and yes, even some Parliament Funkadelic. It’s awesome and fits in the movie better than I would have expected. The visuals, however. Wow. I wouldn’t have thought you could out-do the first Guardians as far as space visuals go, but I was definitely wrong. This movie is gorgeous from start to finish. Yes, I prefer the psychedelic visuals from Doctor Strange a little more, but this was very close. From the dark space light up with stars and meteors, to the amazing plush landscape on Ego, the movie has more than one moment that had me temporarily lost in the stunning backgrounds. I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention yet another fantastic Stan Lee cameo. It’s about as perfect a cameo as they have done, especially if you are comic geek like myself. I’m not sold that it verifies the rumors of who Stan really is in the MCU, but it’s still great.
Alas, as with every movie, there are things I did not like. Not a ton in Vol. 2, but a couple. The first thing that got me was pacing. The first half of the movie has it’s moments, but for the most part, it’s pretty slow. Slow, but with good reason. There is a fair amount of build and story in the first half. There has to be, or the second half makes much less sense. That being said, I think there could have been something done to add a little more “pep” to the first half of the movie. I also felt the movie was a little too comedic this time around. Look, I love a comedy as much as anyone else, and I loved how it was used in Vol. 1, I just think it was a little over-used in Vol. 2. Others I have talked to disagree with me, so maybe I’m just getting old, but I think some of the corny/comedy beats could have been done without. The last thing I thought about is probably more of a neutral feel that a negative feel, honestly, but it probably belongs in this category. The villain from the beginning of the movie, a group called The Collective, felt a little flat for me. They are a bland race to begin with, really, but I didn’t really get any kind of ominous feel from them during the movie. When they are dealt with, it just feels too simple. They probably could have been a stronger force to deal with. I will say, however, they show their importance in the post-credits. Not everyone is going to understand what it means when you see that scene, but trust me. It’s pretty huge.
So let’s sum it up: the movie is good. Very good. Absolutely should be seen in the theaters, at least once. As usual, I recommend the IMAX 3D, but that’s about the only way I go to these movies these days as I love the way it pulls you in. Oh, and there are five post credit scenes. Yes, five. Stick around.
The next review will most likely not be until July. July 7th to be exact, when the web-slinger known as Peter Parker finally makes his solo MCU debut. As the wall-crawler is *my* favorite Marvel hero, I can’t begin to explain how much I’m looking forward to that one. You can guarantee a review then.
Until next time…
Class dismissed.
