Twice The Jokes, Half The Charm

Rating: 6/10 (11 May 2017)

The Marvel universe isn't great for its sequels. After the fantastic 'Iron Man', we got the atrocious 'Iron Man 2', a film so forgettable I can't even remember what happens in it. After the Blockbuster Extravaganza 'Avengers Assemble', we got the seriously underwhelming 'Avengers: Age of Ultron', a film even the director was disappointed with. And finally, after the decent 'Thor', we got the unspeakable 'Thor: The Dark World' which I think is one of the most boring comic book movies in years. So yeah, the track record isn't great, but I was still excited for 'Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 2'. I remembered really enjoying the first one, due to its likable characters, its kick-ass soundtrack, and really fun, well written story. The only issues that I had was its rubbish villain (Try to remember his name, you probably can't he was so forgettable) and some nonsensical scenes that felt too far-fetched even for Marvel. So what did I think of Guardians 2? Was it as good as the original?
The story follows our rag-tag crew from the first film, in the middle of a job securing expensive batteries for a race of gold people. Eventually Star Lord (Chris Pratt) meets someone important to him, and he spends some time with this person. What we witness is a completely bland, forgettable, mostly unfunny mess of epic proportions. Yes the sequel curse strikes again, and it's a doozey. The story feels rushed, there's hardly any character development both old and new characters. Another issue with the story is the over abundance of pointless plot points that go nowhere. It almost feels like Disney was breathing down Writer-Director James Gunn's neck forcing him to put in pointless scenes and characters just to set up future films. The situation feels very similar to what Sony did with 'The Amazing Spiderman 2', being trying to set up future films so much in this one, they forget to create a coherent story for this film itself. The movie also believes that by doubling the jokes for this film, it automatically makes it funnier, whereas what it actually does it makes it seriously incoherent in humour. Some jokes do land, making you laugh and smile, others just let off an awkward silence that just makes you cringe in your seat. This happened much more often than I expected.
Acting is also a mixed bag in this film. Chris Pratt is ever likable as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, being both funny and also charismatic in his performance. He is also great in some of the films more dramatic scenes. Zoe Saldana is also great as the rather stubborn Gamora, being great in many of the films action scenes. Dave Bautista was fantastic as Drax, being definitely the funniest part of the entire film. But the best performance by far was Kurt Russell as Ego, but this is due to him being a fantastic veteran actor who could make any role just mesmerising to watch. The only people i had issues with was Bradley Cooper as Rocket, who to me felt rather one note in this film, and also Karen Gillan as Nebula, whose only emotion was grinding her teeth in anger, after a while it just got old.
Visually the film is a CGI Extravaganza. Bright colours fly everywhere, and a lot of it is stunning to behold. There are some moments that look clearly fake, and drag you out of the experience, but most of it is definitely solid. Cinematography wise its rather standard, it's nice to not see much shaky cam within the action scenes. You can clearly see everything that is going on, and these sections are really well directed. But the best thing by far is the Soundtrack, its outstanding. Songs by Fleetwood Mac and Cat Stevens are used perfectly, and many others (Which I won't spoil) just slot into the scenes effortlessly. This is definitely a soundtrack to pick up.
It's just a shame that the film is a serious mess. There is some enjoyment to have. The action is fast paced and wonderfully directed, there are a few very funny moments, and many of the dramatic scenes are well done. The issues with the film though are serious, the story often feels non-existent, many of the jokes fall flat and plot points feel forced in. To me, it feels seriously rushed, and maybe needed another year to fix its seriously weak script.
Overall, I'm seriously disappointed with the film. It lacks a lot of the charm that the first film had, and thinks that a funnier film is an abundance of jokes. It's definitely not. Not the worst Marvel film, but it is a misstep.