Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2

While it takes great creativity to start a film series from nothing, it takes both bravery and love to follow on with a worthwhile sequel. James Gunn is a director that, way back from his Troma roots, continues to show ample amounts of all three.

2014's Guardians of the Galaxy was the pleasant surprise of the Marvel cinematic universe. An original story, with characters positively unheard of to the every day moviegoer (and practically to comic fans as well), it proved to be the most fun and enjoyable entry in the superhero universe to date, as well as one of the highest rated films of the year.

With the predicted major releases of further entries in the MCU like Thor 3, Avengers 4, and recently reclaimed properties like licence-to-print-money Spider-Man, I did not expect Guardians to get a sequel.

Luckily, Marvel seem to realize what they have in Gunn, and he returns with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, once again at the helm writing and directing with total creative control. These are characters he is clearly deeply passionate about, in a story told with great bravery, and a whole lotta love.

We return to our team's adventures following the defeat of Ronan the Accuser as they ply their galaxy guarding trade far across the universe. The team fight together as a well-oiled machine, rescuing valuable batteries from an intergalactic starfish monster while listening to classic tunes. It's clear that the group have grown closer since the last film. Tighter than friends, they are virtually family, even playing group parents to the tiny infant Groot.

Returning from their adventure, the Guardians encounter the Sovereign, a race of privileged 'perfect' people. Gold skinned, beautiful, and effortlessly fabulous, the Sovereign are one of the most fun-to-hate alien species I've ever seen in film. The Sovereign find dire offence at the slightest perceived affront, and soon enough the Guardians are fleeing an army of insulted intergalactic trust fund kids.

When their pursuers are fought off single-handedly by an unknown figure, the guardians are confronted by their strangest new encounter yet, in the form of the mysterious and powerful Ego.

Elements of each character's past are explored in Guardians Vol 2, and we find out a little more about our heroes. Family plays a strong role in the story told here. There are powerful tales of families past, ranging from the hidden history of Star-Lord's parentage and the tragedy of Drax's fallen wife and daughter, to families broken in need of healing, as Gamora's estranged sister Nebula seeks her out across the stars. Even Rocket, a creature who has no true family to speak of, finds brotherhood in the strangest of places.

As before, the ancillary characters are some of the best, with some brilliant performances by returning faces like the lovable rogue Yondu, as well as many new ones. The Ravagers are wilder and weirder than ever, a complete riot. Once again, Guardians shines in its incredible use of both on set makeup and digital effects to create some standout looking characters.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 is a quieter film than its predecessor by leaps and bounds. The time between action set pieces may be a bit much for some seeking excitement, but the time is well filled, and evenly paced throughout. For a story spanning galaxies and worlds it is also surprisingly focused, with no major sub plots intersecting, preferring to focus more on one neater story.

Once again the gallery of characters is juggled well, with everyone playing their part. While Vol 2 is chiefly a Star-Lord story, characters are never left to fade into the background, and new faces like Mantis, an adorable and naive alien empath, are given ample time to shine. The merchandising-friendly fan-favorite, Groot, is wisely not turned into a gimmick, and with more economical screen time, is never reduced to being predictable or a repetitive joke. An ensemble cast of this size isn't without weak links inevitably, and for the second time I was left unimpressed with Nebula. Easily forgotten when she's not on the screen, her role seems to demand a weight that isn't reflected in the performance delivered.

A trademark of the series, the film is also packed with enough easter eggs to keep you searching, and character cameos both obvious to the casual fan, and so obscure that even comic book fanatics will be wracking their brains.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 stands apart from the other Marvel movies. Not only literally, as the story does stand alone, but in feeling. It is a story more of heart than of action, more of family than of friendship. It is a very well put together film, and bozhe moi, does it remain a lot of fun from start to finish.

Movie Review: The Guardians of the Galaxy.

The Guardians of the Galaxy are a team that’s close to my heart. They’re my crew, my guys. A bunch of misfits awkwardly thrust together, their missions usually staggered and suicidal, yet somehow the bond of friendship between these guys is stronger than anything you find in the Avengers. The Avengers was a great film, why? Because it leapt in head first from the very start, full steam ahead, with action and fun and a story that could get going from the first scene and never let up. This was possible because every character within it had been established in a film all their own, the slow parts already taken care of, as it were. What do you do when you start a new film, and have to echo the same breakneck pace of story, with five all new heroes and a handful of new villains, without the time to fill in the backstory?

Guardians gives us hints at our heroes’ backstories, but this is no origin tale. Who they were perhaps isn’t too important, it’s who they are from now on that counts.

We open on our hero, Star-Lord. The sad story of the loss of his mother haunting his past, Peter Quill was raised to the stars by the happening by of the mercenary Yondu, and has spent his entire adult life among the world beyond. Our introduction to our new leading man sees him searching the mysterious ruin of an alien city, his treads light, observations keen, like a trench-clad Indiana Jones. That is of course, until he pulls out his beloved 1980’s era Walkman. Headphones on, Star-Lord dances and skips his way through the ruins with a swagger to rival Jagger. He’s got a sass smarmier than Tony Stark, and with it he saunters into the ruin to reclaim the film’s whole MacGuffin, the orb.

It’s a bit tired that the whole film, and indeed pretty much all our heroes and indeed our villains revolve around the orb. But then that is of course, pretty damn comic book: someone’s always trying to steal an Infinity Gem or a Cosmic cube, and wield the terrible power it grants. Simple as this premise is, story driven this film is indeed not. It takes a while to get started, and a few of the earlier scenes involving the protagonists are a little shaky. Our first introductions to Ronan, Gamora and Nebula happen all in one scene, which is a little much to swallow, especially to those members of the audience not familiar already with these characters.

A little better paced with their introduction are the films class act duo, Rocket and Groot. Both these characters are charming, funny, and well implemented. Rocket is crass and sharp from the first moment, as he almost narrates his own introduction scene. His buddy Groot being weird from the first moment, drinking from a water fountain. They’re bounty hunters, it’s an easy enough setup, and we don’t really need to know much more. The narrative here takes place on the idyllic future world of Xandar, the home to the Nova corps. The Nova corps are an intergalactic police force, and boast some tremendous character actors amongst their number, with Glenn Close, John C Reilly and Peter Serafinowicz all making appearances. It’s here on Xandar that our heroes are dragged together in a simple cohesion of events, Star-Lord trying to sell his stolen orb, Gamora on a mission from Ronan to steal it from him, and Rocket and Groot eager to catch the bounty on Star-Lord. It happens fast, they seem to be buddies awfully quickly, but it does the job. In short order four of our five heroes are thrust together, interacting. Hints at Rocket’s and Gamora’s past are suggested throughout these scenes, giving a little extra flesh to what we know about them, but we’re not dragged into any heavy exposition to slow down the narrative. It keeps up the pace, and lets us go with it.

 

 

Gamora, a green painted Zoe Saldana, is not terrible, but not the eye-catching ass-kicking female lead she really needs to be. Usual female character tropes are avoided for the most part; she doesn’t need help from the boys, suffers no romantic delusions, and no matter how hard he tries, Star-Lord just can’t get in her pants. Her outfits are modest, there’s no skin scenes, and the writers treat her like an actual woman, believe it or not. We’re introduced to Gamora and her sister Nebula as assistants to Ronan. I’m concerned that their relationship with Thanos, Ronan, and indeed each other isn’t quite clear enough to those who don’t already know it however, as it’s a fair bit rushed over.

 

Our heroes are thusly thrust together in a filthy intergalactic prison, and it’s here where they begin to really develop. Rocket’s technical genius shining, reminding the audience that this little furry guy is smarter than Tony Stark, Star Lord tries his hardest to romance Gamora, and is swiftly rebuffed, and just when you’ve forgotten about the fifth member of the team, he makes his appearance.

 

Drax is a surprising standout member of the cast. Comic fans may balk that his backstory, demeanor, and indeed overall character have quite changed from the source, but I’d say it’s a solid and enjoyable set of changes. Drax is a muscle bound, tattooed warrior, hardheaded and stoic, with his mind set on revenge against Ronan for killing his family. At first his character seems oddly played, but a few scenes in, it’s clear how much fun Dave Bautista is having playing Drax. The idea is that Drax takes everything absolutely literally, and it’s used to great comedy potential. Dave does a great job, and I was surprised to find just how much I enjoyed his performance.

 

Once the five Guardians are together, our story can continue. The separation between the act structures is a little tenuous, moving more or less at the same pace the whole film through. It’s a speedy pace, and keeps up the action throughout, but certainly leaves the whole experience feeling a little choppy here and there. After a daring escape from the prison that holds them, the orb in tow, the Guardians follow their information on the object’s original buyer to a location on the far edges of the galaxy, the mining colony of Knowhere, located in the decapitated head of a celestial creature the size of a planet.

Amongst the gritty mining colony of Knowhere, the archetypal sci-hi hive of scum and villainy, that we finally get to catch up with The Collector. Sadly, Benicio Del Toro’s wonderfully eccentric character only appears for a scant few minutes, which is mainly exposition as to the origins of the mysterious and powerful Infinity stone within the orb, and just why everyone wants to get their hands on it so much. I know there really wasn’t much more to do with him, and his character may have worn thin soon, but it would have been good to see a little more of such an interesting personality.

 

 

It’s here on Knowhere that we get glimpses into the inner workings of our heroes’ heads. We find Rocket and Drax bonding over betting on bloodsport, while Groot watches on in horror. Star-Lord tries in vein to tell Gamora just how much he loves music and dancing, failing to impress to stony eyed assassin, and when the team ends up in a drunken bar room brawl over an insult, you get the feeling this is the sort of back on forth camaraderie and animosity that real friends go through, the real personality of this team coming together.

Drax puts his foot in it, of course, when he stumbles drunkenly out of the bar and signals Ronan in an angry rage, challenging the accuser to come and get him, leading to an all-out Star Wars style space battle with mechs, lasers and explosions in space. All that good stuff. When the dust settles, a hero lies in jeopardy and the stone in the hands of evil, the only one the Guardians have left to turn to is the brutal mercenary forces of Star-Lord’s adoptive father, Yondu.

Yondu couldn’t be more different than he was in the comics, really. Gone is the contemplative native-American allegory in favor of a hard bitten biker type, played by the Walking Dead’s Merle, Micheal Rooker. With a glowing metal Mohawk that flares with power at the use of his sonic controlled arrow, Yondu rescues the Guardians and together they head out to rescue Xandar from the encroaching forces of Ronan, and take back the orb that caused all the trouble. Everything comes back to Xandar for the showdown, as Ronan descends from the skies to wreak havoc on the peaceful world below, the power of the Infinity stone enough to rend the whole planet asunder. While the combined forces of the Nova Corps gather to repel the invasion force, The Guardians form a splinter group to get into Ronan’s ship, and put an end to the big man himself.

The villain of the piece, Ronan the Accuser, is less of a character and more of a force. He reminds me somewhat of Nero in Star Trek. Both powerful men with armies below them, driven onward by a single cause. Be it revenge in Nero’s case, or simply utter destruction in Ronan’s. I personally was very disappointed with Ronan’s character in this film. When our heroes are so fleshed out, and so funny and enjoyable to watch, it’s a shame the villain isn’t nearly as much so. The character as written in the comics is remarkably complex, trying to do what is best for his kind, whilst skirting law and generally being a stone cold fascist, but an inherently moral man. Lee Pace’s Ronan, on the other hand, is simply a terrorist, bent on destruction. Seemingly not even against someone who personally wronged him, but simply the opposing side of a political treaty he disagrees with. It’s easy to see him as the villain, what with wanting to destroy planets and such, but when our heroes are so enjoyable, it’s a shame the villain isn’t equally so.

The arch villain on the other hands, the Mad Titan Thanos, is finally given his formal introduction to the Marvel cinematic universe here, and whilst he only gets a few short scenes, it’s a solid job of getting the audience familiar with a character who will be very important later. Played by a stern voiced Josh Brolin, Thanos controls the fates of hero and villain alike from behind the scenes, and is simply a looming threat in this story, waiting to take center stage in a later film. His scene will thrill fans of the comics, and does a good job of making you want a little more of the mad titan on your screen.

The film’s climax, compared to the rest of the film, might be considered overlong, it arrives a little before you might expect, and stays longer than you might desire, but regardless of its pacing issues, it’s a spectacle. Guardians incredible special effects are at some of their best here, between the glittering streets of Xandar and the stone cold tomb like interiors of Ronan’s ship, there is amazing stage design going on everywhere. So many characters are involved, it’s a huge ballet of team effort of a final battle, and here is probably what I liked most about it: It is a real team effort. Everyone has a part to play, a friend to support. This is not Star-Lord and the Guardians of the Galaxy. This is not Hulk defeating Loki and Iron Man stopping the bomb whilst somewhere the rest of the Avengers are standing around whistling. The film’s final crescendo on Xandar, as Ronan prepares to ignite the stone and lay waste to his hated enemy, with only the Guardians standing against him, as a united team, was a perfect example of this. I was thrilled to see the team united against him, as one.

What did I learn from Guardians of the Galaxy? I learned that five heroes can be written well, and given their own chance to shine. I learned that Bradley Cooper is a pretty damn good voice actor. He brings our snappy remarks and laughs and tears in a voice genuinely not his own, and all quite convincingly. I learned how to pronounce d’ast. I learnt that there is still a solid appreciation for creature shop out there, with everything but Rocket and Groot themselves being real people in incredible makeup effects as opposed to CGI characters. In the face of some of the most impressive special effects I’ve ever seen, the costuming and real makeup is still scene stealingly outstanding, particularly the hodgepodge of alien races that make up Yondu’s crew.

Most importantly, I learned that you can make a film, and make it about a team. Not the leader of a team with backup, but about the whole team. Star-Lord may be our lead, but nothing would happen without the constant interaction of the other Guardians. The villain is defeated by all of them, together. It’s a lot of work to squeeze in the characters they do, and the film certainly suffers for its high speed being crushed between plot development and characterization at times, but the people we meet are great fun, we’re introduced to a villain bigger than the whole story just waiting in the sidelines for a wider world to conquer, and The Guardians of the Galaxy are an enjoyable enough bunch of misfits to be welcomed back onto the screen.

All I can hope for is more Cosmo next time.

 

 

Comic Review: The Trial of Jean Grey.

Comic book crossovers can be a scary thing.

If you're a veteran comic book fan, you're used to it. The mass blender of characters and story lines that are thrust at you three or four times a year and mix up the stories and the bad guys. They're epic, they're fun.

If you're new to the comic book world of course, they may intimidate and frighten you. Who are these characters I know nothing about? Who are all these strange names on the covers? This new art is strange and unfamiliar! Why can't we just go back to the was it used to be?!

All it takes is a little getting used to, is all. Try to see it not so much as the literary clusterfuck it initially appears to be, and more like a sampler CD. One of those big ass ones you got for a few dollars that feature all sorts of stuff you've never heard before, but has that one track you really like. You have the comfort zone of the ones you know, can skim over the guys you aren't so keen on, and just might find something new you love, and go out and buy their record afterward. This is exactly what a comic book crossover event is like, so turn it up. Or open the page, Whatever.

  

The Trial of Jean Grey is the first crossover involving Marvel's biggest property, The X-Men, and it's newest (But swiftly rising star) property The Guardians of the Galaxy. Only a little one, three books of each completes the entire story. It's not unusual for crossover events to involve characters or books that are a little under the radar and mix them with the big leagues, as of course it's a good way to introduce people to a book they may not have picked up before. It's no coincidence that the Guardians just happen to be crossing over with the X-Men six months before their big budget movie comes out of course, you gotta introduce people somehow. It's similar to what they did at the start of this latest Guardians run, having Iron Man amongst the team for a trial run, a sort of viewpoint character, an everyday (comparatively) human amongst these spacefaring pirate nutters. It helps that a few members of the Guardians can out-flirt and out-wisecrack Tony Stark or Bobby Drake at every turn, Rocket Raccoon is a hilarious character and he's been particularly enjoyably written into this crossover event.

Now I came into this crossover from the opposite side of how most will. I follow the Guardians, and getting back into X-Men again was a strange feeling for me. They were my team back in the 90's and it's strange to see how much the characters have aged as I have. The series is All-New X-Men in particular I should point out, the concept of which is that the original X-Men from the teams beginnings in an idyllic superhero group under the tutelage of Professor X, have been pulled out of time and to the present, where the rebellious Cyclops is leading rogue mutants against his old comrades in a post Charles Xavier world.

Pretty heavy concept to swallow, I know, but it's a hell of a lot of fun to see.

Of course where most people will be learning is in the other team. The Guardians of the Galaxy, led by cocky American Star-Lord, will be new to many readers. They haven't been involved in too much heavy plot dragging them down yet, so it's easy to jump into getting to know the team, from gun-loving weapons specialist Rocket Raccoon (Yes, he's a raccoon), to smoky female melee combat expert Gamora. The teams latest member, Angela, might take a little more salt to accept, as she is a fresh addition to the Marvel universe, created by Neil Gaiman and recognizable character from the popular comic book Spawn. Yes, THAT Angela.

The crossover is a little unforgiving in that if you only really want to pick up your book out of the two, you're out of luck. The two books trade the crossover in chapters, so you'll be entirely out of half the story if you're only reading one. It's all in with this one.

I for one didn't mind picking up All-New X-Men and giving it a chance, it got me back into enjoying a few characters I didn't even realize I had been missing for a while. The relationships between young Jean and Scott is charming and brings you back a little to an earlier time of comic heroes. That's when they're from of course, and they pull it off well.

 

The story itself that all these heroes are mixed up in? Heavy stuff. This is a Jean Grey prior to the Phoenix force, long before her power grows and she becomes a danger to herself and others. The Jean from this universe never had the chance to stand trial for her crimes, on the account of being long dead of course, so when an intergalactic tribunal, lead by classic X-Men foe the Gladiator, kidnaps Jean to face trial for her future self's crimes as the Phoenix, the young X-Men are dragged along for the ride as the Guardians of the Galaxy take the plucky group into the stars to rescue Jean Grey.

 

 

Now some characters are more important than others in all this. It's a lot to juggle essentially having ten main characters to throw around, and you may find your favorite getting lost in the clash.

The focal characters between the teams: Jean Grey, Star-Lord, Scott Summers, are fully fleshed out, having their whole range of emotions on show, but I could count the lines said by Drax or Angel on one hand. X-23 seems to appear out of nowhere five books in. There is also the threat, as with far too many crossovers, of simply having too many characters! Mixing the members of X-Men and the Guardians should be enough already, but then the Starjammers turn up, intergalactic pirates with a heroic streak and a family tie to the X-Men, and it starts to get a little packed in there. There is a panel of everyone sat in the Guardians spaceship filled with so much spandex and weird coloured skin it looks like a convention in there.  It's an enjoyable mashup though, the dialogue between the teams is great, and the sardonic wit of Rocket and the stone-cold sexy of Gamora plays well with personalities as strong as those of the hyper-intellectual Beast or over-excitable Ice Man. The hamburger scene is just....great.

 

The story as a whole, is solid. Simple even. Physics-bending moral dilemma aside, It's a rescue story. Jean Grey is held imprisoned by the Gladiator and his men, seeking her to not only face punishment for crimes she has yet to commit, but to atone emotionally for them as well. Gladiator's stubbornness and seeming cruelty makes him a strong villain, and his incredible physical capabilities make him a solid match for both teams put together as it is. It's a shame there really is only one brief confrontation with all the characters present, as the story does pass an awful lot of time with the getting-there as opposed to the rescue in actuality. When the inevitable showdown does come to pass, it's over a little quickly, but is off-the-page huge of course.

 

Gladiator should know that messing with time isn't always so easy, and the resolution of the story looks like it could have some lasting consequences for the X-Men. Jean Grey theorizes her emotional state has been pushed beyond the point her previous self ever was, and that maybe the Phoenix force will effect her differently this time around. Her all-new (and all-naked!) new form is nothing wildly unexpected, but it does at least show us that this Jean we haven't seen the best of yet. Even the ever amicable Cyclops, already thrashed into subservience by the events of his own book, steps up at the end and makes a decision that could hugely change the story on his end.

 

 

As for the Guardians, sadly there isn't so much to say for this story really making a change to them. Apart from Star-Lord getting a little more-than-just-friends with Kitty Pryde, no major friendships are established or developed. The whole thing is definitely much more about the X-Men that it is our space heroes. The more you think about it, the more you need to ask: 'Did the Guardians really need to be there?' Are they just in this story for the sake of a crossover? The interplay is great fun, but could these two comics have gone their separate ways without forcing the readers to buy both? If there are further reaching ramifications for the Guardians resulting from this story, I will be surprised.

All in all, I for one did enjoy the thing. For a big fan of the Guardians of the Galaxy, it did a great job of reminding me how much I used to like the X-Men too. It even gave me the nudge to pick up a few more of the past books of their new series and enjoy them too. The Guardians and the X-Men, although wildly different teams, fit well together, and perhaps we'll see more of how they work together in the future. There was a lot unsaid at the end of this story, both happy and grave, and I hope we see these characters develop further to establish themselves in the vastness of the Marvel universe.