Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
12/05/17 Filed in: Cinema
I remember seeing the trailer for the first instalment of Guardians of the Galaxy and concluding that it looked too daft to bother with. However, I watched it on TV a little while ago, and while my opinion of its daftness proved to be spot on, I found it extremely enjoyable. The humour and the background music carried it along and the fact that the plot lines and antics verged on the ridiculous hardly mattered.
And so to Vol.2. Well, it's a fairly seamless continuation from the first film. All the team are in place, although in place of Groot, the walking-talking tree whose self sacrifice saved the rest of the team in the first film, we have a Baby Groot who was planted as a sapling from an offshoot of the dying Groot. Now it has to be said that Baby Groot is adorable, getting into all sorts of trouble as any devil-may-care youngster might. Like Groot senior, his only vocabularly is "I am Groot". If you're not familiar with the Guardians, the rest of the team are almost as bizarre as Groot. Peter Quill, or Star-Lord as he likes to be known, is the leader. He's human of the Earthling type, although not entirely so, as we find out. Gamora is the green-skinned woman who's the sensible one. She has a sister, Nebula, who's not on the team. In fact Nebula wants to kill Gamora. Drax the Destroyer is all muscle but with a softer side. And finally Rocket, a genetically modified raccoon, who's a master of weapons and military tactics. I did say it may seem daft.
In this sequel the team is first seen protecting some valuable batteries in the service of, Ayesha, the High Priestess of the Sovereign people, a gold race that is genetically engineered to be both physically and mentally perfect. This involves a battle with an inter-dimensional monster and they are doing this to secure the release of Nebula, who was caught trying to steal the batteries. Task complete they leave, only to be pursued by the Sovereign's drones because, it transpires, Rocket has pocketed some of the batteries.
They are saved from complete destruction by a strange ship, but nevertheless crash on a planet with their ship a write-off. The ship that saved them lands and Ego emerges, claiming to be Quill's father. He invites Quill, Gamora and Drax to accompany him to his home planet while Rocket remains to repair the ship - some hope! - along with little Groot and the captive Nebula. Ego's planet turns out to be a paradise, Heaven even! And Ego professes to be a god, which makes Quill godly as well. But all is not as it seems and while Quill laps up his new status, Gamora is decidedly uneasy.
Meanwhile, Rocket and Groot fall victim to a rogue Ravager group, led by Yondu Udonta, who originally abducted Quill from Earth as a child, and acted as a sort of surrogate father. But Yondu himself falls victim to a mutiny, leaving Rocket and Groot at the mercy of the now unpredictable Ravager group. Nebula has sided with the Ravagers and plans her quest to kill Gamora.
Although I'm now shortcutting quite a lot of action, the ultimate show-down is between Quill and his father, with all the team coming back together to help. Little Groot's job is place a bomb made from the Sovereign's batteries at the heart of Ego's planet, where his disassociated brain resides. Giving instructions to Groot to achieve this plan turns out to be somewhat hit and miss. After all, confirming that your instructions have been understood is tricky if the recipient only utters three words. "I am Groot".
The ending sets things up for the already planned Vol. 3, with Ayesha seriously upset and promising all sorts of retribution. Make sure to watch the credits as there are tasters embedded in them.
It's difficult not to enjoy this film, although if you are of a serious minded disposition I wouldn't bother.
Meanwhile, Rocket and Groot fall victim to a rogue Ravager group, led by Yondu Udonta, who originally abducted Quill from Earth as a child, and acted as a sort of surrogate father. But Yondu himself falls victim to a mutiny, leaving Rocket and Groot at the mercy of the now unpredictable Ravager group. Nebula has sided with the Ravagers and plans her quest to kill Gamora.
Although I'm now shortcutting quite a lot of action, the ultimate show-down is between Quill and his father, with all the team coming back together to help. Little Groot's job is place a bomb made from the Sovereign's batteries at the heart of Ego's planet, where his disassociated brain resides. Giving instructions to Groot to achieve this plan turns out to be somewhat hit and miss. After all, confirming that your instructions have been understood is tricky if the recipient only utters three words. "I am Groot".
The ending sets things up for the already planned Vol. 3, with Ayesha seriously upset and promising all sorts of retribution. Make sure to watch the credits as there are tasters embedded in them.
It's difficult not to enjoy this film, although if you are of a serious minded disposition I wouldn't bother.