Short version: It Does Not Suck. It will probably also make Marvel Studios yet more cash, so expect another one. But you knew that going in.
Slightly longer version: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is fairly obviously a sequel, but it was a sequel directed, written, and acted by people who wanted to be there, so it was good. It felt slightly more relaxed than the first Guardians of the Galaxy, which – lest we forget – was rather gingerly anticipated by everybody, because it was unclear whether Marvel Studios* was going to get away with putting a mildly obscure, Eighties Cheese science fiction comic line up there on the big screen. But they got away with it, and they’re going to get away with it again, so why not have a good time here?
Speaking of Eighties Cheese, it is strong in this picture. I mean that in a generally good way: the music is all Eighties, the cameos are all Eighties, the aliens are all Eighties (no spoilers, I couldn’t stop laughing at the golden aliens because, yeah, perfect), and the Easter eggs are all references to other Eighties Marvel comics, which may suggest that you see some of them on the big screen at some point. After all, the MCU ever hungers for fresh content…
Moe Lane
PS: To me, it’s all Eighties, because financial reasons. I saw most of this stuff for the first time after we moved and the family finances got better, you know? I keep forgetting that.
*I don’t know whether this is the first time that I’ve noticed, but Marvel Studios apparently now has enough movies in the MCU out there to justify showing more and more them as part of their animated studio logo. It would be scurrilous of me to suggest that the movie studio might also feel obligated to subtly distinguish itself from its steadily more-undistinguished print comic counterpart, so I shan’t.
I’m fairly certain what tonight’s song will be since it’s likely stuck in the heads of everyone who saw Volume 2. Do do do do do do do do do do do do.
If it’s Tom’s Diner, I may wait until I had a fast forward button.
Actually, I’m not earworming any of them right now.
Well that’s fortunate for you. Because I’ve been reminded all day that there’s a girl who wears a braided chain made of finest silver from the north of Spain with a locket that bears the name of a man that she once loved.
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Oh, and FYI to anyone hasn’t seen the film yet. There are multiple post ending sequences. Even when you think “Oh, they’re done now” there will still be more.
For those of us who spent enough time around amusement parlors in the early 80s, there’s also a nice reference to an arcade game named Galaxian.
The movie is filled with lots of nice small things decorating a more-than-adequate main plot. I enjoyed it very much.
I actually enjoy this far more than the first movie. Sure the first one was quite unexpected and this one have more expectation going in. But the emotional punch, especially the end was far far more touching.