Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 Review | Film & TV

WARNING! THE FOLLOWING REVIEW DOES INCLUDE SOME SPOILERS!

If you are a returning reader to my blog, you would have probably already guessed that I am a fan of the superhero movie craze that has dominated cinema in the last decade or so, particularly the Marvel cinematic universe. When I heard that Guardians of the Galaxy was getting a sequel I was excited but also a little apprehensive. It is common knowledge that the sequel of a movie franchise, and even in the case of some series of books, never lives up to its predecessor. With the success of the first Guardians of the Galaxy, it was clear that this sequel would either be amazing or really dull. 


What Marvel has given us is one of their better sequels. Granted the plot was a little dull in comparison to the first but it did do some things right. For me, I loved the mix of comedy and action and I actually think it did a better job at mixing the two than the first film. Whilst Peter Quill seemed to lack the same level of comedic value in comparison to the first film, this sequel offered other characters moments to shine. I personally loved the inappropriateness of Drax and the funny bits with Baby Groot. 

This brings me nicely on to another aspect that I loved. Baby Groot. Everyone who I have spoken to who has seen the film has agreed that Baby Groot is probably one of the greatest additions to the Marvel cinematic universe. Even though Groot was a great character in the first film, it is Baby Groot adorability and aggressiveness that make him such a loveable and funny character. Who thought a talking sapling would be one of the greatest Marvel characters? 

The opening credit scene was also by far one of my favourite moments of the film. Not only did it give a great introduction to the soundtrack (which I liked but not as much as the soundtrack of the first film) but also made the film stand out from the other Marvel films. It is unusual for a Marvel film to not start with an elaborate and (I’m guessing) expensive fight scene that either doesn’t fit with the plot of the film or is just a bit too over the top. This opening scene, however, fitted the film perfectly. 

Despite all these great aspects of the film, I’m not going to pretend there wasn’t stuff that I either didn’t understand or just didn’t like. The plot, for me, was a little dull. Whilst it was good to learn the true identity of Peter’s father, and consequently, the true capabilities of Peter’s powers, the plot, for me, lacked the same edge-of-your-seat stuff that Marvel usually goes with. Also, why did they decide to give Nebula a back story? She was one of the token bad guys in the first film and worked so well as a villain. Now we’ve learnt the true reason why she hates Thanos and Gamora her character seems to have been devalued. Hopefully, we will see more of her character and maybe some development of the character in the next instalment. I think the thing that got me the most was the fact that they killed off Yondu! He was honestly one of my favourite characters and the relationship they had developed between him and Peter was amazing.


Overall, Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 was probably one of the best Marvel sequels that we have seen in a long time. Marvel have really excelled in creating an action-packed film that incorporated comedy perfectly within the plot. I’m looking forward to seeing how these characters are developed further, especially teenage Groot, and how they will merge this world with the world of the Avengers.