When Guardians of the Galaxy blasted into theaters in the summer of 2014, it had little to no expectations and it wowed us with its formula-breaking spirit and the movie-star arrival of Chris Pratt. Volume 2 arrives with out-of-this-world expectations, and it suffers from trying to accomplish all of them. Luckily for us, it’s still more fun than everything else at the cinema.
There are still a lot of laughs this time around from Star Lord (Pratt), Rocket (voice of Bradley Cooper), Baby Groot (voice of Vin Diesel) and the gang, but while the original centered on Star Lord’s centered rise to leading the motley crew, Pratt is given a sobering family drama with Kurt Russell that sucks out any carefree momentum he generates. Separating the characters from Pratt is surely a calculated move for a franchise that also wants us to get invested in other characters such as Drax (Dave Bautista), Gamora (Zeo Saldana) and her sister Nebula (Karen Gillan), but the film drags while Pratt is separated from the narrative.
The overly digital effects, the meandering story and the new misfits all try too hard, but when you see the team form and hear ELO or Fleetwood Mac on the soundtrack, all is right with the galaxy.
Simply put: Fun, but forgettable.
Award potential: Not that kind of film. Potential for Best Makeup.
The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks, just for the opening scene.
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