Satisfying yet predictable experience–a decent film

know this big box office movie has been out since May 5, but I finally got the chance to see “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” last Saturday.

I was anticipating this movie for quite some time, since I really enjoyed the first sci-fi Marvel movie for the Guardians of the Galaxy series. I was expecting the same type of feel as the first Guardians movie, which is pretty much what I got. However, the theme that was played even more was the close-knit bickering family dynamic, which is relatable to most viewers but kind of took away from the rugged dynamic that was established in the first film.

One thing that was excellent about this movie was the use of character variety, which can help us see the many facets to ourselves and our species. It was refreshing to see some new perspectives to specific characters who could be seen as villainous or bad, being portrayed as relatable.

Among other expectations, the “legends from Earth” Peter tells to other characters are usually laughable to the audience. The use of iconic ’70s-era music adds an essence to the scenes which is also a familiar and expected touch with the Guardians of the Galaxy feel.

One song in particular, “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass, has been stuck in my head since I saw the Marvel sci-fi film. This song kind of reminds me of songs that have a storyline you can daydream about during long car rides, and it seems that the writers obviously based Quill’s paternal storyline on this song, giving it a loose celestial interpretation that seemed too obvious for me to fall in love with.

Honestly, I don’t think the soundtrack is as good as the first movie. You can only use so much material from one era, which is why the writers also throw in a gifted Zune media player at the end of the movie with around 300 songs to “spice up” the next sequel.

One group in particular that is introduced in this film is called “The Sovereign,” which is an alien group of individuals who basically believe they are the superior race of all existence, and quite frankly, they got on my nerves.  I think their actions in the movie are absurd and ridiculous; they’re way too set on being the best. Their persona may be an underlying message by the creators, hinting at how some groups of people act in our own society and world. That’s the cool thing about movies and other consumable media: You can interpret and connect pieces of them to your own life and viewpoints.

That being said, I do think there were some plot holes or “bad ideas” in the storyline. At some points in the movie I questioned, “Why are they doing that!?” I assume it has a purpose because in the end it all comes together to come to a concluding event.

The movie did give me that hopeful and optimistic feeling that comes from seeing a slightly dysfunctional team work together to accomplish something, which is typical of most Marvel movies.

The visuals are well done, like in most Marvel movies, but I do think parts of it could have been slightly better, specifically the planet named Ego, or at least some of the visuals used there to show elements of the past. (I don’t want to spoil the movie, so I’m being pretty vague here.)

I did enjoy seeing it, although my criticisms may appear to show otherwise. I know for a fact I did miss a lot of small taglines or brief characters from the Marvel universe, since I’m not very plugged into it, so some of you can probably disregard my opinion entirely. I teared up for a couple parts of it, and I do think if you enjoyed the first one, you’ll probably enjoy this one, too.

Advocate Staff