Guardians was my favorite of the MCU walking into the theater for this one… and walking out, I wasn’t sure if it had been unseated. After chewing it over for two days, I didn't need a second showing to know this had beaten out it's predecessor... that of course didn't mean I wasn't going to go see it again.
(I am still in awe of the fact this and the first were directed by the guy who did Tromeo and Juliet….)
Some of the reasons I loved this movie:
Peter finally started to grow up
In the first Guardians, peter had his moments, but they were few and far between. I was in it for the rest of the team, and the supporting cast. But this time around, he actually seemed to “get it,” and not just because he’s decided to keep it in his pants for Gamora (more on that later). He’s still a douche bag, but at least he’s a semi-lovable douche bag now.
Gamora & Nebula
Familial interactions always make me happy. Especially when a particularly antagonistic rivalry winds up not-quite-solved (see that awkward-ass hug at the end) but at least headed in the right direction. If they’d suddenly become besties, I would have rolled my eyes and (mentally) walked away. And I love that Peter’s speech about family sends Gamora after Nebula… not to him.
Stan Lee’s Cameo
Some of Stan’s cameos feel utterly ridiculous, and almost like afterthoughts. This one was a beautiful nod to a fan theory. Made my day.
The Sovereign Arcade
So many movies/books make killing into a literal game. The arcade style of this one was absolutely perfect. And it lended itself so beautifully to the annoyingly telly “we can’t risk the lives of any of our perfectly made for their role citizens” speech at the beginning. (Also, hey Ben Browder, does Moya know you’re missing?)
No hesitation pulling the trigger
The first time we watched this one. I wanted to shout “thank you” at the screen when peter popped out those guns and shot the hell out of Ego. The second time, I just stat back and enjoyed it with a big ol’ grin on my face. (It wasn’t as satisfying as all of the Tom Cruise deaths in Edge of Tomorrow, but I’m not sure any on-screen death will make me smile that much)
Also, Marvel likes the “you killed my mom” angle of things anymore, don’t they? Loki, then Tony, now Peter... .
It was funnier than the first one, Baby groot was cute (who knew puking could be adorable), and, as with the first, it was visually beautiful and had a delightful soundtrack.
But there are problems (when aren’t there?)
Ego’s absence doesn’t make a lot of sense
When the Cheese showed up and proclaimed himself Peter’s father, I already felt unsettled. And while that aspect of him is awesome as far as villains go, and the villains that mask themselves as friends, the ones that provide a quiet evil are delightful… his megalomaniac attitude didn’t fit for someone who’d let Yondu fail to bring his kid and also, not go after and destroy him for it. He’s got plans for Universal Domination. One ravager who grew a conscience wouldn’t stop him.
Side note: Why did Ego keep the MASSIVE pile of his kids’ bones? Dude is a god… he could get rid of that with the snap of his fingers.
And let’s talk about Yondu with Ego’s kids, shall we?
Greedy or not, why would a guy who’s still cut-up about his parents selling him into slavery be okay with picking up Ego’s kids. Sure Sly’s character says he “didn’t want to know” what was going on… and I can believe he wouldn’t notice the kids going missing for the first few trips but how many did he round-up before Peter?
I spent most of this one in the Rogue One elevator.
Largely because of the aforementioned “Peter-is-a-douche” thing. But also because Peter’s personality lends itself to my belief that he wants Gamora because he can’t have her. He may have grown up in this one, but I don’t think he’s gotten to a point yet where I trust him to not screw that up.
No comments:
Post a Comment