Guardians of hilarity

GUARDIANS of the Galaxy Vol. 2 maintains the same childish humour and lunatic pace of the original and gives us a sequel that feels just like the first one but still does something different.

The irreverent original was a smash hit precisely because it failed to take itself seriously at any point in its entire runtime, making it quite different from most other superhero fare out there.

And as we catch up with the Guardians for Volume 2, nothing much has changed.

The mercenaries are able to charge a great deal more for their services, having already saved the entire galaxy once before, so business is booming for Quill/Starlord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel).

But the bickering and infighting has not stopped — indeed, it is worse than before. And with a group of oddballs like this one, when the cracks start to show, it gets ugly in a hurry.

When a spat between Rocket and Quill sees the Guardians crash their ship on a remote planet the team is rescued by an unlikely arrival, and they split up so Quill can learn more about his mysterious family history on an even stranger world.

Meanwhile, Gamora’s adoptive sister, the permanently angry Nebula (Karen Gillan), is in the Guardians’ custody but she doesn’t plan on going quietly.

The sequel is a story about family, really. But, unlike the ham-fisted Fate of the Furious, it explores the bonds of family in a typically tongue-in-cheek fashion that still manages to give you a few warm fuzzies along the way, mainly in contrast to its prevailing silliness.

And in the middle of all this lunacy it still remembers to focus on the characters at the heart of the story, giving us plenty of new insights into what makes them tick.

James Gunn returns to direct the sequel, which retains the giddying scale and neoncoloured aesthetic of the first chapter — this thing is worth seeing in 3D just for the eyepopping action setpieces and glorious immersive scenery.

Easily the most charming thing about this movie, though, is its winning combo of selfawareness and delirious failure to care about how ridiculous it is.

The opening scene, for example, appears to have been deliberately crafted to look just like a boss battle from a video game, and unfolds in pretty much the same manner — in any other film this kind of ploy would probably look cheap and obnoxious but here it is simply hilarious.

The film occasionally starts leaning towards sentimentality and mature emotional examination, but every time it starts taking itself too seriously, it immediately does the narrative equivalent of a banana peel pratfall and then everything is back on (or maybe off) track.

Just like the first time around, the cast are excellent and the chemistry between them makes it a pretty special ensemble flick.

Bautista especially shines this time around as Drax, his deadpan delivery interspersed with several moments of hysterical laughter and borderline absurd humour, making him possibly the funniest thing about the whole movie.

And Gillan positively SEETHES as Nebula, the bitter sibling with a few very good reasons for wanting to see her sister Gamora dead. Her presence on screen is awesome, she exudes such pure dark fury that it is impossible to take your eyes off her.

But, on the flip side, the sickeningly cute Baby Groot is a bit overplayed. Yes, he’s very sweet and undeniably adorable, and it’s kinda funny a few times, but the “awwww” factor is exploited so often that it just starts to feel like a lazy way to get a laugh.

And why must you keep waving Howard the Duck in our faces, Marvel?

If Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 isn’t as good as the first movie, it certainly isn’t far off.

The laughs are constant from beginning to end, the action is both intense and funny at the same time, and the cast of misfits is just a helluva lot of fun to watch.

There will be more Guardians movies and I can’t wait. This is comic book mayhem just the way it should be. Now showing at Village Cinemas and Cmax, rated M

The most charming thing about this movie is its winning combo of selfawareness and delirious failure to care about how ridiculous it is.