Bangkok Post

Waiting on Vol 3

Guardians surprises with emotional roller coaster amid the CGI

- Story by KANIN SRIMANEEKU­LROJ

Prior to 2014, most of us have probably never even heard of Marvel’s Guardians

Of The Galaxy series, let alone expect to see a high-budget film adaptation of it become universall­y praised. Filled with the humour, heart and the visual spectacles Marvel has always been so good at, director James Gunn captured lightning with the first film. Marvel seems to agree, which is why Vol 2 was produced, arriving in Thai theatres earlier this week.

Gunn is back with Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2, which feels like a step up from the 2014 original, with bigger space battles, more jokes and a surprising­ly satisfying emotional ending that brought tears to my eyes. However, as much as I enjoyed its witty characters and irreverent humour, much of what is supposed to be the film’s plot is often swept to the sidelines, told almost offhandedl­y through drawn-out exposition sequences to make way for the relentless stream of action, laughs and character moments. It’s hard to complain when those moments are so much fun though.

Vol 2 opens with our motley band of unlikely heroes hired to stop an inter-dimensiona­l space monster from eating a special battery that powers the planet Sovereign. After defeating the beast, Rocket (a sort-of raccoon, with the voice of Bradley Cooper) inexplicab­ly steals several of the aforementi­oned batteries, prompting a space-chase that almost kills the Guardians, if not for the interventi­on of Ego (Kurt Russell), an immortal planet-god that happens to also be Peter Quill’s (Chris Pratt) long-lost dad. To say anymore would spoil what little surprise the plot has in store for you, though I can say that family — the one you build as well as the one you’re born into — is the underlying theme that connects each of the various storylines together.

As in the first film, the chemistry between each of the Guardians is delightful, with each character leaning hard on their characters’ individual quirks. Drax (Dave Bautista) in particular is (un) surprising­ly an instant scene stealer, always acting as the punchline due to his character’s inability to understand subtlety or tact. Pratt, Cooper, Bautista and Zoe Saldana (who plays Gamora) all deserve the highest praise for their performanc­es, bringing their A-game and instilling their characters with enough wit and earnestnes­s that they become lovable simply walking around doing nothing.

The addition of old characters like Yondu (Michael Rooker) and Nebula (Karen Gillan) as well as newcomer Mantis (Pom Klementief­f ) to the Guardians’ roster certainly works to add new dimensions to the interactio­ns. Most notable is probably newcomer Mantis, as her insectoid anime eyes, innocent obliviousn­ess to social interactio­ns and her ability to feel the emotions of those she touches often produces humorous moments.

This is often a double-edged sword, however, as the need to cover each and every character — while hilarious — often means that the plot needs to take certain liberties with regard to the “showing-not-telling” rule to fit all the character developmen­t moments in. While certainly made watchable by Pratt’s performanc­e, Quill is sidelined for almost half of the film, mostly having exposition-filled conversati­ons with his new-found father, walking around the dreamy halls of Ego’s planet. Other characters make what seems to be sudden and drastic changes of heart from their establishe­d characters, while receiving only the barest minimum of explanatio­ns to their motives.

The film’s short cuts are arguably not that much of a problem, however, as the dialogue between the characters has allowed audiences to form emotional connection­s with them, and thus actually care about what happens to them, despite of how or why those things happen.

That aside, the atmosphere of the film still exudes a retro-ish, 80s vibe, which is actually made even more apparent this time around. Sovereign fighters — the golden humanoids seen in trailers — actually pilot their ships remotely in a set-up that invokes old-school arcade machines, complete with 8-bit sound effects. Quill makes references to American 80s TV shows and David Hasslehoff. A certain famous yellow dot-muncher even makes an appearance at one point. Gunn really leans into the old-school space opera vibe establishe­d in the first film. The music, as expected, is spectacula­r. Gunn’s selection of retro pop continues to give the film its happy-go-lucky personalit­y, while also enhancing emotional scenes perfectly. I dare you not to feel anything as Cat Stevens’ Father And Son plays along with the ending scene.

 ??  ?? Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Kurt Russell Directed by James Gunn
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Kurt Russell Directed by James Gunn
 ??  ?? Pom Klementief­f in Chanel. Zoe Saldana in Emilio Pucci.
Pom Klementief­f in Chanel. Zoe Saldana in Emilio Pucci.
 ??  ?? Karen Gillan in Monse.
Karen Gillan in Monse.
 ??  ?? Chris Pratt and his wife Anna Faris in Marchesa at the world premiere in Hollywood, California.
Chris Pratt and his wife Anna Faris in Marchesa at the world premiere in Hollywood, California.

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