Keep It Reel: 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'
by Marc Woodfork
Too long, too silly, and too stuffy.
'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' continues the adventures Star-Lord, Rocket Racoon and Groot. Only this volume doesn't produce the wit, comedic timing, or creativity as the first. Clocking in at two hours and twenty minutes, you feel every second of it. Easily should've been forty-five minutes shorter. The lack of creative writing made the film boring and tough to get through. The film begins well enough with action and amazing CG work, but soon after it begins to labor into a series of weak one-liners and poor attempts at humor. It's very surprising because the elements that made the first volume stand out from other comic book films isn't present with Vol. 2.
Vol. 2 has all the cliche comic/superhero storylines and plot devices, but I'm not sure where it wants to go. This could easily be the last 'Guardians' film we need to see. The main plot point of this film, family vs friends is a been there, done that story arch which is fine if there's a hint of creativity and an attempt to do it differently. Vol. 2 doesn't. Instead, we get tired dialogue, forced emotion and moments of agonizing boredom.
A big element of Vol. 1 was the film's soundtrack. That film was filled with great tunes that everyone knew, but also fit the overall theme. One of the biggest complaints I heard from audiences after the film ended was, "the music was awful". The music isn't awful, there are some really good songs, they just didn't fit as well as they did in Vol.1.
There are at least two more films that we will see the 'Guardians' with the upcoming Marvel 'Infinity Wars' franchise but those will be ensemble movies with other big characters. Maybe that's where 'Guardians' needs to be. A supporting role amongst others with a clear direction and purpose.
