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Funny, but sometimes annoying, \u201cVol. 2\u201d lacks the magic of the original.\u00a0 But that is not say it isn\u2019t worth seeing.<\/p>\nFunny, but sometimes annoying, \u201cVol. 2\u201d lacks the magic of the original.\u00a0 But that is not say it isn\u2019t worth seeing.<\/p>\n
Why do we go to the theater these days?\u00a0 Is it to see an engaging dramatic acting showcase like this weekend\u2019s limited release \u201cThe Dinner?\u201d Or is the measure an analytical \u201cbang for the buck\u201d mathematical computation?\u00a0 For most families looking for an event experience at the cinema, the latter consideration is controlling.\u00a0 \u201cGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2\u201d qualifies as perfect event viewing even though there is some concern with the wanton disregard for the sanctity and value of life, whether human or something extraterrestrial.<\/p>\n
The story picks up where the 2014 film left off.\u00a0 Our misfit guardians have now solidified their position as capable mercenaries for hire with great, perhaps, unrealized, potential.\u00a0 But the mystery of the lineage of Peter Quill aka Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) remains a nagging question.\u00a0 We are treated to a bit of backstory in which Quill\u2019s mother is romanced by an alien named Ego.\u00a0 This alien has assumed a human form appearing as a computer generated younger version of Kurt Russell.<\/p>\n
Russell\u2019s animated appearance is pretty convincing.\u00a0 The problem is that we know that this is a bit of Hollywood trickery.\u00a0 While audiences adjust to this new technique that was also employed capably in the last \u201cStar Wars\u201d installment, it is still, at this point, off-putting.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure that frame grab comparisons will be made online showing a younger Kurt Russell, from his \u201cEscape From New York\u201d days and probably not from his 1969 appearance in \u201cThe Computer Wore Tennis Shoes.\u201d\u00a0 No matter, it is darned good to see Russell in a fun film like this one, but with some reservations related to the script and character\u2019s ultimate motivations that are cause for concern.<\/p>\n
The story jumps forward some 35 years after Ego\u2019s introduction, and Quill and his fellow guardians battle a monster on behalf of an elitist royal regime.\u00a0 While the action is certainly fast and furious as the battle rages, the attention is focused on the new version of Groot dubbed Baby Groot (voiced repetitively by an auto-tuned Vin Diesel).\u00a0 Baby Groot is the heart of this film, and every scene he\u2019s in is funny and endearing.\u00a0 It is when the action turns to Quill and his alleged father Ego that the movie loses steam.<\/p>\n
Groot\u2019s three word vocabulary never seems to get old.\u00a0 And in \u201cbaby\u201d form, he\u2019s an adorable screen presence.\u00a0 Surprisingly, his guardian ad litem, the irascible Rocket (voice of Bradley Cooper) proves to be annoying except for scenes in which he interacts with Baby Groot.\u00a0 And this points out a growing problem with the zany madcap \u201cVol. 2\u201d adventure: it\u2019s exhausting stream of gibes, insults, one-liners, quips, and in-jokes get a bit monotonous.\u00a0 The next installment may need to dial the frenzy back.<\/p>\n
Another subplot worth noting involves Yondu (Michael Rooker) and his place in an intergalactic band of renegades led by Stakar Ogord (played by none-other-than Sylvester Stallone).\u00a0 Yondu\u2019s story is the most emotionally connective thing about the film.\u00a0 And this is good, because the first \u201cGuardians\u201d shined when it included Yondu.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the tone his character strikes might be a concern for younger viewers.\u00a0 Needless to say, the body count is huge as he harshly deals with problems on his ship\u2014whistling his way to power.\u00a0 The whimsical even callous and craven handling of the violence on display that is set to the best bubble gum pop tunes of yesteryear is at best uneven and at worst in poor taste.<\/p>\n
But this is a summer event film, after all, and taking it too seriously makes me the wallflower party pooper.\u00a0 \u201cVol. 2\u201d is fun and when it is funny certainly entertaining, but it lacks the genuine emotion that minted the first film.\u00a0 Thank goodness Baby Groot is around to fight another day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Vol. 2 has Daddy Issues…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","no-thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4334"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4337,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4334\/revisions\/4337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}