Chris
Pratt Zoe
Saldana Dave
Bautista Vin
Diesel Bradley
Cooper Kurt
Russell
Michael Rooker Karen Gillan Pom Klementieff Elizabeth Debicki Sylvester Stallone
The complex action, visually capturing special
effects, dry humor, and honest human emotions that were in the first GOTG are
just as present here. Director
James Gunn co-wrote the screenplay with Dan Abnett, based on Marvel’s Comics,
with credit given to the creators of certain characters. Tender or heated dramatics with Quill’s
curious circumstances around his history help balance the story with ferocious,
fast-action battles and the, sometimes, hilarious arguments between
protagonists.
To open, we see a snippet of Quill’s parents
during their courting days 34 years earlier in Missouri, his dad showing his
mother a special plant that has great promise for him. Jump to 2014, and Captain Quill (Pratt)
and his team [Gamora (Saldana), Drax (Bautista), Baby Groot (Diesel), and
Rocket (Cooper)] are being congratulated by Ayesha (Debicki) for doing good
work. Unfortunately, there is a
kink in the good will when she discovers that some of her special batteries
were stolen. Feeling betrayed, she
and her army are on their tail before long, and when that is a failure, she
hires another group led by Yondu (Rooker), Quill’s father figure, to join the
posse. Adding complexity to the
plot include mutiny, the resurfacing of Gamora’s evil sister Nebula (Gillan),
and the appearance of Stakar Ogord (Stallone) to remind Yondu of his going
against the code and the reason for his exile.
Of course, the pièce de résistance is the
arrival of a weird-looking spaceship that no one recognizes. Out comes Ego (Russell), claiming to be
Quill’s biological father who takes him and his crew to his very own
planet. As expected, there will be
explanations, exclamations, and struggles as Quill tries to cope with this
information and his father’s plans.
The combination of entertaining characters and
their interactions with one another made this film for me, although I did enjoy
the special effects, especially the stunning weapons greeting a group of
predators who thought they had Quill and his team captured. The flirtatious teasing between Quill
and Gamora and Drax and Mantis, along with Rocket and Groot becoming friends
with everyone makes this a fun view.
But it’s more than that; it comments on the human condition in a most
entertaining way.
Chris Pratt shows his talent in combining the
traits of a hunk with a genuine, caring regular guy (as he does here and
recently in Passengers). Kurt Russell is on a roll with this, The Fate of the Furious, Deepwater Horizon,
and The Hateful Eight; but this role
seems more substantive, and should win him more deserved recognition. As well, the rest of the cast adds
color and depth to their characters, contributing to a remarkable film. And I would like to underscore the
artistic merit of the music by Tyler Bates and cinematography by Henry
Braham.
Delightful entertainment balancing
emotional valence with impressive special effects.
Grade: A By
Donna R. Copeland
No comments:
Post a Comment