Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

“You're like Mary Poppins.” Especially during the middle part, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is more soap opera than space opera, but after the first film, which ended with the founding of the “family”, the shift to family values seems to me like a logical development. In fact, the filmmakers laid the groundwork for the emotionally powerful climax and, sooner or later, most of the motifs that seemingly hold back the narrative are meaningfully brought into play (we know in advance, for example, that little Groot really should not be entrusted with important tasks). At the same time, the narrative of disgruntled parents (both real and surrogate) and unhappy children is in line with the nostalgic tone of the film, which seeks (and finds) its true quality through songs and pop-culture references to the past (just like numerous contemporary Hollywood films enchanted by the 1980s aesthetic). The modern and egotistical treatment à la Minecraft (create your own world) doesn’t work. The search for a place where you will feel good (in the end, of course, it turns out that it’s not the place that matters, but the people) forms the main storyline of the outwardly episodic and, compared to the first instalment (where everything was held together by a single MacGuffin), rather tight narrative. For example, the organisation of the plot through the use of songs from Peter’s cassette tape, or the possibility/impossibility of listening to them, works better. Of course, the film is most entertaining when it doesn’t take itself seriously and makes its disdain for the conventions of superhero mega-films ostentatiously clear to us (the opening action sequence, when we don’t actually see the action, is the funniest one in the whole film). Gunn again tries out ways to approach a massive action scene without it being confusing. He had a somewhat bigger budget to accomplish that, so he could have dispensed with even more (several scenes overtly reference old video games – Space Invaders, Galaga, Pac-Man – and there’s a space variation on the famous air-raid scene from North by Northwest, and a cameo from David Hasselhoff and an allusion to Mary Poppins are incorporated into the epic action climax). Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a high-octane summer blockbuster that, thanks to its action sequences, soundtrack and inimitable heroes, retains enough personality to make it stand out among the many, many other comic-book movies and make you forgive it for its greater predictability and occasional loss of pace. 80% (06.05.2017)

It's like gutting the core of Red Dwarf, stretching it for two hours, throwing it in a magic box where special effects slaves work, and then having it generate a "movie." The first half is still quite bearable, and, in particular, Rocket manages to do what nobody could do in the first part, which is to plant personal moments and one-liners. However, the moment when the villain is defined, the following came to me: "Fuck it!", because then you're just honestly ticking off all the properties of the standard Marvel menu. No dessert, no surprise. (20.08.2017)

Even though the movie is not as good as the first part, it still is a very good Marvel movie which – in terms of fun and original ideas – beats other Marvel films. For the first half an hour, I kept thinking about where the plot was headed only to start really enjoying it later. Starlord, Groot, Rocket, Drax and Gamora are simply a group of friends that I wished I had my entire childhood, only to finally find them in adulthood. Those three years of waiting were really worth it. By the way, it’s interesting that Tyler Bates chose a soundtrack consisting of lesser known hit songs, which is really working with the film. I was satisfied and I am really curious what the authors will come up with when things get tough with the average Avengers. Average not only in terms of the characters, but also in terms of the jokes. I hope that Teen Groot will save the day… (27.05.2017)

I had fun, but I can't say that I would rush to the cinema a second time. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 plays it safe, and unfortunately so much so that it's a little disappointing at times. What does that mean? More of the things that worked last time: more dancing Groot, more dumb Drax, more Peter Quill slapstick, and even weirder aliens. All mixed with spectacular action, humour and an 80s feel. This is what fans want and expect, and James Gunn gave it to them. But unfortunately, in his quest to "cram in more of the stuff we liked last time", he forgets a little bit about the story and, most importantly, that he should have shown some new stuff too. It's as if there was someone in the studio walking around with a stick and slapping everyone who wanted to come up with something new or try to do something different. The second Guardians of the Galaxy is exactly what it should be, but unfortunately it doesn't try to step outside of its own shadow in the slightest, which is a bit of a shame. Two days after the screening, the film practically disappeared from my mind. (04.05.2017)

Ich habe mir ein Verzeichnis der Blockbuster zusammengestellt, die ich noch unbedingt sehen muss und nach einer Reihe an unendlich langweiligen Streifen, die wie aufgeblähte und emotional zusammengebrochene Luftballons daherkamen, ist dieser farbenfrohe Overkill wie die Dosis eines euphoriserenden Stoffes. Gunn müsste gar nicht so sehr auf die Witzetube drücken, die oftmals nur einen Hauch neben dem Ziel dröhnt, jedoch ehrlich gesagt hat mich diese überraschend sensible Geschichte über die Unvollkommenheiten einer Vaterschaft und Freundschaft von der ersten Sekunde an so richtig gepackt. Am meisten gelingt es Marvel, die Figuren menschlich zu gestalten, die von der Menschheit am weitesten entfernt sind. Guardians of Galaxy habe ich so sehr liebgewonnen, dass ich diesmal vom Gemecker ablasse. Sie haben mir genau das gegeben, woran es mir in diesem Jahr auf der Leinwand fehlt - Spaß und das Gefühl, dass mir die digitalen Fights am Herzen liegen. Es geht einfach darum, dass das Magnetband über Terrabytes an Kalkulationen hinweg etwas Reales abspielt. Väterliche Angelegenheiten für zweihundert Riesen sind schon lange Zeit nicht so wundersüß abgedroschen gewesen. (30.09.2017)

Blockbuster equivalent of the 90th TV Nova Saturday variety show, too colorful, trying to be funny at all costs, but it´s simply not funny. It´s excessively long, dull and relies only on famous people making faces. Perhaps only Petr Novotný was a better villain than these ones. The characters themselves are not that bad, but the way they are (not) uses in a confusing coloring book digital is hopeless. The first hour can keep up with the first movie in terms of quality, put the second one destroys the whole "feel good" concept. (06.05.2017)

Marvel has secured its standard at the turning point between the second and third phases of its immense universe. The solo films have their own power, humor, and clear goal, while the team movies aim higher with their ambitions and allow the heroes to deal with a more general problem that troubles all of society. And then there are the Guardians of the Galaxy, who break everything and triumph with their detachment from the rest of the events. I don't know how James Gunn does it, but whatever the fans want, he seems to be able to satisfy everyone. Teamwork, squabbling among the Guardians, strong individual stories, a unique enemy, switching sides, the development of familiar supporting characters, touching catharsis, and in the background, once again, an original and unmistakable song soundtrack perfectly supporting jokes like those of a rather stagnant teenager. I consider the change in mood during the final battle a surprisingly great risk, since in the first movie, even at the most dramatic moments, there were quips and all kinds of silliness, while now the atmosphere freezes for a decent period of time at the critical point. This is where the series matures to some extent and next time will have to come up with something new. However, one specific post-credits sequence suggests that this will not be a problem. Many thanks for this fireworks display of ideas that never ceases for a minute. (14.05.2017)

David Hasselhoff and his talking car meant a lot to me too… volume 2 of Guardians of the Galaxy plays on a family note (did Vin Diesel drag this in from Fast and Furious?) and an emotional cartwheel. An evil bastard can have a heart of gold and, vice-versa, a golden bastard can have a heart of evil. The continuing storyline revealing Quill’s origins is convincingly perverse and the idea with the living planet is sufficiently unusual. A welcome return of Tango and Cash, parody of the USA’s drone policy, Drax’s humorous interjections and Groot’s cute smile. Nothing changes in terms of acting, everybody is having a great time, Gunn’s childhood dream with rainbow bubbles comes true and nostalgic music creates gallons of good feelings with an emotionally draining ending even more intense than volume 1. Absolutely happy with this. (09.05.2017)

Es ist ein einziges großes Musikvideo mit Baby Groot. Manche Leute mögen es, manche jubeln, manche verstehen es nicht und manche schnauben. Ich hatte ziemlich viel Spaß mit Kurt Russell und das war's auch schon, es war schön bunt und knallig. (28.01.2019)

It really needs something more than the solid chemistry of the main gang, Zoe Saldana, Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone’s cameo. After half an hour of camera flourishes and digital effects I already had a headache. (12.08.2017)

Der Film ist gelungen. Sobald die Figur von Kurt Russell erscheint, erleben die Zuschauer*innen, die wenigstens ein bisschen Bescheid wissen, eine Überraschung weniger. Das ist aber nicht besonders schlimm, weil es im Film noch viele andere gibt. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 geht es wieder hauptsächlich um Spaß, der diesmal mit wirkungsvollen persönlichen Geschichten und im Finale auch mit glaubhaften Emotionen vermischt wird. So hat man das Gefühl, dass man sich nicht nur einen gewöhnlichen zweiten Teil ansieht, in dem es unbedingt von allem mehr geben muss, sondern einfach einen guten Film. Obwohl es für manche vielleicht selbstverständlich ist, möchte ich außer dem Drehbuch auch die Tricks, die wieder einen Schauspieler auf eine unglaubliche Art und Weise verjüngt haben, und die ausgezeichnete Songauswahl hervorheben. Die Szene mit "My Sweet Lord" von George Harrison könnte ich mir wahrscheinlich immer wieder ansehen. (08.05.2017)

It has moments of true genius (I roared with laughter at Baby Groot's uncontrolled actions or at the gathering of duct tape in the heat of battle), and the relationships between the good guys are very well and systematically developed within this episode and across the overall story, but the plot ..... It’s a wretch covered in Drax's excrements, famous for their size, where everything is somehow understandable and logical, but at the same time lacks a moment of surprise or more funny situations that would not only come from the constant bickering of the peculiar characters and the endearing boorishness of Drax, who this time around is the clear highlight of the film. And it's already disappointing when it comes to being the sequel to a megahit that managed to make a big script-tight joke out of the flat schemes of its Marvel peers a few years ago. There may have been a lot of insight and an attempt at constant humour, but the whole outline and progression of the villain's obstructions reeks of boredom and unoriginality, and the viewer is just dumbly counting down one standard comic book twist after another. But I'm nonetheless looking forward to the next kick ass adventures of this bunch because I still see a lot of potential, with or without Rocky. 70% (25.08.2017)

Obwohl ich den Ausdruck nicht gern mag, muss ich ihn in diesem Fall verwenden - die Guardians of the Galaxy sind einfach cool und das ordentlich. Der zweite Teil ist nur etwas schwächer als der erste, vor allem holpert die Geschichte etwas mehr wegen der überflüssigen Szenen und der Füllszenen, trotzdem bleiben die gleichen Gefühle wie bei Teil eins, vor allem die gute Laune wegen des allgegenwärtigen Humors und der Niedlichkeit Rockets, verstärkt vom kindlichen Groot. Und das ist eine noch größere Ehre zum Achtzigsten als man in Teil eins sehen konnte, also hoffe ich, dass in Teil drei Hasselhoff eine etwas größere Rolle bekommt :-) (04.06.2017)

I was really looking forward to the second part of Guardians, but I guess my expectations were too high. The first quarter of the film was kind of boring and even a bit immature at times. Later I did get into the plot, but I was still quite uneasy about the fact that Drax was the only funny character (in a boorish sort of way). However, what happened at the end of the film was repulsive. I would have expected this amount of pathos in a film in which heroic members of the American rescue forces carry dead and wounded fellow Americans out of a destroyed building after a suicide bombing. 3*- for effort. (19.08.2017)

Exactly what I was hoping for. There are plenty of pop culture references and nods within the Marvel Universe. All the great characters from the previous installment are present, along with a few new ones that I hope will reappear. Relationships undergo some changes, and while it's not a battle in the style of some grand sci-fi, at least not for most of the film, it's entertaining. You'll laugh, and you'll be a little sad by the end. James Gunn is great. (08.05.2017)