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% (2017-05-06)

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. (2017-05-06)

I now have a peephole wheel of blockbuster backlogs, and after a series of infinitely boring, footage-bloated and emotionally collapsed balloons, this colorful overkill is like a dose of a euphoric drugs. Gunn doesn’t have try so hard with the jokes. Sometimes they miss, but to be honest, this surprisingly sensitive story about the imperfections of fatherhood and friendship gripped me from the first second. Marvel manages to humanize most the figures who are furthest from humanity. I clung to the Guardians of Galaxy to the point that I won’t bother making silly remarks this time. It gave me what I missed on the screen this year – fun, and the feeling that I care about the digital turmoil. It's just that a magnetic tape of something real goes after terabytes of calculations. Father issues for two hundred million have not been this cute for a long time. (2017-09-30)

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. (2017-05-04)

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… (2017-05-27)