GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 (2017, USA, 137m, 12) ***
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
dist. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; pr co. Marvel Enterprises / Marvel Studios / Moving Picture Company (MPC); d. James Gunn; w. James Gunn (based on the comic books by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning and characters created by Bill Mantlo & Keith Giffen, Jim Starlin, Steve Englehart & Steve Gan, Steve Gerber & Val Mayerik); pr. Kevin Feige; ph. Henry Braham (Colour | 2.35:1); m. Tyler Bates; ed. Fred Raskin, Craig Wood; pd. Scott Chambliss; ad. Ramsey Avery.
cast: Chris Pratt (Peter Quill / Star-Lord), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Dave Bautista (Drax), Vin Diesel (Baby Groot (voice)), Bradley Cooper (Rocket (voice)), Michael Rooker (Yondu), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Pom Klementieff (Mantis), Sylvester Stallone (Stakar Ogord), Kurt Russell (Ego), Elizabeth Debicki (Ayesha), Chris Sullivan (Taserface), Sean Gunn (Kraglin / On-Set Rocket), Tommy Flanagan (Tullk), Laura Haddock (Meredith Quill), Aaron Schwartz (Young Ego Facial Reference), Hannah Harlow (Sovereign Chambermaid (as Hannah Gottesman)), Hilty Bowen (Sovereign Pilot), Ving Rhames (Charlie-27), Michelle Yeoh (Aleta Ogord).
This fantasy adventure sequel sees Peter Quill (Pratt) and his fellow Guardians hired by a powerful alien race, the Sovereign, to protect their precious batteries from invaders. When it is discovered that Rocket (voiced by Cooper) has stolen the items they were sent to guard, the Sovereign dispatch their armada to search for vengeance. As the Guardians try to escape, the mystery of Peter’s parentage is revealed. Narratively muddled, visually stunning but ultimately a largely empty experience, saved by its character’s smart-assed interaction – but even this becomes tiresome. This is a prime example of Hollywood putting money on the screen and not into the script or the story. Entertaining on its basic level but for all its expense, this is disappointingly average.
AAN: Best Achievement in Visual Effects (Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner, Daniel Sudick)
