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That's what Celestial and living-planet-turned-cool-daddy Ego (Kurt Russell) proudly proclaims at a climatic moment in this second installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. After centuries and centuries, he's not alone anymore. He has finally found a worthy son in Peter (Chris Pratt), which can help him achieve his ultimate goal.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 mostly follows this relationship, as Peter has to come to terms with his true self and the consequences it might have on the team. Meanwhile, Yondu (Michael Rooker) is tasked by Ayesha, the Golden Priestess of the Sovereign, to find the Guardians after she is slighted by them, something that Yondu takes as an opportunity to redeem himself as a Ravager and maybe something more.
Whatever the respective goals of Ego and Yondu are, the thing is that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is ultimately a movie about lonely characters looking for ways to reconnect with others; whether it is a father and a son, sisters at odds, or characters that have never had a chance or a desire to connect with others (i.e. Mantis or Rocket?). For better or worse, this film offers them all a chance to finally find a connection with someone.
This was actually the third time I watch this film, but it's the first time that I can say I enjoyed it. First time, the conditions were simply not the best, but even the second time, it really didn't hit. Not sure why, but this time the central themes were clearer for me and, although I still think it has its flaws, I really appreciated it more.
One of my main issues is with the character of Yondu, and how his development and need for connection here feels pretty far from the Yondu we saw on the first film. This makes most of the emotional baggage in the third act to feel out of left field and somewhat forced. Still, Rooker's performance and Gunn's direction sell the material well enough.
The plot also feels a bit scattered as all of the characters are split with different subplots each, with some of them feeling wasted (like Drax). Still, some of them work pretty well, especially the Gamora and Nebula conflict. Plus, how can I write a review and not address how incredibly adorable Baby Groot is?
Being an MCU film, it really can't help to follow the MCU formula and devolve in the last act into the usual CGI Bash-a-thon, but the film still has enough solid action and good laughs for me to finally connect with it. Can't wait to check out Vol. 3 and see where Gunn takes this characters.
Grade:
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2
(2017, Gunn)
(2017, Gunn)
"For the first time in my existence, I am truly NOT ALONE!!"
That's what Celestial and living-planet-turned-cool-daddy Ego (Kurt Russell) proudly proclaims at a climatic moment in this second installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. After centuries and centuries, he's not alone anymore. He has finally found a worthy son in Peter (Chris Pratt), which can help him achieve his ultimate goal.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 mostly follows this relationship, as Peter has to come to terms with his true self and the consequences it might have on the team. Meanwhile, Yondu (Michael Rooker) is tasked by Ayesha, the Golden Priestess of the Sovereign, to find the Guardians after she is slighted by them, something that Yondu takes as an opportunity to redeem himself as a Ravager and maybe something more.
Whatever the respective goals of Ego and Yondu are, the thing is that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is ultimately a movie about lonely characters looking for ways to reconnect with others; whether it is a father and a son, sisters at odds, or characters that have never had a chance or a desire to connect with others (i.e. Mantis or Rocket?). For better or worse, this film offers them all a chance to finally find a connection with someone.
This was actually the third time I watch this film, but it's the first time that I can say I enjoyed it. First time, the conditions were simply not the best, but even the second time, it really didn't hit. Not sure why, but this time the central themes were clearer for me and, although I still think it has its flaws, I really appreciated it more.
One of my main issues is with the character of Yondu, and how his development and need for connection here feels pretty far from the Yondu we saw on the first film. This makes most of the emotional baggage in the third act to feel out of left field and somewhat forced. Still, Rooker's performance and Gunn's direction sell the material well enough.
The plot also feels a bit scattered as all of the characters are split with different subplots each, with some of them feeling wasted (like Drax). Still, some of them work pretty well, especially the Gamora and Nebula conflict. Plus, how can I write a review and not address how incredibly adorable Baby Groot is?
Being an MCU film, it really can't help to follow the MCU formula and devolve in the last act into the usual CGI Bash-a-thon, but the film still has enough solid action and good laughs for me to finally connect with it. Can't wait to check out Vol. 3 and see where Gunn takes this characters.
Grade: