Review embargo was lifted yesterday and it's currently sitting at 87% on RT. Kinda surprised by the lukewarm reaction of many critics. Main criticism seems to be that Gunn took what audiences liked from the first one and played those elements up for the second. Well, duh. You give the audience what it likes and wants so they'll buy tickets. Nothing wrong with that. You ride a roller coaster once and like it, you'll ride it again. These stupid critics seem to have the idea that Gunn should have reinvented the wheel for this sequel. Uh...no. Besides, from everything I've read, Gunn has introduced new characters, new plot elements. Professional critics are idiots. And RT allows any moronic blogger to call themselves a critics and post their "review" on it's site. RT is pretty worthless at this point. I'm personally looking forward to seeing this movie and have no doubt I will enjoy it greatly.
Worst case scenario, it'll be "Age Of Ultron", to the first Avengers. Which is still pretty damned good.
Got tickets for Friday afternoon - I'm not expecting it to be as good as the first, I'm just expecting to be entertained by an above-par Space Opera movie. The first was something nobody really expected, and managed to set up a whole new realm of the MCU as well as convince Marvel/Disney to take a few more visual risks, so we're not going to get that technicolour jolt the first gave us. I suspect a lot of reviewers went in expecting the same sweet hit they got from the first, well now they've got used to the taste so isn't going to be as sweet second time round, and nor could it be. It's like fucking that ex from 10 years back, still fun, but you can't expect the same visceral thrill as the first time round.
Talking about sequels, Roger Ebert compared them to eating sausage: even if the second and third pound is just as good, you won't get the same satisfaction as you did with the first. Guardians was a pleasant surprise. Guardians 2 may be perfectly fine entertainment, but it won't seem as new or as fresh as the original. Sequels that surpass good originals--The Empire Strikes Back, Godfather II, The Dark Knight, and Highlander 2 are notable examples--are rare, after all. (Yes, I was kidding about Highlander 2. Worst sequel ever.)
So, went seeing it this afternoon - and, much like the first, it's a fantastically fun film, colourful (the colour is actually stepped up from the first), funny and enjoyable. Drax steals a few scenes with some nice comic timing. One of the longer jokes regarding a Ravager fell flat and felt forced to me, but that was pretty much the only misstep. The Mantis 'bodyshaming' claims are bollocks, it's Drax being Drax, and handled quite well with a nicely comedy-timed pay-off towards the end. The plot isn't silly obvious, but telegraphed, and there are aspects we've seen in a lot of films over the years - so whilst not fresh, are still done well. Also don't expect the emotional aspects to be handled deftly, and, to be fair, it's simply not that kind of movie. The emotional notes are as subtle as Thor cracking a walnut with Mjolnir, yet the world building is mostly done with a light hand with what amounts to embedded vignettes and mid-points on a journey. It's a curious pivot that I've not seen in anything other than GotG, and I'm honestly not sure if it's a skill or a lack of it. Yeah, you don't get the same joy as you did from the first, but that's not really the film's fault. The end credits are the most entertaining yet, and sometimes it's almost like a game, but whilst many earlier MCU films made waiting for the stingers quite onerous, this makes the whole thing enjoyable and I'd actually have been happy with more stingers! If you've a soul, go see it. If you've had a shitty day, go see it. If you've had a good day, still go see it. 9/10 if you stay for the credits, 8.5/10 if you don't.
Saw it yesterday, loved it. I enjoyed the humor. I liked the emotional depth. I liked the fact that Gunn took the time to flesh out the personal drama of each character (although Rocket & Drax get the short end of that stick IMO). Had enough new elements that I never felt like it was a total retread of the original. Perfect example of how, if you have likable characters and the audience enjoys spending time with them, it doesn't matter how silly the plot is or what the battle is about.
