WASHINGTON — It was a crowded year for Marvel superheroes in 2014, with “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (a stellar sequel), “X-Men: Days of Future Past” (an excellent flick) and “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (highly disappointing).
Somehow, the scrappy underdog “Guardians of the Galaxy” broke through the crowd to become the highest-grossing of them all and the clear fan favorite, thanks to a rag-tag team of fresh superheroes, a killer mixtape soundtrack of throwback tunes and a self-deprecating style of side-splitting banter.
Now, writer/director James Gunn returns for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” — named after the soundtrack’s “Awesome Mixtape Vol. 2” — and ladies and gentlemen, you’re in for a real treat.
The gang’s all here: the wise-cracking Peter Quill a.k.a. Star Lord (Chris Pratt), the green-skinned assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldana), the hulkish meathead Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), the trigger-happy raccoon Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and the tree with a limited vocabulary Groot (Vin Diesel), this time as Baby Groot, the most adorable thing to cross a movie screen in a long, long time.
This time, the team is hired by High Priestess Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki), the leader of a golden alien race known as The Sovereign, to protect special batteries that keep the aliens alive. In exchange, she hands over Gamora’s estranged sister Nebula (Karen Gillan), who was caught trying to steal these batteries, only to find that Rocket has secretly stolen the batteries himself. Furious, Sovereign ships pursue the Guardians of the Galaxy, who escape through a wormhole to the forest planet Berhart.
Turns out, they’ve crash landed into the territory of an aptly-named alien god Ego (Kurt Russell), who is a “living planet” planting his DNA throughout the universe. Oh yeah, he’s also Quill’s long-lost dad, urging his son to take his rightful place as a Star-Lord. Caught between his all-powerful biological father and his blue-skinned bandit of a father-figure Yondu (Michael Rooker), Quill faces a tough dilemma: Will he choose the power and glory of his heritage or his rag-tag team of fun-loving friends?
If that plot sounds confusing, don’t worry. The story beats are far less important to your enjoyment of this movie than the undeniable laughter of one hysterical set-piece after another. Indeed, the film feels more like a series of comedic vignettes than any cohesive narrative — forcing responsible critics to dock points — but it doesn’t matter much because it’s so consistently hilarious from start to finish.
It all starts with Baby Groot’s adorable dance number during the opening credits, shimmying his way across the screen oblivious to the fiery destruction exploding behind him. He also proves to be a hilariously bad listener as he repeatedly fails to retrieve the proper device to get his buddies out of jail. It all builds to a time-bomb climax where we wonder if he’ll press the right button to go kaboom.
Just as Vin Diesel rivals The Rock in “Fast & Furious,” Diesel’s Groot rivals another ex-WWE wrestler in “Guardians.” Bautista’s dimwitted Drax says everything that comes into his mind, often making himself roar with hearty belly laughs. I dare you not to chuckle at his exchanges with the antennaed female alien Mantis (Pom Klementieff), delivering a series of hysterical backhanded compliments.
Perhaps funniest of all is Cooper’s Rocket, who repeatedly roasts a henchman (Chris Sullivan, a.k.a. Toby from “This Is Us”) for his ridiculous name choice: Taser Face. As the snarky insults fly, even the High Priestess can’t help but snicker, causing the audience to spit out popcorn in fits of laughter.
If anything, these supporting characters are so funny that they overshadow Pratt, who still manages to slip in a few quips. Recalling his neglected childhood, Quill compares his ideal father to David Hasselhoff in “Knight Rider.” Upon learning of his new god-like powers, he exclaims, “I’m gonna make some weird sh*t! Pacman and Heather Locklear!” And during his romantic moments with Gamora, he makes some juicy post-modern references, comparing their “unspoken” love affair to NBC’s “Cheers.”
Don’t worry, the “Cheers” theme doesn’t hit the soundtrack, but the song choices are so familiar that you could hear them on a jukebox in a bar where “everybody knows your name.” Expect an eclectic collection of hits: ELO’s “Mr. Big Sky,” Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain,” Glen Campbell’s “Southern Nights,” George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord,” Cheap Trick’s “Surrender” and Parliament’s “Flashlight.”
Occasionally, the songs even factor into the plot itself. At one point, Pratt and Saldana slow dance to Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home to Me,” as Pratt explains that Cooke is one of Earth’s greatest singers. At another point, Russell’s Ego quotes the lyrics of Looking Glass’ “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” to explain his motives for abandoning Quill’s mother: “He came on a summer’s day / Bringin’ gifts from far away / But he made it clear he couldn’t stay / No harbor was his home.” It’s groovy but a bit of a reach.
As director, Gunn often employs slow-motion hero shots to match the classic rock jams, while pacing his action sequences so that the baddies are decimated like the helpless pirates in “Swiss Family Robinson,” mowed down by Yondu’s whistle-commanded arrow in perfect time with Jay and the Americans’ “Come a Little Bit Closer.” Even the CGI dogfights offer tongue-in-cheek delight, as the Sovereign spaceships are controlled by overly-caffeinated aliens operating video-game joysticks.
If there’s one glaring flaw, it’s the lack of screentime for Saldana, who is sadly sidelined for much of the movie as the dudes prove that “boys will be boys.” Likewise, Sylvester Stallone is underutilized as a top-ranking Ravager, who appears early then doesn’t return until the end. This is Stallone! Fresh off an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in “Creed!” What’s he doing off-screen for so long?
You could also argue that the final battle goes on way too long. At two hours and 16 minutes, the filmmakers could’ve easily trimmed off 16 minutes during the final battle and not have lost a thing. Thankfully, Baby Groot’s “press the button” comic relief is just enough to save the overlong finale.
In the end, these qualms are minor. If you’re a cynical critic looking to rip another Marvel movie because you’re tired of superhero flicks, you’re simply barking up the wrong tree here. Or, should we say, barking up the wrong Baby Groot. It’s easily one of the most entertaining movies of the year.
