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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Rightio, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 at Reading Belmont with older sister and younger boyfriend (hers, not mine). I was quite calm going in as I KNEW this wouldn't be as good as the original and was therefore only expecting an enjoyable viewing experience. And that's what I got. And not a lot more. The 'cinematic law of diminishing returns' may explain this feeling but I may also be talking out of my arse. It has been known to happen.

Anyway, this is, for the most part, a fine follow-up to a surprising hit. The tease of Quill's fatherage (apparently not a word) is revealed and is the tent pole issue of several other relationship explorations throughout the film. The Gamora/Nebula battling sisters sub-plot is interesting (though pretty much emanating from another Daddy issue - Thanos). Drax and Mantis have a nice little dysfunctional friendship blossoming. Rocket and Yondu find similarities in character and even Groot has his growing pains. Yet these are all marginalised by Quill's realisation that his father may not have been his 'Daddy'.

The soundtrack doesn't have the impact of the original yet it seems - in the marketing as well as the dialogue - to be the key element of the film. Like it's a 2 hour video clip collection. The 80's pop culture references are as off-putting as they were in the original, even rolling out Hasselhoff for another cringing cameo (this must be all he does these days). Admittedly, I did like the Hoff's vocals on the final song, Guardian's Inferno.

Those gripes aside, GOTGV2 was a lot of fun, not quite up to par with the first and with nothing as exhilarating as that film's prison break sequence but fun nonetheless. Chris Pratt invests Quill with the charm of his first Star Lord outing and Bautista's Drax is basic comic relief but crucially, good at it. Very different from the comics though, where he's a troubled murder machine.

One thing that might be a bit tasty in the future installments is the idea that the Celestials (or GODS!) are the evil in the universe, exemplified here by Kurt Russel's Ego and in the first film by the sneak peek at the damage potential of the orb infinity stone which destroyed the Collector's warehouse/office. Mind you, Ego had to note that he was a god with a small g and I guess Thor is a god also, which means these nutters are plentiful. Perhaps not as ground-breaking as first thought. Carry on.

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