I saw Guardians of the Galaxy 2 last night with Bill, Bart and Jeff. It’s
a terrific piece of entertainment, easily moving from witty, character-driven
comedy to effective and even heartfelt melodrama.
The irresistible cuteness of
Groot, the reluctant sweetness of Gamora, the damaged humanity of Nebula, the
social obtuseness of Drax, the charm of Quill and the unique comedy/pathos of
Rocket — all delicious. The film even includes an interesting philosophical
undercurrent concerning one of the long-time Marvel Comics characters, aptly
named “Ego.”
I was struck, once again, by the
subtle but strong echoes of The Wizard of
Oz in these films — a child is whirled from rural America to an
otherworldly environment, teaming up with a talking animal, a being composed of
plant matter, a mechanical person and other strange companions to learn that what you needed was
with you all along.
The critics who have carped that
it’s “just more of the same” are missing the point that it’s a seamless
continuation of the first film’s story, and is as good or marginally better
than the first movie. When it ended, members of the audience applauded. I was
one of them, and I drove home with a smile on my face.
As Karen Teeple said, “It was nice
to laugh and forget about our government for a few hours.”
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