Guardians of the Galaxy

[WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD. READ WITH CAUTION]

The premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy was on May 4, 2017, and I honestly should have gone. But, I decided to wait for some odd reason. Mostly because I was getting amped up for the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie premiering on May 26th. Nevertheless, I was pleased with both movies.

Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 follows Starlord and his gang, Gamora, Rocket, Groot (well, a now baby Groot), and Drax as they save the universe from Starlords father, Ego with the help of Yondu and Nebula.

There have been high ratings for this film, and I see why. I don't believe the first and sequel need to be compared because each tell a story of their own in different ways. But, I will say, the first movie had way more crude humor and intersecting plots. The sequel tones down the crude humor, but not fully. It wouldn't be Guardians of the Galaxy without it.

The character introduction for the heros of the story starts off will Starlord's familiar sound track tape and the gang together. Starlord, Gamora, Rocket, Drax, and baby Groot are defending high valued Anulax batteries for a latest employers, the Sovereigns from a creature known as the Abilisk. The gang gear up for battle except for baby Groot who's jamming out to "Mr. Blue Sky" on Rocket's speaker. The scene progresses with everyone fighting off the Abilisk while baby Groot avoids getting hit and taking out some pesky space rats that look at him funny on the side. The opening scene was just a warm up for the comedy to come.

But, not all scenes are hilarious. This movie took a turn when each character had a heart to heart with their foe, friend, and even father. Rocket with Yondu, Gamora with Nebula, Drax with Mantis, and Starlord with Ego. From each scene we learned something new about each character. Nebula's reason for loathing her father and sister so much. Yondu realizing him and Rocket are one in the same despite their species. Drax's feelings about his recently deceased family and his new friends whom he considers family. Starlord and Ego patching up their bond after years of never knowing each other. It was a lot to take time because most movies only handle about 2 major setback scenes so as to not clutter the film with unnecessary sadness or let down emotions. But, with the amount of characters in this film, it was necessary.

I appreciated the movie's maturity on handling Starlord and Gamora's relationship. From movie one, Gamora made it clear she did not have a thing for Starlord's playboy type. Starlord followed along with Gamora's wish, but did occasionally compliment Gamora. In this film, Starlord apologized to Gamora after an unexpected come on from the Sovereign Queen. Gamora rejected the idea of even paying attention to the event and even said she didn't care.

But, the tables turned when Ego entered the picture. Gamora comforted Starlord and even encouraged him to get to know his father. Starlord trusts Gamora's judgment and does as she says. When they're on Ego's planet, they shared another dance like in the first movie. Starlord admited his feelings, but Gamora still rejected him saying they have no unspoken thing between them. Later on when Ego's planet was evolving, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Nebula made it back on to the ship except for Starlord. This resulted in Gamora hurrying to save him, but Rocket prevented her from doing so. But, Starlord is saved by Yondu and Ego is destroyed. After the death of Yondu from saving Starlord, Gamora comforted Starlord. She realized no matter how many times she rejected him or denied it, she had some unspoken feeling for Starlord. But, instead of the two of them sharing a kiss, we see them watch the funeral for Yondu with their arms around each other. It was a subtle way of showing that their relationship had developed to the next stage.

This film may not have as flashy as the original, but it didn't fail in being entertaining and fun. Personally, baby Groot stole the show. His cute little self and groovy dancing, whisked away the hearts of many fans. I look forward to the next film that has been announced, and possibly a teenage Groot. How do trees go through puberty?

#BabyGroot #Starlord #Gamora #Rocket #Drax #AwesomeTapeMix #ChrisPratt #BradleyCooper #VinDiesel #ZoeSaldana #DaveBautista