So summer movie season has officially begun, and first up for this years amazing looking lineup is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The surprise success of the original Guardians of the Galaxy has been attributed to the fun, quirky characters, the over the top humor, and underlying emotional heart of the story. This was a lot for a sequel to live up to, but fortunately, the makers of Vol. 2 decided to look to one of the greatest sequels of all time for inspiration and imitate many of the elements that made The Empire Strikes Back such an effective film.
There is a lot going on with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, so I will try to quickly summarize and review the film before moving on to some more technical analysis. The film picks up immediately after the events of the first, with Peter Quill (AKA Starlord), Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and baby Groot being hired to protect a technologically advanced society (the Sovereign) from an inter dimensional monster trying to steal super batteries. The mission is a success, but Rocket steals the batteries, bringing the wrath of the Sovereign on the Guardians. While they are being attacked, they are rescued by an unknown force and then crash land on a deserted planet. There they learn that the person who saved them was actually Starlord’s father, a powerful being who takes Peter, Drax, and Gamora to his home planet to teach Peter about his heritage. Rocket, Groot, and Nebula (who the Guardians captured for the bounty on her head) are left to try to repair the ship.
The Sovereign, upset at being double crossed, hire Yondu and his ravager crew to capture and kill the Guardians. They catch up with Rocket, Groot, and Gamora, but the crew mutiny when Yondu tries to protect the Guardians. They are all captured, but they eventually escape and to join Starlord, Gamora, Drax, and new companion Mantis, a powerful empath who can read and project emotions into the minds of those she touches. The third act of this film is an emotional rollercoaster, and I don’t want to spoil any of it. Long story short, shenanigans ensue on Starlord’s father’s planet involving the Sovereign, the Guardians, and a potentially universe ending catastrophe.
Vol. 2 embodies everything that was right with the first film; the emotional heart, the wisecracking scoundrel characters, the fast pace, and humor, while building the story inward, outward, and upward. The action is great (for the most part); like Dr. Strange, this film takes advantage of the vast potentialities of a massive universe and delight in the possibilities of its genre. But Vol. 2 is more than just a beautiful action movie. The real depth of this film is in its characters. Watching the interactions between Mantis and Drax, or Yondu and Rocket, or Baby Groot and the entire cast, or Peter Quill and his father is a reminder that the key to storytelling is compelling characters. Each individual grows and changes because of his or her conversations with their companions. Sometimes it is only in small ways; a reminder of a lost family, a sweet moment, a dance, a song, but each of those moments adds up to a new understanding of the characters and why they are the person they have become. By making time for slow moments, for conversation, for growth, Vol. 2 was able to create some of the most relatable (even as an insectoid alien, a talking raccoon, and a cybernetic psychopath) characters in the MCU, and to allow for beautifully heartbreaking scenes at the film’s climactic conclusion.
To sum up the review… Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a well crafted and beautifully embodied film. The action scenes are fun, the humor is on point, the characters develop wonderfully, which brings an emotional heart to the story that can sometimes be lacking in superhero films. Thoroughly enjoyable, this film is a must see for any fan of superhero movies, along with anyone who likes movies with heart, or anyone who likes space-battles, or wisecracking scoundrels.
From here on out, I am going to drop into analysis, so there will be spoilers for the movie. Please go see the film before you read on from here… it is well worth it.
I mentioned at the top of the review that Vol. 2 drew inspiration from The Empire Strikes Back on how to make an awesome sequel. The similarities between the film are many; the emphasis on the relationship between Starlord and his father, the incorporation of more characters into the team, the splitting up of the team into different groups during the middle of the film, only to have them reunited at the end, and particularly, the theme of loss. Empire was, in many ways, a traumatic film to see as a child. The good guys don’t win… they barely escape with their lives. Luke has left his training and lost his hand, Han Solo has been captured, Lando has lost his position at Cloud City, C3PO is in pieces, and nothing has improved for the rebellion. Similarly, and in many ways more subtly, Vol. 2 is about dealing with loss, particularly the loss of family. Starlord has been defined by the loss of his family; he never knew his father, and he watched his mother die of a brain tumor. He was kidnapped immediately after, and grew up on a ravager spaceship, with the constant threat of being eaten or abandoned. When he meets his father (Ego), Peter Quill believes that this is the opportunity to have the family he has been looking for. Not only that, but his father offers him all he could ever want; a planet he can shape according to his own desires, immortality, and the promise of eternity together as father and son. This seeming paradise, however, is only an illusion. Ego’s promise is of an eternity alone, an eternity without family, immortality at the price of his humanity, and paradise with no one to share it. Ultimately, Ego’s “fatherhood” comes at the cost of his real family, the Guardians. This is contrasted by the fatherhood offered by Yondu. Although he was not an ideal father figure, Quill comes to realize that the ravager protected him, cared for him, and taught him because he really loved him, a love that was not a selfish, consuming love, like Ego’s, but a love that was willing to sacrifice for the sake of others. Ultimately, however, this realization is bittersweet because Yondu sacrifices himself to save Peter, and the hero is left alone, both his father figures destroyed by Ego’s consuming selfishness. Loss becomes the consistent catalyst of change for Starlord; the loss of his mother heralded the change in his kidnapping, and the discovery of a new family in the ravagers. Loss of his biological father heralded the change in his perspective on his mother’s death and his own kidnapping, which led to the discovery of Yondu’s fatherly role, then the loss of Yondu becomes a further catalyst for change in recognizing his place in the Guardians team and the discovery of the family he has there. Victory and change are not possible without loss, and Starlord’s journey illustrates the power the motif can have in storytelling.
It is not just Starlord who exemplifies the theme of loss in Vol. 2 Each of the secondary characters also undergo loss which becomes transformative. Gamora and Mantis both undergo a loss of innocence. Gamora must confront her past when her conversations with Nebula reveal that, in her rush to protect herself from her abusive father, she had destroyed her relationship with her sister, who just wanted a family. This process also forces her to come to grips with her feelings for Peter Quill. In the end, although Gamora loses the superiority she felt over her sister, her gains outweigh her loss as the dropping of her barriers allows her to open up to a relationship with both Nebula and Starlord. Mantis’ loss of innocence is also constructive. Starting out as a naive young woman with no social skills and a total lack of confidence in her own power to single handedly holding Ego at bay so the other Guardians could complete their missions. This development is primarily due to her conversations with Drax whose fatherly presence allows Mantis to separate from her dependence on Ego and assert her own individuality. Ultimately, Mantis loses her home and her patron, but she gains self assurance, and a new family who will love her by building her up.
Drax himself is an interesting example of the theme of loss. While Drax does not specifically lose something in the film, it is the loss that he has undergone prior to the events of the film that has been formational for his character and proves critical in the development of others. Drax’s wife and children were killed, which is what motivated his character arc in the first film. Having gotten his revenge on the man who killed his family, a huge burden seems to have been lifted from Drax’s shoulders. In this film he is lighthearted, taking delight in the joking and banter that defines the Guardians. He also recognizes that the team is his new family, and he is the steady character who builds up those around him. For all his steady lightheartedness, the pain of his loss is still present. It is there when he talks to Peter Quill about some people being dancers and other not. It is there when he talks to Mantis about how much he misses his family. The pain of loss is still there, but instead of being channeled into rage or hatred, he draws on it to help the people around him. It is Mantis’ feeling of Drax’s loss that causes her to change sides. Drax’s loss becomes a catalyst of change for those experiencing loss around him. Similarly, Nebula’s loss is not one within the story, but prior to the events occurring. Nebula never had the same assurance that Gamora had because she was constantly in the shadow of her more powerful sister. When the two would fight and Gamora would win, Nebula would lose something; Thanos took her eye, gave her a metallic arm, constantly “upgrading” his daughter so she would be “more equal” to her sister. Nebula lost parts of her body, she lost her innocence, and she lost her sister to her abusive father who constantly pitted his daughters against each other. It is only by recognizing this loss that she is able to move forward and regain her relationship with Gamora. In the end, her loss is a catalyst for her own transformation from villainous minion to empowered Guardian, along with Gamora’s realization that she had hurt her sister and their subsequent reconciliation. Even though they were not temporally present in the film, Drax’s and Nebula’s pasts emphasize the theme of loss and its importance as an agent for change.
Finally, we come to the unlikely pairing of Rocket and Yondu. With the exception of Peter Quill, Yondu loses the most of anyone in this film. When the film opens, Yondu is at the bottom; he has lost respect of the Ravager community because he traded in children (taking Ego’s offspring to him, where they were eventually killed), and he has lost the respect of his crew because they think he has gone soft. He loses his whistle arrow temporarily when Gamora shoots off his head fin, and he looses most of his spaceship when his crew mutinies and he has to fight his way off. But again, this loss is a catalyst for growth. It is only when he has nothing that Yondu is able to realize what is important; looking at Rocket, Yondu sees a reflection of himself and chooses to take a new path. Instead of looking out only for himself, Yondu chooses to help rescue the other Guardians. He places his value, not in the things he owns or controls, but in the people he cares about, is thus is able to step forward as Starlord’s surrogate father, Rocket’s friend, and a true Guardian of the Galaxy. Similarly, Rocket is hugely affected by loss in this film. First, he is coming off the loss of his best friend. While Groot is still physically alive, he has been reduced to a childlike version of himself; instead of having a best friend, Rocket is now responsible for a child. While Rocket handles this transition with a surprising amount of maturity, the loss of Groot drives him to push away those closest to him, which he does by endangering the team needlessly (by stealing the batteries from the Sovereign), and with his caustic attitude and venomous dialog. Rocket is afraid of loss, so he pushes people away from him so he won’t be hurt. This characteristic is echoed by Yondu, who has also done the same, pushing away people he should have relied on in order to make himself seem tough. It is this similarity that enables the two to become good friends, and that makes the ending of the film where Yondu sacrifices himself so poignant. Rocket has finally opened up and allowed himself to make another friend, and he is going to lose that person. Ultimately, however, this loss allows Rocket to take a new step forward; instead of pushing people away because he is afraid they will get hurt, he can instead choose to protect them. In a sad moment, Rocket chooses to fly away and leave his new friend behind in order to protect Drax, Gamora, Mantis, Groot, and Nebula. He does what he must to protect his friends, his family, because of Yondu’s example.
What makes Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 so powerful is not just the presence of loss, but the fact that loss serves as a formational part of the characters’ experience. Each individual does not just lose things because it hurts the audience to see the characters lose, but because those losses lead to greater achievements or to a deeper family ties or wider understanding. It is not that the loss itself has meaning, but that the characters use the circumstances of loss to transcend their own emotions and build meaning into their actions. They make their own loss have meaning, and this is what makes them compelling, admirable, and relatable.
I could probably say more, but I think this is as good a place to stop as any. Vol. 2 is a well constructed film that deals brilliantly with the theme of loss, taking the powerful choices pioneered in The Empire Strikes Back and exploring them with nuance and depth. As far as sequels go, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 stands as one of the best I have ever seen because it emphasizes character built through an engaging and entertaining narrative.
Well back to reality.
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