More than just another successful Marvel franchise, the “Guardians of the Galaxy” series is a useful reminder that mixtapes once played a crucial role in our culture. While hard to improve upon the yacht rocking “Vol. 1,” it does help that “Vol. 2” features a song by the finest band of their era, Fleetwood Mac.
In an excellent opening sequence, we listen to the wind blow and the night come down while the Guardians - Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Drax (Dave Bautista), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), and Rocket (Bradley Cooper’s maniacal raccoon voice) - battle a toothed and tentacled beast. This fighting is confined to the background however, as the camera follows Groot (Vin Diesel’s voice), the formerly imposing tree-like extraterrestrial who’s now diminutive sapling, as he wanders through the chaos, murmuring his catchphrase “I am Groot” in the manner of an adorable toddler.
“Vol. 2” begins with the band catching their breath from the first film and reflecting on their familial bonds. Peter is still seeking a father, full of fantasies that he is the progeny of David Hasselhoff (a man who remains stubbornly in the lexicon) or the spawn of a more divine union, like when Zeus cavorted with the mortal Danaë and made Perseus.
Rocket is as acerbic as ever after absorbing all manner of abusive nicknames from “trash panda” to “triangle-faced monkey” to “crabby puppy.” To exacerbate his irritability, he is now compelled to parent the diminished Groot and, in the funniest section of the film, try to explain to the doe-eyed twig the tool he must retrieve to facilitate a prison break.
On the romantic front, Peter decides he must confess his feelings to Gamora, his defiantly non-flirtatious comrade in arms. But this lime green beloved is occupied with her insatiably combative sibling, Nebula (Karen Gillan). Peter tries the classic ultimatum with Gamora - if you don’t love me now, you will never love me again - but it doesn’t take.
Before any of these issues can get sorted out, the crew runs afoul of two enemies, the blue Yondu (Michael Rooker) and the gold Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki) - the Guardians must damn the dark (Yondu’s kidnapping, mercenary Ravagers) as well as damn the light (Ayesha’s vengeful, eugenicist Celestials).
Our heroes are rescued from both groups by the godly Ego (Kurt Russell) who explains to the befuddled Star-Lord that he has finally found his father. As might any god with millions of years of time to kill, Ego once descended upon Missouri looking to romance a human woman with his perfectly feathered ‘70s hair (each radiant tendril of this coif is perfect - it’s the most important use of 3D technology in recent cinema).
Ego has his own, eponymous planet - with an aesthetic perhaps inspired by the Robin Williams chestnut “What Dreams May Come” - where he can listen to the wind blow and watch the sun rise. Mantis (Pom Klementieff), an antennaed empath and only other resident of the globe is an uproarious complement to the relentlessly gruff Drax, who is always willing to tell us to damn your love, damn your lies.
Director James Gunn allows a few slack sections into this sequel but it mostly hums along, pinballing through the galaxy, running from the shadows into new neon worlds.
Similar to the “Fast and Furious” films, the emphasis always falls on family that is chosen rather than biological - these misfits promise each other that they’ll never break the chain that keeps them together. Just as Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” is a song written by all five band members, “Vol. 2” is a movie equally weighted to all five Guardians of the Galaxy.
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