Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: saving the universe, chaotic style

Welcome to a chaotic universe filled with advanced races and roguish brutes. Guardians of the Galaxy is back with the second volume in the three-part trilogy.

Led by the charming Peter Quill, aka ‘Star Lord’, the family of outcasts band together to face their greatest foe yet: an enemy who seeks to destroy all life in the universe.

If the first fight sequence is anything to go by, Guardians is a film that doesn’t take itself too seriously: and that’s a good thing. From a dancing juvenile Groot (pictured below), to the hilarious blunders of Drax, the characters’ humour and comic relief give the film a playful tone.

Unlike other space operas like Avatar, Interstellar and the unstoppable juggernaut that is Star Wars, Guardians balances out the action and the laughs. The fate of the universe may be at stake, but not every sci-fi adventure needs to be seeped solely in darkness.

The hype over this film has been epic, ever since the trailer was released during the US Super Bowl. Social media and comment sections were abuzz with rhetoric of whether director James Gunn has managed to pull off a movie as great as the first. In short: he has.

But there are times when Guardians is somewhat unevenly paced; a little slow in parts. But it makes up for it in hectic form, with glorious spaceship battles and CGI that is second-to-none.

The film also lends a sense of kitsch nostalgia, with Sylvester Stallone venturing into the comic book world long after his appearance in the likes of Dredd and Demolition Man, and Kurt Russell playing his way back into the genre after blockbusters like Escape to LA and Stargate.

Oh, and be sure to stick around till after credits to view a handful of hilarious bonus scenes.  Jesse Short

‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ is in cinemas now.