“Guardians vol. 2” first reactions promise big laughs and emotional punch
The first reactions for James Gunn's “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” have officially hit the web, and the news is good. Gunn's 2014 original was a game-changer, the little 'weirdo' Marvel movie that could despite the fact that most of the world had no idea who the hell the rag-tag group of heroes even were. Now, “Guardians” is one of Marvel's most beloved and critically acclaimed films to date, and the sequel is riding in on a wave of maximum hype thanks to some fantastic trailers and a steady stream of vociferous praise from every studio representative, actor, and industry pro.
“Vol. 2” sees the return of the Guardians — Zoe Saldana's Gamora, Dave Bautista's Drax the Destroyer, Vin Deisel's (baby) Groot, Bradley Cooper's Rocket Raccoon and Chris Pratt's Peter Quill alongside a few new team members -- Karen Gillan's Nebula, Michael Rooker's Yondu and Pom Klementieff's Mantis, as they team up to save the galaxy once again and cross paths will Quill's father, Kurt Russell's Ego the Living Planet.
Full reviews are still under embargo for the time being, but a lucky few in the audience of the press screening were given permission to post reactions to social media.
Collider's Steven Weintraub said the film “kept a smile on my face from beginning to end. Funny, action packed, emotional, and tons of surprises. Thumbs up.” A lot of other tweets were all praise for the film, terming it “… a whole heap of fun. Gorgerous, a bit mad, and surprisingly emotional,” “… funnier than the original, a ton of surprises, and an unexpected emotional profoundness” and “Surprisingly moving. Incredible visual effects and production design.”
Critic Brandon Davis called director James Gunn “a hero” and added that the “surprise faces steal the show.”
Dan Casey tweeted, “I had a smile plastered on my face nearly the whole time. Tons of Easter eggs too” and Eric Eisenberg called the movie “…incredibly funny, beautifully colorful, and great continuations of the heroes.”
However, a few attendees didn't think the film was as good as the first one. Jeff Sneider said the movie “isn't as good as the first. What felt fresh now feels forced. 2.5/4 stars” and added in a separate tweet that “The problem w/ GOTG2 is that the VFX threaten to swallow the film, which is way too long & too reliant on music cues. Too much family drama.”
Angie J. Han, though, called the film “MCU at its very best” and said it “uses every damn color in the crayon box” and Aaron Couch summed up the preview screening thusly: “Don't think I've heard so much laughter at a press screening. People seemed to really be digging Guardians Vol. 2. Can't say more (yet)”.
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