James Gunn (2) (1966–)

A tremendous sequel, in my opinion, whose sole major issue is being a bit predictable. Feeling less overstuffed than the original film, in "Volume 2" the characters get to breathe a lot more. In particular this benefits Yondu, Rocket and, most surprisingly, Nebula, a character who was little more than a shoehorned cameo in the first one. All three of them truly shine in this film, and each of them had at least one moment that made me bawl my eyes out, even during my second watch through. (As show more what it takes to make someone cry during a film is hugely individual, I can mention for comparison that I think I only got slightly misty a single time in the first film.)

But the rest of the cast is not neglected, and even newcomer Mantis gets a lot of memorable moments. The constant banter is heightened, sure, but in a wonderfully entertaining and often quite touching way. The plot, as mentioned, is a tad predictable, but I found it poignant and effective, and much more streamlined than the convoluted first installment. James Gunn not getting to direct a third film in this series is a travesty, but fingers crossed his script will be enough to carry this level of quality through to the end. show less

Once you get past the nipple-piercing, it's all uphill. Lots of good performances in a totally whacked-out script, with Lemmy of Motorhead as our occasional narrator. Janet Jensen is the best-looking Juliet I have ever seen, which also makes the film more watchable. Debbie Rochon is also very good. The gross-out stuff, other than the aforementioned piercing is funny rather than nauseating, and the cast seems to be having such a good time, it's hard not to join in. The film also looks good, show more with lots of garish bright colors that are perfectly suited to the demented goings on. Sort of like a John Waters film with sex scenes. show less

B (Good).

It's too long, and not everything in it works. But it's often surprisingly emotional for a James Gunn movie.

(Nov. 2023)

B (Good).

Lex Luthor tries to defeat Superman and conquer a small nation.

Oh, that Lex Luthor, always hatching his real estate schemes.

I love how we just jump in to a fully fledged DC universe. FINALLY, the people making superhero movies have figured out that we don't need separate ten-year-long film franchises to explain who every single character is. On the other hand, the plot of this movie is pretty underwhelming, especially when you consider how much potential crazy stuff they gave show more themselves to play with.

(Sep. 2025) show less