{"id":962,"date":"2016-03-01T10:07:17","date_gmt":"2016-03-01T10:07:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=962"},"modified":"2016-03-01T10:07:17","modified_gmt":"2016-03-01T10:07:17","slug":"guardians-of-the-galaxy-film-review-marvel-chris-pratt-hollywood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=962","title":{"rendered":"Guardians of the Comic Book Legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

T<\/span>he wildly entertaining\u00a0<\/p>Guardians of The Galaxy: Vol 2<\/em>, the sequel to 2014\u2019s whimsical surprise superhero film, starts off with a delightful opening sequence that would be much more at home during the end-credits. In the scene, the adorable Baby Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel; easily the movie\u2019s best character, who deserves his own spin-off) is shown dancing around blissfully to Electric Light Orchestra\u2019s peppy \u201cMr Blue Sky\u201d. The four Guardians meanwhile \u2013 Peter Quill\/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista) and \u201ctrash-panda\u201d Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) \u2013 battle an enormous Octopus-like alien monster in the background.\n\nThis interminable splashy shot, featuring an action set-piece, could have gone down the conventional route, with the camera demanding attention on the swords, the blood, and the superheroes. Instead, the spotlight is on Baby Groot\u2019s smooth moves.\n\nRelegating the Guardians\u2019 desperate battle against the tentacled, fire-spitting monster to the background is only the first of many instances that director James Gunn subverts the Marvel superhero trope. He delivers an anti-blockbuster, featuring an anti-hero, who most likely could be the secret formula for the Marvel cinematic universe\u2019s success going forward.\n\nThree years ago, when the first Guardians released, James Gunn had the element of surprise in his favour. It was refreshing to discover a potty-mouthed raccoon blowing away enemies with high-powered weapons, a humanoid tree who would only offer three words throughout the length of the film, and a cheerily rogue-ish man-child Star-Lord who was best-known for playing a goofy character on\u00a0Parks and Recreation. That novelty may have worn off by the time the sequel hit theatres this week, considering how the audience is now familiar with the idiosyncrasies of each character. But the film continues to play by its own rules, dutifully offering newer revelations: Whether it is in the form of a downsized version of Groot or the fact that Drax is secretly the funniest character in this group of colourful A-holes.\n\n