In Volume 1, a human being is kidnapped by aliens from outer space and is made apart of a group of intergalactic pirates called the Ravagers. That human was named Peter Quill and throughout his appearances in the various MCU films, he has failed to capture my imagination. I haven't cared about him or his story. His romance with a green-skin woman named Gamora was never convincing either. The fact that writer-director James Gunn pivoted away from Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, was for the better. Instead, Gunn's focus here is on the literally anthropomorphized raccoon named Rocket, voiced by Bradley Cooper (American Sniper and The Hangover).
Unlike with Peter Quill, Gunn is able to make me care about Rocket. This film depicts Rocket's backstory, his veritable origins. It's an emotional and sentimental tale of love and loss, friendship and hardship, kindness and cruelty, and it's rendered effectively, if not powerfully. The depiction of Rocket in the previous films were also effective in that Rocket has always been an engaging and entertaining character. This film merely adds an extra layer of depth and it bonds him to the audience in a way that was never the case with Peter Quill, played by Chris Pratt (Jurassic World and The Super Mario Bros. Movie).
Unfortunately, much of the rest of this film falls flat. Yes, there are bits of comedy that are funny. Yes, there are action sequences that are blood-pumping, to some degree. Yes, those things help to buoy this lengthy running time along to its obvious conclusion. However, unless one is a hardcore fan, there isn't anything here that would make this ultra compelling, beyond being something to pass the time for summer boredom. As only the second entry in the so-called Phase Five of the MCU, this doesn't feel like an essential chapter. It feels like Gunn trying to wrap up a story and characters that ceased to matter after Avengers: Infinity War (2018).
That 2018 blockbuster did something to the titular characters here, which potentially made them more interesting or shook things up in a potentially intriguing way. The character of Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth, was paired with Rocket Raccoon. That unlikely duo and Thor's addition to the titular group presented new possibilities. That 2018 flick did the work to bond Rocket and Thor in a way that felt even stronger than Rocket's bond or relationship to Peter Quill.
In fact, there is a scene toward the beginning of this film where Rocket and Peter interact, which actively promotes the idea that Rocket and Peter don't care that much for each other. A flashback shows Rocket befriending other animals and those friendships feel stronger than his friendship to Peter. Gunn would likely argue he established Rocket and Peter's friendship in the previous films, but I disagree. Those previous films focused more on Peter's romance with Gamora, played by Zoe Saldaña (Avatar: The Way of Water and Star Trek).
That romance has been ditched for this film. Yet, for some reason, Gamora is still present in this narrative, even though her character technically died in Avengers: Endgame (2019). Gunn brings Gamora back and inserts her in this story, but it feels like a contractual obligation than anything vital. If she weren't in this film, I don't think much would have been lost. Gamora's presence here doesn't add anything or contribute much that's significant.
As far as the other characters, they didn't feel like they contributed much either. Dave Bautista (Dune and Glass Onion) reprises his role of Drax, but the film spends too much time depicting him as dumb when not actively calling him dumb. He's meant to end here on a note that definitively says he's a dad, but the film doesn't sell that point well enough or throughout to make it feel like a true note. Pom Klementieff (Uncut Gems and Oldboy) reprises her role of Mantis who is technically Peter's sister but that relationship never feels real or all that solid. If a line of dialogue, revealing them as siblings, hadn't been spoken, one would have a hard time guessing it.
Karen Gillan (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Oculus) co-stars as Nebula, the sister to Gamora and a cyborg. She's really the only member of the team that feels essential. She's the only one that comes off as intelligent or competent, which this film jokes about, but her character is the only one that feels vital.
Will Poulter (The Revenant and We're the Millers) plays Adam Warlock, a super-strong being who can exist in outer space without protection. He can fly and he can shoot really powerful, energy beams. His abilities seem akin to that of the titular character in Captain Marvel (2019), although perhaps not as strong. Despite being a child in a grown-man's body, Gunn doesn't give us enough to really care or engage with him.
Chukwudi Iwuji (John Wick: Chapter Two) rounds out the cast as the High Evolutionary, a man who runs a space business that conducts scientific experiments on animals. His goal is to create the perfect society comprised of genetically modified creatures. He wants to make them more humanoid, animals that walk and talk like people. This film's theme is one that is strongly against animal testing and specifically animal cruelty. It's not clear how this film stands on the eating of animals for food, but its stand opposite experiments on living beings is blatant.
Rated PG-13 for violence, action, strong language and drug references.
Running Time: 2 hrs. and 30 mins.
In theaters.
