Let's put it simply, if you were a god(space god in this case) you'd be disappointed too to find only maggots(lower-form beings) everywhere you go. Also there's a reason its name is Ego The Living Planet, he's got the biggest superiority complex in the universe.

Great points, Havelock. While I, too, enjoyed the film, I felt dissatisfied with Ego's motivations.

Overall it was a good movie as a comedy. I got lots of good laughs and enjoyed myself throughout.

One complaint I have about the film was that it kept mashing the dramatic aside button. Two or three of them were great. I especially loved the scene where Mantis is overwhelmed with grief when touching Drax while he calmly thinks of his lost child. The Yondu connection was also touching. But over all it felt repetitive. Like a song that repeats the chorus five too many times at its end. Less would definitely have been more in this category.

Within that complaint lurks the worst part of the movie for me: Nebula actually just wanted a sister. WTF? This trite reversal came off like some kind of Care Bears episode. To go from trying to kill Gamora to just wanting a hug was cringe worthy. I do like Nebula ending up an erstwhile ally but would have preferred a more nuanced approach.

While it was hit/miss in the drama dept, it fails as an action movie. The action was usually relegated to the background in favor of something cute or funny. When we do get a full view of the action, it has the video-game cut scene quality that leaves me not caring about what is going on. I only got a good action feeling from the blurry sequence at the beginning (sorta) and for the brief second that Starlord jumps back into the fray with the Sovereign in slow motion shooting both guns. All else was done in the name of a punch line. Swarm of alien fighters a threat? Nah, just a video game scene waiting for the chance to get more laughs.

Nearly the same complaint I had with the first one. Too many times the action was sacrificed in the name of another joke. But the first one had better action overall and about the same quality of dramatic flare minus the overuse.

So I liked it but I wish it was outside of the MCU due to the nearly slapstick level of comedy. Great comedy, yes, but nearly incompatible with the idea of any serious story line. If you add Maxwell Smart to a James Bond movie, it becomes a Get Smart movie.

I don't think he ultimately cared much about other forms of life to be honest. His motivation isn't to destroy other life, but to augment his own life.

After all, that's pretty much all he did for millions of years....increase his own mass and intelligence. Ego is the perfect name for him. It's pretty much all about him in the end.

@Harpospoke said:

I don't think he ultimately cared much about other forms of life to be honest. His motivation isn't to destroy other life, but to augment his own life.

After all, that's pretty much all he did for millions of years....increase his own mass and intelligence. Ego is the perfect name for him. It's pretty much all about him in the end.

That's a fair point, which I hadn't really thought about. Keeping that in mind, when I think back to the scene wherein Ego reveals his true feelings and motivations, I still feel disgruntled and a bit disappointed. I think it could have been handled more delicately, had James Gunn not wanted to make a 'comedy film'.

@Horus Mazinga said:

Overall it was a good movie as a comedy. I got lots of good laughs and enjoyed myself throughout.

One complaint I have about the film was that it kept mashing the dramatic aside button. Two or three of them were great. I especially loved the scene where Mantis is overwhelmed with grief when touching Drax while he calmly thinks of his lost child. The Yondu connection was also touching. But over all it felt repetitive. Like a song that repeats the chorus five too many times at its end. Less would definitely have been more in this category.

Within that complaint lurks the worst part of the movie for me: Nebula actually just wanted a sister. WTF? This trite reversal came off like some kind of Care Bears episode. To go from trying to kill Gamora to just wanting a hug was cringe worthy. I do like Nebula ending up an erstwhile ally but would have preferred a more nuanced approach.

While it was hit/miss in the drama dept, it fails as an action movie. The action was usually relegated to the background in favor of something cute or funny. When we do get a full view of the action, it has the video-game cut scene quality that leaves me not caring about what is going on. I only got a good action feeling from the blurry sequence at the beginning (sorta) and for the brief second that Starlord jumps back into the fray with the Sovereign in slow motion shooting both guns. All else was done in the name of a punch line. Swarm of alien fighters a threat? Nah, just a video game scene waiting for the chance to get more laughs.

I agree with these sentiments. Its a good movie as a comedy, which is what James Gunn likes to make, it seems. He sacrifices action, drama, and story in that pursuit, which leaves you with a mixed bag.

A separate thought I had was that there were several visuals which were particularly harsh. The sequence wherein Yondu's loyal crew mates were being flushed out the ship was surprisingly serious, in the midst of so much lighthearted, character-driven comedy. The juxtaposition of that very heavy moment and the other, lighter moments was shocking, and I liked that. I rather enjoy when movies can provide me with a visual punch to the solar plexus. It evokes emotion, and I'd rather not feel nothing.

@Ellison Havelock said:

@Horus Mazinga said:

Overall it was a good movie as a comedy. I got lots of good laughs and enjoyed myself throughout.

One complaint I have about the film was that it kept mashing the dramatic aside button. Two or three of them were great. I especially loved the scene where Mantis is overwhelmed with grief when touching Drax while he calmly thinks of his lost child. The Yondu connection was also touching. But over all it felt repetitive. Like a song that repeats the chorus five too many times at its end. Less would definitely have been more in this category.

Within that complaint lurks the worst part of the movie for me: Nebula actually just wanted a sister. WTF? This trite reversal came off like some kind of Care Bears episode. To go from trying to kill Gamora to just wanting a hug was cringe worthy. I do like Nebula ending up an erstwhile ally but would have preferred a more nuanced approach.

While it was hit/miss in the drama dept, it fails as an action movie. The action was usually relegated to the background in favor of something cute or funny. When we do get a full view of the action, it has the video-game cut scene quality that leaves me not caring about what is going on. I only got a good action feeling from the blurry sequence at the beginning (sorta) and for the brief second that Starlord jumps back into the fray with the Sovereign in slow motion shooting both guns. All else was done in the name of a punch line. Swarm of alien fighters a threat? Nah, just a video game scene waiting for the chance to get more laughs.

I agree with these sentiments. Its a good movie as a comedy, which is what James Gunn likes to make, it seems. He sacrifices action, drama, and story in that pursuit, which leaves you with a mixed bag.

A separate thought I had was that there were several visuals which were particularly harsh. The sequence wherein Yondu's loyal crew mates were being flushed out the ship was surprisingly serious, in the midst of so much lighthearted, character-driven comedy. The juxtaposition of that very heavy moment and the other, lighter moments was shocking, and I liked that. I rather enjoy when movies can provide me with a visual punch to the solar plexus. It evokes emotion, and I'd rather not feel nothing.

The problem I have with all this is the underlying assumption that comedy is automatically inferior to drama. That's why a comedy movie is never even considered for Best Picture at the Oscars and also why great artists like the Marx Brothers had to receive a "special Oscar" after most of them were dead.

I don't agree with that at all. Comedy is a great art form and very difficult to do well. Comedic actors are able to step into a dramatic role with ease while dramatic actors are only rarely able to do comedy well.

So if this movie does comedy well (I think that's true), then there is nothing for me to complain about.

@Ellison Havelock said:

A separate thought I had was that there were several visuals which were particularly harsh. The sequence wherein Yondu's loyal crew mates were being flushed out the ship was surprisingly serious, in the midst of so much lighthearted, character-driven comedy. The juxtaposition of that very heavy moment and the other, lighter moments was shocking, and I liked that. I rather enjoy when movies can provide me with a visual punch to the solar plexus. It evokes emotion, and I'd rather not feel nothing.

Gunn is skilled at scene construction. I agree that Yondu's mateys getting spaced was a well done reminder that stakes were serious. Sorta gave me that Firefly feeling. I liked that scene so much that I'd love to see what he could do if he went full-on serious in a space opera.

But I don't want the absence of comedy in his films. No. His comedy is great. I just want a little more balance. An example of a great action movie that balances the comedy without over-sweetening the mix is Raiders of the Lost Ark (my favorite movie). An example of a movie that embraced comedy in the face of its genre to the point of metastasizing is The Mummy. GotG2 is not quite that guilty as it is marketed and known as an action/comedy. I know that audiences exit movies happier (and thus more satisfied with the money spent) if their funny bone has been poked relentlessly and therefore filmmakers dance like circus bears to meet the demand. But Gunn has proved that he can do comedy as well as action so I hold out hope for a slight adjustment in the percentages without depleting what audiences are addicted to for the next one. Both legs of this hyphenated genre need to be healthy. This movie was at high risk of being a Lethal Weapon sequel but managed to keep the quality high enough to be forgiven its sins.

@Harpospoke said:

I don't agree with that at all. Comedy is a great art form and very difficult to do well. Comedic actors are able to step into a dramatic role with ease while dramatic actors are only rarely able to do comedy well.

So if this movie does comedy well (I think that's true), then there is nothing for me to complain about.

I totally agree with your opinion of comedy actors. There is nothing wrong with comedy. Comedy is great; superior even. It is about representation and degree. I like ice cream and sweet food but I don't want to order lasagna and find that it has 3 ounces of sugar mixed in it. Nor do I want to order ice cream and find a meatball in the center. Now in the case of hyphenated genre films like GotG, I expect a nice savory dish with the desert next to it in perfect balance. It is not unfair for me to complain that the bottom slice of sandwich bread got soaked by the ice cream or that the curry saturated the peach cobbler.

If I go to watch a comedy film and it turns out to be 80% action then I'm gonna do some community chin scratching. Even if the action is good. Like what if an Abbot and Costello movie only had five jokes in it? The converse is also true and in an action/comedy you cannot ignore one half.

Just to put things into perspective, I'd take another GotG with these same problems. I'm pushing for a tune-up from A- to A+

BTW, props to the Marx Bros. and your moniker. They still don't get the credit due.