The first Guardians of the Galaxy is perhaps the best Marvel movie, and one of my favourite Star Wars movies too. And I understand that Gunn was trying to go for an Empire Strikes Back kind of film, where action is subverted for the sake of emotional resonance. But even for a movie where the villain’s name is Ego, Guardians 2 is palpably shallow, emotionally blunt, and predictable. There is no emotional resonance to be found here.  It’s not a complete failure by any measure. But now that Guardians isn’t just aping Star Wars, but competing with it, the series finds itself struggling to find its footing.  I appreciate how weird this was. Next time around, I’d love it if my expectations were finally subverted again.

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