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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 7 MAY 2017 40 This Week HERE'S for reunions of sorts – back in August 2014 I got to guest review the first Guardians of the Galaxy. Now, nearly two years later, I get to review the sequel, the im- aginatively named Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Back then I was per- haps somewhat snobbish towards the film, describing it as essentially a Star Wars film even as I admitted its brightly coloured facade proved to be a breath of fresh air compared to the greys and browns of other su- perhero films. But how does the sequel fare in the year 2017, a time where we got more and more of films in the su- perhero genre, but also not one but two official Star Wars films? The answer, dear reader, surprised even yours truly. In truth, I can repeat most of my review of the first film; like its pre- decessor, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 remains "a space adventure cut straight from pulp cloth, if with a good lick of modern special ef- fects paint." However, unshackled as it is from the constraints of mul- tiple origin stories, the sequel has been allowed to have more fun. In fact, the first two acts of Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 are surprisingly low key. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) takes Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Drax (Dave Bautista) to meet his dad, while Rocket Raccoon (Brad- ley Cooper) ends up in trouble after stealing batteries from The Sovereign, a clan of goofy gold- coloured types who, in the film's prologue, hire the titular Guard- ians to hunt down a gigantic tenta- cled monstrosity. There's also the business involving Gamora's war- rior sister Nebula (Karen Gillen), as well as Quill's adoptive father, the space pirate Yondu (Michael Rooker), and Drax developing feel- ings for newcomer Mantis (a Pom Klementieff transformed into an alive anime character). If you're seeing a theme of fam- ily developing here, that's not your imagination. A film bearing the title "Guardians of the Galaxy" is not exactly a space for subtlety. Troma alum James Gunn keeps the direction breezy, with well- timed comedy and decent action scenes bolstered by special effects which, while never truly spectacu- lar, feature at least a measure of imagination in the design depart- ment. The breeziness is perhaps marred in the final act, since it does as all these films are seemingly obliged to do and devolves into a spectacle of CGI noise and nonsense, with the Guardians tasked with saving, well, the Galaxy. But the road towards the inevita- bly explosion-filled conclusion fea- tures an embrace of the weirder as- pects of the source material, what with the revelation of Peter Quill's father as being the gloriously named Ego the Living Planet (Kurt Russell), the extended appearances of the grizzled space pirates known as the Ravagers, multiple Howard the Duck cameos, and a post-cred- its scene teasing the appearance of no other than [REDACTED]. Thankfully, it's also not bogged down with references to the wider "Marvel Cinematic Universe"; in- stead, most of the references made involve television and pop hits from a time before most of the millennials making the film's tar- get audience were even born (by which I mean the 1980s. Are you feeling old? I sure am. SIGH). Ultimately, Guardians of the Gal- axy Vol 2 proved to be shockingly entertaining. Is it a genuinely good film? I honestly can't decide, espe- cially since this year already gave us a wealth of B-grade genre greats, such as the superlative John Wick 2 and Free Fire. As such, while I struggle to even remember what the plot to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 was about (that could be the result of the old age I pointed out earlier, mind) I do recall the pleas- ure brought by, say, the sight of Ego the Living Planet – as in the actual planet, its geography sculpted as a scowling face, in embrace of just how weird and wonderful comics can be – in full cinematic block- buster glory. And sometimes, this guest reviewer must admit, that can be enough. IN CINEMAS TODAY Embassy Cinemas Valletta Tel. 21 227436, 21 245818 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 3D (12A) 10:30, 14:30, 17:45, 20:45 The Boss Baby (U) 10:00, 12:10, 14:20, 16:35, 18:50, 21:00 Smurfs: The Lost Village (U) 16:00, 18:10 Unforgettable (15) 20:35, 23:00 The Promise (12A) 10:30, 14:15, 17:45, 20:40, 23:30 Beauty and the Beast 2D (PG) 10:00, 13:00, 15:40, 18:20, 21:00 Fast & Furious 8 (12A) 10:30, 14:15, 17:30, 20:30 Valletta Living History (U) 10:00, 10:45, 11:30, 12:15, 13:00, 13:45, 14:30, 15:15 Eden Cinemas St Julian's Tel. 23 710400 Beauty and the Beast 2D (PG) 11:00, 13:35, 16:05, 18:35, 21:10, 23:45 The Boss Baby 2D (U) 11:00, 16:20, 20:55 The Boss Baby 3D (U) 14:10, 18:35 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 2D(12A) 12:45, 18:25, 21:15 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (12A) 11:05, 15:35, 23:10, 23:10 Fast & Furious 8 (12A) 11:10, 13:10, 14:30, 16:00, 18:00, 20:00, 21:15, 23:00 Smurfs: The Lost Village 2D (U) 11:15, 14:10, 16:15, 18:20 A Dog's Purpose (PG) 11:30, 14:00, 16:15, 18:30, 20:40 The Promise (12A) 13:10, 15:50, 18:30, 21:10, 23:50 Graduation (15) 13:15, 18:45 Lady Macbeth (15) 14:00, 16:00, 18:00, 20:15, 22:55 Their Finest (12A) 14:00, 16:25, 18:50, 21:15 Mindhorn (15) 14:05, 16:05, 18:20, 20:30, 22:50 Going in Style (12A) 14:10, 16:20, 18:30, 20:50 The Handmaiden (18) 15:50, 21:20 Unforgettable (15) 20:30 Empire Cinemas Bugibba Tel. 21 581787, 21 581909 Beauty and the Beast 2D (PG) 10:30, 13:15, 15:55, 18:35, 21:15 The Boss Baby (U) 11:15, 13:35, 16:20, 18:35 Going in Style (12A) 11:20, 14:00, 16:30, 18:35, 20:45 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 2D (12A) 10:15, 15:45, 21:15 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 3D (12A) 13:00, 18:30 Their Finest (12A) 21:00 Fast & Furious 8 (12A) 10:15, 13:00, 15:45, 18:30, 21:15 The Promise (12A) 10:15, 13:00, 15:45, 18:30, 21:15 Mindhorn (15) 11:30, 14:00, 16:30, 18:30, 20:45 By Marco Attard ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ A STAR IS BORN ★ ★ ★ ★ STAR WARS ★ ★ ★ STAR BALLS ★ ★ STAR CRASH ★ STAR DUST FILM GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 2 ★ ★ ★ Return of the A-holes The a-holes return: the self- declared Guardians of the Galaxy strike a pose amid a conclusion replete with CGI noise and nonsense. Groot – the tree monster reduced to a toddler in the first film – steals the show yet again.