The Wonder of Found Family Vol. 2

Who do you call your family? Is it biological? Is it adopted? Is it something completely different? The truth is when we talk about family there is no right or wrong answer. So many people in our lives can transcend the traditional idea of family and become a surrogate family. And when we look at a movie like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 we see how family is not something you’re born into. It’s something you choose.

There are a few things Vol. 2 does differently than the first one. It’s more grounded, which is insane for a technicolor movie about space people where one of the characters is a genius raccoon. But the stakes in this one feel far more serious and personal than in the first movie. And while the first movie was much more traditional science fiction adventure, this movie is about found family. It’s about a group of misfits who find that they themselves are the family they have always longed for.

Peter (Chris Pratt) is an orphan raised by a gang of thieves. Gamora (Zoe Saldana) is the adopted daughter of a mad titan bent on galactic genocide. Drax (Dave Bautista) is a widower who has spent his life trying to avenge the deaths of his wife and daughter. Rocket (Voiced by Bradley Cooper) is a creation abused and tortured until he built walls to never let himself be hurt emotionally again. And Groot (Voiced by Vin Diesel) is the adopted child of all of them. All five have roles to play within their found family based on where they come from. Peter is immature and childish since he never had a chance to grow up. Gamora is reserved and closed off because she has been taught not to feel sympathy for others. Drax is single-minded and stoic, trying to be the man his family could depend on before he lost them. Rocket is arrogant and aggressive because he has been hurt so much, he refused to rely on anyone of them ever again. And Groot is a baby. He’s utterly dependent and ignorant of those around him, acting on innocent emotion and need for attention. Together they play various roles in the “family” that change with each relationship.

Gamora has always been defined by her adopted family. And in this movie we get to see that far more than in the previous one. Especially as she works to mend her relationship with Nebula (Karen Gillan). In the first movie Nebula is a straight villain. And when confronted by Gamora she runs and fights her sister. In this one, the relationship is much more personal. It’s no longer about defeating Gamora to earn favor with Thanos (Josh Brolin). Nebula wants to destroy Gamora because she wants what Gamora has. Love. She wants people to love and care for her. When you sit on the outside it’s hard to watch as someone you know has a better life than you. And often bullies are a result of a poor environment. Nebula’s reactions are not coming from a place of entitlement or hate. They are coming as a cry for help. Nebula is hurting and she simply wants the love Gamora has. And when Gamora sees this as well it fixes a part of their relationship. It makes reluctantly adopted sisters closer. They become sisters who are working towards fixing their broken relationship.

Peter changes when he meets Ego (Kurt Russell). Peter’s biological father changes him. He sees a chance to get back the childhood he never had. But Ego is not actually interested in Peter as a person. He’s interested in Peter because Peter can help Ego achieve his own goals. And it’s not even Peter that’s special, it’s the fact that he has celestial power. And that tears a hole in their relationship when Peter figures this out. He turns from Ego and sees the truth, that Ego never cared about him. He’s been searching for a father to love him and care for him the way a child needs to be raised by a parent. But he doesn’t get that with Ego. He gets used and abused by a megalomaniac bent on his own interests no matter the cost.

And it is in this moment when Ego reveals how little Peter means to him that he sees the truth. He always had a father. He had Yondu (Michael Rooker). Yondu’s arc in this movie from reluctant ally to sacrificial father figure is beautiful to watch and there have only been two times in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that broke me down emotionally. One of them we’ll get to in a future review. But the other is when Yondu says: “He may have been your father boy, but he wasn’t your daddy.” The line defines the idea of found family. And you don’t have to be an orphan to have one. People who don’t admire their biological parents often look outside their home for parental figures. And Peter finds his in Yondu. And in the same way Yondu sees that even though he’s not perfect, he was what Peter needed. The final moments between the two are some of the most grounded emotional moments in all of the MCU and they cement Yondu as one of the best characters to come out of it.

But we have to go further, because Yondu’s end is not his only defining feature. His entire arc in this movie is about protecting Peter and it’s only at the end we realize why. But even more than his relationship with Peter, he shows Rocket the truth of his nature too. Rockets entire existence has been based around people hurting him. His friends call him names, his past is shrouded in the pain of being used and his existence has never been about anyone but himself. It’s why he is close with Groot. Groot is the only one who never treated him poorly. Groot is the only family who ever cared for Rocket the way he cared for them. And it’s through Yondu that Rocket sees his own truth. He’s not worthless and he’s not someone who is better off on his own. Yondu’s funeral reveals the truth to Rocket. He has people who love and care for him. Because even though families argue and fight, sometimes intensely, they do so because they love each other and want the best for each other. And Rocket finally sees this. He has worth in the eyes of the Guardian and because of that he has worth to himself as well.

And then there is Drax and Mantis (Pom Klementieff). Drax is the only one of the Guardians who had a loving family. But he lost them. He’s been struggling with his feelings since losing them. He’s hardened, cut off from his emotions. He refuses to feel because he knows it will hurt him. Mantis is the opposite. She is an empath. She is literally the most feeling person in the galaxy. And when they interact, she helps Drax deal with his emotions in a healthy way. She’s what enables him to accept that his wife and daughter are always a part of him, and it is ok to feel those losses and grieve. Likewise Drax helps Mantis see that just because she feels for people doesn’t mean she can’t be her own person and have her own emotional journey. She’s freed from her bond to Ego because Drax teaches her to be strong. They better each other. Family is about bettering each other and using our differences to help each other.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is not the same light space adventure the first one was. But it’s a more important movie. It’s a movie about family. Family is not just a group of people related by biology. Family is a group of people who come together and believe in each other. Family is a group of people who uplift and better each other. Family is a group of people who love and accept each other no matter what they are, what they do, or where they come from. The Guardians are a family. They aren’t perfect but they are perfect for each other. Because when they all come together in that final moment, they have a genuine love for each other that binds them. And nothing can tear that apart. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a film about what it means to be a family and how a family is much more than blood. And it explains these things with near perfection.

Just a quick refresher of my MCU ranking criteria.

Cast and Performances
Story and Plot
Best Fight/Action Scene
Rewatchability
Cleverness of the Stan Lee cameo

Each film will be judged solely by me and then placed against all the other films. And rated on a scale of 10 with a total possible score of 50.

So, here is the quick breakdown of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Cast and Performances: The cast in this movie is nearly flawless. The original cast return with performances, many of which surpass their first outings. This is the movie that made Rocket my favorite character and props go to both Sean Gunn for playing him physically and Bradley Cooper for giving him a phenomenally emotional voice. New editions like Russell and Klementieff steal scenes and hearts as they fit right into the MCU. And Michael Rooker gives one of the best performances in the entire MCU. It’s sad to see him go but it was a beautiful send-off.  (10/10)

Story and Plot: The plot’s not as good as the first one. It’s far too complex and overly long. But the major plot points within the guardians as well as Yondu’s subplot really hit home. I wish more time had been given to Drax and Gamora’s arcs but they still have their moments to shine and steal scenes. (7/10)

Best Fight/Action Scene: The Ravager massacre is by far the best scene in the movie. Watching Yondu, Rocket and Groot single handedly walk through the Ravager ship and then demolish the mutinous Ravagers before escaping as the ship blows up. It’s fun, visually stunning, and the most rewatchable moment in the whole movie. (8/10)

Rewatchability: Vol. 2 is one of the MCU movies that gets better with each watch. It’s a bit long and overly complicated but it always has the emotional weight to bring home the big moments and also my absolute favorite MCU line “I’m Mary Poppins, y’all!” (7/10)

Cleverness of the Stan Lee Cameo: Stan the Man is a an astronaut talking about all his adventures with a group of mysterious beings known as the Watchers. It not only is a fun cameo from another Marvel figure but it implies that Stan is aware of all his previous roles. (10/10)

Total: 42/50

Current Ranking:
The Avengers
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Guardians of the Galaxy
Captain America: The First Avenger
Iron Man
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Captain America: Civil War
Ant-Man
Thor
Iron Man 3
The Incredible Hulk
Doctor Strange
Thor: The Dark World
Iron Man 2

And just like that we’ve done 15 of these bad boys! I love Guardians 2. I love it more now than the first time I saw it. And I love the next movie a lot too. So keep coming back to get your fill of joyous Marvel fun every Monday!

And as always thanks for taking the time to get Ploominated!