Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: A Great Followup to the Original

Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Version: Library borrow

Hollywood has a much better success rate lately with sequels. That's certainly true with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, a great followup to its original, Guardians of the Galaxy. Partly, it's because the old cast and crew are back. And it's sci-fi/fantasy film magic.

Fresh back from saving Xandar from the wrath of Ronan, the Guardians return heroes. They've become a solid team, like a family of squabbling siblings, and now they need to help team leader Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star Lord, find his true heritage. In the middle of a mighty battle, just when they seem to have met their match against a forceful foe, comes a mighty savior: Ego.

At first, Ego seems pretty cool. He's more than a savior, he's the creator. More than the creator, he's Peter's father. And Ego wants super son to join him in his newest quest of greatness. Then things turn sour, as father and son come to odds and Peter must rely on family and old enemies-turned-allies to battle an all powerful god. 

The special effects in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 are pretty cool. Not, maybe, as cool as in, say, Star Wars or Star Trek, but pretty cool in a fantasy film kind of way. They stretch the imagination and help build an amazing universe you can believe in despite the way the story tellers stretch nature. Adding to the appeal of the film are the zany characters, built both around the scripting and the actors, played once again by Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautisa as Drax, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, and Vin Diesel as Baby Groot (adorable this time around). Michael Rooker returns as Yondu, the blue-faced leader of the resistance gang with the pet arrow he can control with a serious series of whistles. New to the cast is Kurt Russell as Ego. Between the fun script and the cast's natural sense of humor, the narrative plays out with lots of interesting twists and gags.

Now, this wouldn't make a bid for best picture of the year or award winner in any category, but it would make a bid for greatest way to spend an evening with the family. It's fast paced and entertaining, and afterwards you won't feel like you wasted your time or your money (assuming you paid to see it). I would have no trouble recommending this film to friends or family. If you haven't yet seen Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, put it on your list to see soon!

The Fate of the Furious: A Swift Kick in the Gear Box

Movie Review: The Fate of the Furious (2017)
Version: Library borrow

The Fate of the Furious isn't your daddy's Fast and Furious, little buddy. The eighth movie in the franchise series starts off on the fast and furious streets of Havana, Cuba, with a street race, but that's where the hot-car thrills end. Dom (played as always by Vin Diesel) is recruited by a bad-ass fem antagonist to go after world-class weapons of mass destruction, even betraying his closest friends who go in hot pursuit. And no one can figure out what turned him from a good guy into a bad guy. It turns out bad-ass fem Cipher (played by Charlize Theron) has a couple of hostages in tow who are close to Dom's heart, and she won't release them until Dom helps her capture a Russian submarine along the coast of the frozen Barents Sea.

Back are Michelle Rodriguez as Letty, Dom's former love interest and now wife; Tyrese Gibson as Roman; Ludacris as Tej Parker; and Nathalie Emmanuel as Ramsey, the new crew member rescued in episode 7. Also back are Dwayne Johnson as Federal Agent Hobbs and Jason Statham as Deckard, who were at each others' throats in episode 7 but now reunite to go after Dom to stop Cipher. Shepherding resources to support the crew is Mr Nobody (played by Kurt Russell), who now has an assistant, Little Nobody, played by Scott Eastwood. Helen Mirren gets a cameo role as Magdalene Shaw, Deckard's mother, whom Dom meets to enroll Deckard's help.

Now, even without the street races, there are still plenty of thrills in this film with lots of hot cars and military hardware to pump up the action, on the streets, in the air, and across the ice. And what would a Fast and Furious movie be without some male bravado and back talk? Yep, that's there, too.

As always, it's the action that makes this movie, but it wouldn't be the Fast and the Furious without the characters, with their sassy interplay. After seven episodes, the actors have the mojo down pat, and this ensemble cast is perfect in making everything work. You can even let the glaring plot holes pass because the action and the characters are so fun to watch. Mentioning the plot holes would require telling more of the plot, which would entail spoilers, so I won't go into detail, but I'm sure you won't have any trouble spotting the plot holes on your own. Anyway, you don't go to see a film like The Fate of the Furious for airtight plots, you go for the action.

The Blu-ray version of the movie includes a set of very interesting extras, including some insights into the Cipher character. If you can afford to buy or rent it instead of the standard DVD, I would do so. And by all means, for a fast and furious evening of fun without spending a lot of time thinking, pop in The Fate of the Furious and enjoy the show. It's a swift kick in the gear box!

XXX: Return of Xander Cage: It's a Blast!

Movie Review: XXX: Return of Xander Cage (2017)
Version: Library borrow

Take the Fast and Furious franchise, strip it of all the fast cars, keep Vin Diesel but infuse it with some new team mates, and you have XXX: Return of Xander Cage. It's full of action and amazing stunts, just as in the Fast and Furious films.

I was surprised when we found the film on our Xfinity search screen to see that it had low ratings. It's a fun film! Vin Diesel (or his stunt double) starts out the story with some amazing stunt work, skiing down a communications tower and into a mountainous jungle then powering down winding hilly roads on a skateboard. There are other amazing stunts, including kick-ass kung fu fighting with a motor bike and then using it as jet ski through the ocean surf. Whoa!

The main story line involves Vin Diesel as Xander Cage, a government special teams agent who has disappeared but been found again to hunt down a piece of IT gear capable of bringing down satellites to decimate big cities. It turns out the guys who are using it are other members of the government special teams unit, who have deadly martial arts skills, and of course, only Xander Cage can hope to take them on. To help him out, Cage brings on a small team of specialists, who also have mad fighting skills.

Joining Diesel as team members are Ruby Rose as Adele, Kris Wu and Nicks, Tony Ja as Talon, and Rory McCann as Tennyson. They range from snipers, to martial artists, to distraction artists, to an older guy who can ram vehicles into opponents second to none. It's actually a great if quirky ensemble cast.

The bad guys are represented by Toni Collette as the head of the NSA, who more often than not gets in the team's way, although they work for her, Donnie Yang as the main bad guy who wants to keep the device out of the hands of governments, and Deepika Padikone as his accomplice. Then there are the assorted beefsteaks who act as military foils for just about everyone else.

The setting is the Dominican Republic, with its lush jungles, mountainous terrain, and exotic beaches, all which create a wonderful backdrop for stunts and mayhem.

Diesel displays his usual laid-back charm and humor. The others try to keep up. All around, it's a fun romp of good guys against bad guys, sometimes just trying to figure out which is which and which player has the "ball" in a continual game of misdirect. The pace is fast and the action furious -- go figure.

Don't expect any socially redeeming value, this film is just for fun. If you're having a tough day, or politics are just getting you down, or you're simply feeling lousy, put XXX: Return of Xander Cage in the DVD player and zone out! It's a blast.