Michael Rooker

It was never going to be easy to match the impact of 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy, which jolted the Marvel franchise to life with its fresh comedy and freewheeling adventure. This sequel is still a lot of fun, but it's also far more controlled, a conventional, plot-based step of the Marvel universe. And all of the characters are angry about everything and everyone. Thankfully, there's also an emotionality that sneaks into the final act.

Now working as a team, the bickering Guardians just manage to complete their latest mission when Rocket (Bradley Cooper) makes an enemy of a tenacious high priestess (Elizabeth Debicki). Her fleet chases them into an encounter with Ego (Kurt Russell), a god-like being who claims to be the father of Guardian leader Peter (Chris Pratt). So Peter takes Gamora and Drax (Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista) to check out Ego's planet, while Rocket and Baby Groot (Vin Diesel) fend off both the priestess and Peter's old mentor Yondu (Michael Rooker), who arrives with a large posse. And then there's Gamora's perpetually furious sister Nebula (Karen Gillan), who's on the rampage, determined to get revenge against everyone who has slighted her.

There's an underlying rage that drives everyone's actions, and the constant screaming matches become exhausting as the film progresses. The worst offender is Rocket, who expresses his perpetual aggravation in a stream of tetchy tirades. Thankfully, the dialogue is sharply written, with wicked insults to keep the audience smirking along. And there's also a nice sense that all of this fury is masking a deeper affection these misfits have for each other, which boils over in some remarkably strong dramatic scenes. Pratt and Russell are both terrific, seizing every chance to play with the comedic and dramatic notes. There are nice moments for Rooker, Saldana and Gillan, plus some witty cameos. And while Baby Groot is almost painfully adorable, it's Bautista's hilariously open-hearted Drax who steals the show.

Continue reading: Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 Review

The kill-or-die scenario that this movie hinges on isn't something new; it's been used in films from Battle Royale to The Hunger Games. What's different here is the utter pointlessness of the exercise. There's no social commentary here whatsoever, nor is there any satirical edge or character-based intrigue. Instead, this is little more than a sadistic exercise in violence and death, more along the lines of the Saw series. And if it didn't have such a terrific cast, it would be unwatchable.

It's set in a suburb of Bogota, Colombia, where the Belko nonprofit agency helps Latin American companies connect with North American employees. One morning, just after the staff arrives for work, there's an announcement: two people must be killed in the next two minutes. And then 30 people must be dead in the next two hours. It doesn't take long until the entire office block collapses into anarchy. The boss Barry (Tony Goldwyn) immediately seizes control of a stash of guns in the security office, while IT guy Mike (John Gallagher Jr.) keeps a level head as he tries to protect his girlfriend Leandra (Adria Arjona). And as chatterbox Wendell (John G. McGinley) goes on a rampage, Dany (Melonie Diaz) manages to keep out of everyone's way on her very first day in the job.

It's hard to believe that this is written and produced by James Gunn, the man behind the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. The script is so simplistic and witless that it can't help but make thinking audience members furious. Convenient elements are added to boost the premise, such as impenetrable shutters closing off the building or tracker chips implanted in the employees that have explosive charges in them that can be triggered with the flick of a switch. In other words, it's clear from the start that it's unlikely anyone will survive. And even if they do, there's no real reason for any of this to be happening.

Continue reading: The Belko Experiment Review

By refusing to follow the usual formula, filmmaker James Gunn has made Marvel's best-yet movie, a summer action-adventure that provides more cinematic fun than the rest of the year's blockbusters rolled into one. It's shamelessly entertaining, keeping the focus on sparky characters even as the action spirals into exhilarating set-pieces around them. And the best thing is that the film isn't actually about the big plot: it's about a group of people who should hate each other but instead come together as a team.

In a pre-logo sequence set in 1988 America, a young boy is kidnapped by aliens. Some 25 years later, Peter (Chris Pratt) has become an ace thief who roams the galaxy in search of cash. Curious and charming, he can get himself out of most scrapes, but when he collects a mysterious orb for a client he ends up as the target of two bounty hunters, the raccoon-like Rocket and tree-like Groot (voiced by Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel). And the villainously destructive Ronan (Lee Pace) sends his best fighter Gamora (Zoe Saldana) to get the orb for his own nefarious plan. Rounded up and thrown into prison, Peter, Gamora, Rocket and Groot stage a daring escape with the help of literal-minded muscleman Drax (Dave Bautista), then must work together to deal with this troublesome orb. So they contact Peter's mentor/nemesis Yondu (Michael Rooker) before taking on Ronan and his second-best fighter, Gamora's half-cyborg sister Nebula (Karen Gillan).

Gunn gives the film a look and tone unlike anything in the Marvel universe, with colourful ships, sassy humour and freewheeling action that propels the story and deepens the character at the same time. It also makes the most of the well-worn 1980s mixtape Peter uses as his own personal soundtrack. It's the kind of riotously thrill ride that makes us hold on for dear life, loving every twist and turn. And since it's so tightly focused on the characters, the action plot involving the orb merely adds texture around the edges. As do terrific actors like Glenn Close and John C. Reilly in small but pivotal roles.

Continue reading: Guardians Of The Galaxy Review