Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2

(Image by Marvel/Andy Park)

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 (GOTG2) is packed with explosive action sequences, humour, snark and even romance. The central theme of family makes the film relatable to movie-goers of all ages, including the wife of a comic book geek, who is often begrudgingly dragged along to every superhero movie…. aka me.

It is inevitable that GOTG2 would be compared to its predecessor, seeing how it was such a runaway hit. Reviews have leaned towards saying that it isn’t as good as the original movie but I disagree with this sentiment.

While I will admit that the soundtrack of GOTG2 is not as catchy as the first movie, I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of GOTG2, one of the rare superhero movies which I have not fallen asleep during. 

(To be clear, I do not find superhero movies boring, I just seem to have a knack for falling asleep for 5-10 minutes whenever I watch them in the cinema. It usually happens during a scene which is too long for my liking, or too overloaded in jargon or unexciting fight sequences. But I digress.)

GOTG2 should really be renamed Groot of the Galaxy because that little sap steals the show in every scene that he is in. While all the characters in this misfit band of space pirates are interesting in their own right, Groot’s childlike demeanour (tantrums included) makes for some very interesting scenarios. If you liked the teaser trailer featuring him and Rocket raccoon, you will be howling at a particular scene in the middle of the movie.

I will concede that hardcore comic book fans might baulk at changes to the comic book canon, which frankly, is an inherent hazard of trying to translate the written word to the screen. They might also bemoan the lack of connection to the main Marvel cinematic universe that’s been set up by all the Marvel movies thus far.

However, I find the offshoot refreshing. With 15 films spanning 9 years, it takes a lot of grey matter to remember every single plot twist of this massive adventure. In fact, GOTG2’s distance from the main cinematic storyline renders it much more accessible to general audiences, even those who did not watch the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie. This is only enhanced by the fact that GOTG2 is not steeped in techno-babble and sci-fi speak.  

Aside from making the movie-viewing experience much more enjoyable for the noob, accessibility matters because it is what keeps comic books mainstream.

Let’s face it, mention comic books and the first image one often comes up with is the reclusive, socially awkward middle aged male who would rather spend nights debating who would win a fight between Batman and Superman.

This is problematic because the comic book subculture has always been about inclusivity. Free Comic Book Day, a global annual event in the first week is May, is the perfect example of that. On Free Comic Book Day, comic book publishers create standalone comics that are handed out for free at participating comic book shops. These include famous characters from the big players in the industry. This year’s characters include Wonder Woman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dragonballz and Archie comics. Comic book shops also offer massive discounts on the day as part of this promotional effort to draw new readers into comic book reading and collecting.

If, like me, you find yourself standing in line for free comics before the shops open for Free Comic Book Day, you will find yourself surrounded by humans of various ages, sizes and backgrounds. You’ll find the little kid wearing the Hulk mask with their dad on your right and the professional cosplayers, decked out in the full regalia on your left. In any normal circumstance, you would be ridiculed for walking around in a full spandex suit but at Free Comic Book day, creative expression is celebrated.    

GOTG2 and its ilk is what the comic book movies need to sustain the larger franchise. If you can’t get an audience interested in what purists might argue is a dumbed down version of a superhero movie, how do you expect them to give the upcoming Infinity War a chance?   

Moving out and on

I probably should have mentioned this awhile back... but Ant and I built a house. We signed all the paperwork in September, started construction in November and we're close to emptying our old place and being completely surrounded by boxes of our belongings in our new place.

When Ant said that he was taking two weeks off to ready the house for habitation, I thought it was overkill but now, I wish he could have taken more time off to deal with the move. I know it's terribly oversaid but you really never realise how much stuff you have until you move house.

What is rarely said though is how much time you take to pack said stuff - not because there's so much of it... but because of the time spent battling sentimentality and ruminating over whether to throw out said stuff.

It is probably why I've been feeling melancholic this week. Aside from having to choose whether to remove another reminder of my past, watching the place I called home for over 8 years slowly hollow out reignited the torrent of memories.

I remembered how excited I was to get a bigger kitchen. While the kitchen I'm moving out of isn't exactly big, it was a definite improvement from the flat I used to live in near uni in Crawley. I was so chuffed to have room to comfortably place a cutting board - the kitchen in Crawley had a U shaped layout and it was so small that I could put a hand on a counter each side of the U without much difficulty. I could lie on the floor and only just turn over once, narrowly missing hitting my head on the cupboard. Buying my KitchenAid mixer for the then new place was such a thrill - not only because it was my first big purchase as a working adult... but because I actually had counter space to put it on!

Something else I remembered getting so excited about when mom and I moved out of Crawley to our place in Nollamara - having a bedroom... and a bed!

Our apartment in Crawley was a two bedroom apartment, which I think was a generous statement. It was more one bedroom and a study. I needed a study table for my late night research marathons and essay churning sessions. Since I couldn't fit a study table and a bed in that spare room, I ended up choosing the study table in that room so that I could get some peace and quiet while the tv was on in the living room.

My bed was a cot in the living room - which doubled up as our "couch". On the nights when it was super cold (for the first few years, we didn't have an airconditioning unit which was reverse cycle), I would drag a thin mattress into the study and sleep there with a dinky old fan heater to keep me warm.

So imagine how luxurious it felt to finally have a room... and a QUEEN SIZED bed.

I realise how terribly pathetic this all sounds but it's just the way it was. To be honest, I am not a terribly fussy sleeper - I'm the person who happily spends 70% of her time on a plane sleeping without needing to recline her seat. I've been known to just settle into random places and drift off to dreamland. So sleeping on a cheap cot in the living room really wasn't a big drama.

But it is nice to have moved on from that.

Even though the new house is not home yet (there are lots of things I want done but alas, I do not have directions to the secret stash of cash that Scrooge McDuck swims around in), I am happy for the new start. The chance to make new memories instead of being reminded of the old.

Goodbye Nollamara. You were the home of my young adulthood - that awkward stage where I stumbled through life in an attempt to figure out who I really am. You served me well and for that, I thank you.

Hello new suburb. You might be a further out than where I hoped to be but I am excited of the path ahead of us. I can't wait to exercise my freedom as a homeowner where I can hang up all the picture frames I want without having to consult a property manager. I fully intend to turn that pit of sand out the back into a lush garden. I look forward to the dinners we'll host in our more spacious living and dining area.

Here's to us and the future. I might be too tired from packing to show it but I really am excited about moulding you into our sanctuary.

Comfort Food: Dhal Lemak Telur

There's nothing quite as comforting to me as a bowl of dhal lemak telur. I usually eat it with rice but I could eat it on its own too - the lentils and potatos are warm and filling and the sweet carrots counter the richness of the gravy beautifully. You have egg for a bit of protein too so it's a complete dish!

Unfortunately, there's nothing more perplexing to me than a bowl of dhal lemak telur either.