Superhero Media: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

You are wrong about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 not being as good as the first one, it's actually better; better acted, better directed, better written and more meaningful, just better overall. However, because it isn't, and cannot be, as new and fresh of the first one, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 tends to get considered the lesser of the two, even when it is so clearly the better version of the allegory both are going for. Aside from being solid films that are fun to watch, pretty much every Marvel Cinematic Universe series is about something in a big way, at least so far as waves 1 to 3 go. Spider-Man is about the struggles of coming into adulthood in the modern world, Doctor Strange is about humility, Thor is about becoming your own person rather than taking the role chosen for you, etc. Obviously, almost to the point of bluntly, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is about family, especially finding a surrogate family when you lose or leave your original family, either through death or abuse. In this, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 may well be the Queerest superhero film outing since X-Men 2. Strap in, folks, this is another politics one. 

One of the major criticisms often leveled at Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, that I'm willing to give any time to, is that the horrid abuse that Mantis suffers is never addressed. There is an element of truth to such a thought, but when contrasted with the narratives of overcoming abuse and trauma that Starlord, Gamora, Rocket, Yondu and Nebula undergo, any kind of "pro-abuse" or "anti-mental health" reading of the film is difficult to justify. Being a therapist, I don't recommend not seeking out professional help, but the Guardians' alternate take on a family creates for them a safe space in which to repair their empathy and form healthy relationships. Also, the film ends no more than hours after the defeat of Ego, Mantis' healing journey will take a lot longer than that, we'll see more in Vol. 3. The raising of Baby Groot by the entire team is great to behold, with the idea of a non-traditional family sharing roles to support a child's needs and development being so subtle and matter-of-fact that I doubt any who may be critical of such an idea would even realise what they were watching. Of course, like every family, the Guardians aren't perfect, having their share of conflict and violated boundaries, but the support they show for one another is amazing. 

Only a couple of days after meeting Mantis, Drax is ready to sell his life for hers, wonderfully demonstrating the difference between perceived and actual empathy; Drax cares for Mantis, despite how cruel all the things he says to her come across as. The cathartic fight between Gamora and Nebula, culminating in Gamora realising that she too, played a part in the abuse of Nebula and the pair starting a journey of healing together is simply amazing, especially as this would play out in later films. Also, how did Micheal Rooker not get a "Best Supporting Actor" Academy Award nomination for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2? I don't expect he would have won or anything, but seriously, the journey Yondu goes on in this film is heart wrenching, with his final sacrifice being reminiscent of Superman The Movie's "The son becomes the father, and the father becomes the son" refrain. Whilst on the topic of Yondu, Marvel, can you please release the version of Jay and the American's "Come a Little Bit Closer" you used in the Yondu escape sequence for me to buy? That would be awesome. When I first saw Tromeo and Juliet at a cult movie night, I would never have believed that the same director would deliver one of the most heartwarming and thoughtful films in the MCU, I'm glad the Alt-Right Twitter dogpile was finally revealed for what it was and that James Gunn will be returning to this series in the future. 

"In these times of hardship, just remember, we are Groot."