I saw Guardians, Vol. 2...

In August '14, the film version of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning's "Guardians of the Galaxy" took the Marvel/space-opera scene by storm: a mega hit that exceeded expectations with its retro zeal in both action and pop-cultural sounds. It was the story's varied underdogs, however, who made the film great, with its ensemble becoming the most embraced since "A New Hope". 

On this basis, it was only a matter of time before our lovable gang reappeared and yep, they're even hipper and quirkier for "Vol 2": Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt); Drax (Dave Bautista); Gamora (Zoe Salanda); (Baby) Groot (Vin Diesel); Rocket Racoon (Bradley Cooper); and Yondu (Michael Rooker), who once acted as Quill's troublesome, surrogate father. Oh, and let's not forget Gamora's resentful sis, Nebula (Karen Gillan); in addition to exotic empath, Mantis (Pom Klementieff); conscientious Kraglin (Sean Gunn); conniving, golden gal Ayesha Kismet (Elizabeth Debicki); and Star-Lord's maybe-he-is-maybe-he-ain't dad, a chap called Ego (Kurt Russell). Heck, even Yondu's has own lofty father figure, the Ravager leader otherwise known as Starhawk...Stakar Ogord (Sylvestor Stallone). Now how's that for a shape of things to come!?! (The addition of Russell and Stallone also make this a "Tango and Cash" reunion of sorts, even though the two never cross paths during the film. Pity...)

We now find our heroes combating a tentacled entity called the Abilisk, to assist a race called the Sovereign, but this interlude and the various circumstances and thugs that surround and/or stem from it (like Chris Sullivan's vile Taserface), don't drive the plot as much as Ego's weird intent. In fact, the father/son reunion soon becomes a tense focal point, giving the story that shaky Skywalker feel. Ego's ultimate motives, therefore, pave the path of this wild adventure, as does the biological baggage he carries, which can evidently alter the universe as we know it. This makes things real sticky for sonny-boy, but of course, Star-Lord can see through pretentious guises, no matter how paternal. 

The adventure flies fast with its top-of-the-charts accompaniment, and thankfully, the ride never loses track of our various friends and foes: i.e., character development somehow prevails within the special-effects onslaught. The strength of character, therefore, might make this franchise the closest of all to its Marvel roots, with "Vol 2" clinching the deal. It also succeeds in keeping its characters (i.e., their motives) more in touch with those important, founding fathers who "Star Wars" has, alas, dismissed over the decades: John Carter, Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. Hell, why not throw in Rocky Jones and Tom Corbett while we're at it? "Vol 2" is as damn nostalgically zestful as it gets. 

James Gunn's writing/directing finesse is ideal for the character-laden mythology, though I hesitate to give him too much credit, based on his asinine Captain-America-as-a-Nazi acceptance. Unforgivable! And yeah, I sure as hell still hold a grudge over that. Nonetheless, for the sake of this particular, cosmic incarnation, I've no choice but to give credit where it's due. It's really that good. 

As another plus, Star-Lord's persistent pursuit of Gamora is consistently bumpy and never full-fledged lovey-dovey. When it comes to this type of picture, that's the wisest way to play it. Keep the romance unfulfilled. That kills the yawns and ensures we'll want to see the relationship develop, and if it doesn't, no big deal.

"Vol 2" sure ain't Shakespeare. It ain't no "Winter Soldier", either; or for that matter, "Dune"; "Lord of the Rings"; "Planet of the Apes"; "Star Trek" or any number of other more complex, speculative journeys that we keep reassessing to expand our intellects. That doesn't make "Vol 2" any less important or productive for what it offers. I wanna see another chapter real soon, and if the early, box-office tallies are any indication, a third flick is but an intergalactic hop and a skip away. Hooray!!!

An Alternate Reality #13: I saw Star Trek Beyond...

The classic crew is back, but with the new-phase actors, in "Star Trek Beyond": a Simon Pegg and Doug Yung scripted alternate-reality installment, directed by "Fast and Furious" maestro, Justin Lin and produced by masterful emulator, J.J. Abrams.

Back to the stars are Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk; Zachary Quinto as Mr. Spock; Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy; Zoe Salanda as Nyota Uhura; Pegg as Montgomery Scott; John Cho as Hikaru Sulu; and the late Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov.

The new offering goes as follows: The Enterprise is attacked by mysterious, swarming crafts after answering a distress call. Lizard-like entities board the ship in search of a mysterious artifact, causing Kirk and crew to crash-land on a new world. There the dictatorial, energy-sucking saurian named Krall (Idris Elba) demands receipt of the object, while Kirk and crew are split up, trying to make sense of it all. They eventually rejoin, gaining an ally in the form of sexy black/white-striped Jaylah (Sophia Boutella), who's skilled at fighting, despises Krall and just so happens to know the whereabouts of an old starship.

There's plenty of hide-and-seek throughout, but the story is best classified as one of who-will-win-and-how. Also, for all of its skirmishes and lightning-fast chases, "Beyond" is predominately a planet-based adventure, where the main characters take turns stepping into the spotlight to push the plot along. The formula helps mount the suspense, as we wonder when the artifact will be revealed and what secret it holds. 

Pegg/Yung's script makes this chapter separate (in a sense) from its already established, refashioned history. In other words, we don't have anything akin to the destruction of Vulcan here, or a twisting on the "Space Seed"/"Wrath of Khan" story line. This is a stand-alone entry by design, designated to a new, franchise stretch, which only those-in-the-know will recognize, though a few nods to the original cast can't be denied. Nonetheless, if slipped into the ongoing, classic "Trek" amateur-series structure, this one would work without much modification.

I guess that's a good thing, but the question remains whether "Beyond" unequivocally captures the Roddenberry spirit. After all, some say the previous, two films are more action-oriented ("Star Wars" geared, that is) than philosophically bent, the way we normally think of "Trek".

One can debate the matter till the cows come home, but in some ways, "Beyond" captures the best of both worlds, with gritty zest and an interesting concept, which features old an new characters to appeal to old and new fans. Does its set-up make a sociological statement the way it should? Not really, but I suppose that all depends on how the content strikes one. That it steps away from its prior alternate-reality chapters seems to work to its advantage, and my hunch is, such will please those who aren't keen on the previous "Mirror Mirror" variations. 

Whether audiences get used to the new design (to the point where it no longer matters) is yet to be seen, but if "Beyond" falters, there's no need to fret. "Trek" isn't perishing anytime soon. If this incarnation doesn't blaze the trail farther, than there are others on the horizon that will.