STACK Issue 151 May 2017

18 / 92

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy are
back to save the universe – again.
First introduced on-screen in 2014,
Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora
(Zoe Saldana), Drax (David Bautista), Rocket
(voice of Bradley Cooper) and Baby Groot
(voice of Vin Diesel) have returned with a
new Awesome Mix to back their badass
space battles.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 opens
with Quill and the gang taking on an
interdimensional monster for a bounty
offered by a woman known as Ayesha
(Elizabeth Debicki). Ayesha promised a
reward to the Guardians for protecting
the city’s batteries, which turns out to be
Gamora’s captive sister, Nebula (Karen
Gillan). With their trophy secured, the
Guardians depart, but not before a parting
inquiry from Ayesha regarding Quill’s
ancestry.
This question serves as the
basis for the rest of the film. Quill
struggles with the true identity of
his family, Gamora and Nebula
come to terms with how their
father Thanos treated them, we
find out more about Yondu’s
journey into the Ravagers, and
Groot makes his way through
the terrible twos.
GotG Vol. 2 shines
not only in its
emphasis on relationships and an artistic
style that improves upon the production
design of the first film, but also its character
development. Drax, in particular, has come a
long way in his perception of emotions, and
Baby Groot predictably steals the show with
his adorable naivety.
There is also the addition of newcomer
Mantis (Pom Klementieff), more screen
time for the vastly under-appreciated Yondu
(Michael Rooker), and a couple of other
noteworthy characters we’ll let you discover
for yourselves. Throw in more than a few
pop culture references – everything from
Cheers to Pac-Man – and you’ve got a
fantastic sequel that's truly worthy of the
original behemoth.
With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,
Marvel Studios raises the
bar for its third phase of
MCU movies, seeding
connections and planting
Easter eggs fans will be
eager to hunt down –
and, of course, including
a gratuitous cameo. The
MCU has taken another step
towards the new, post-Infinity
War universe – which is coming
sooner than you may think.
As always, don’t forget to
stick around after the
credits. Alesha Kolbe
RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Julia
Ducournau CAST: Garance Marillier, Ella Rumpf,
Laurent Lucas RATING: R18+
As the Hollywood horror factory continues to churn
out generic jump scares and Conjuring spin-offs, the
French remain at the forefront of the genre, as anyone
who's been traumatised by the likes of Inside, Martyrs
and High Tension will attest. Euro-horror isn't afraid
to tackle taboos with unflinching gusto, and writer-
director Julia Ducournau's arthouse cannibal film is
an appetising feast of coming-of-age themes and
Cronenbergian body horror. Justine (Garance Marillier)
is a reserved first-year student at a veterinary school,
who undergoes a frightening transformation following
a hazing ritual that involves being drenched in animal
blood and consuming a raw rabbit kidney. It's the latter
that proves problematic – she's a strict vegetarian
and her first taste of forbidden flesh has nightmarish
consequences for Justine, her older sister (who's also
a student at the school) and her gay roommate. What
begins as a nasty skin-peeling rash quickly develops
into a hunger for human flesh as well as an increased
sexual appetite, transforming the virginal Justine into
a predator. Raw arrives with a lot of buzz following
reports of audience members fainting during its TIFF
premiere. Perhaps they were drunk – despite its grisly
subject, it's not an overly gruesome film by French
standards. A haunting rites-of-passage story that's
as much about fitting in and family ties as it is about
cannibalism, Raw won't make you faint but it will
make you think. It might even make you hungry for a
rare steak. Scott Hocking
RAW
A stand-off between mobsters following a dodgy
deal invariably ends in guns being drawn and
few left standing. It also usually lasts a matter of
minutes. But not in Ben Wheatley's new film, Free
Fire . The British writer-director whose offbeat resume
includes occult thriller Kill List, serial killer comedy
Sightseers and bonkers J.G. Ballard adaptation
High-Rise, sustains the firefight for a majority of
the film's running time. And in true Wheatley style,
the result is a wonderfully absurd siege movie that
ricochets with snappy dialogue, misfit characters,
and masterful sound design. An arms deal between
a pair of Irish business partners (Cillian Murphy
and Michael Smiley) and an "international asshole"
(Sharlto Copley) in a seedy Boston warehouse goes
totally Pete Tong when the wrong kind of weapons
are offered and a sexual indiscretion involving a
cousin the night before leads to the first shot being
fired. Then it's duck and cover for all and sundry in a
prolonged shootout that would be all over quickly if
everyone wasn't such a lousy shot. Setting the action
during the 1970s lets Wheatley pay homage to some
of his favourite films of the period – namely Assault
on Precinct 13 and Mean Streets (indeed, Martin
Scorsese is credited as an executive producer) – and
while Free Fire might be light on plot (the shootout is
the plot), it hits the bullseye as a hugely entertaining,
technically savvy and blackly comic take on the crime
genre. Scott Hocking
FREE FIRE
RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Ben
Wheatley CAST: Cillian Murphy, Brie Larson,
Armie Hammer RATING: MA15+
Gunning for 2/2 in Marvel moviemaking.
GUARDIANS OF THE
GALAXY VOL. 2
RELEASED: Now Showing
DIRECTOR: James Gunn
CAST: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana,
Dave Bautista
RATING: M
18 MAY 2017
RATING KEY:
Wow!
Good
Not bad
Meh Woof!
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