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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Movie

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

2017 • Action, Adventure, Comedy

Woke Score
4
out of 10

Plot

After saving Xandar from Ronan's wrath, the Guardians are now recognized as heroes. Now the team must help their leader Star Lord (Chris Pratt) uncover the truth behind his true heritage. Along the way, old foes turn to allies and betrayal is blooming. And the Guardians find that they are up against a devastating new menace who is out to rule the galaxy.

Overall Series Review

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is an irreverent space opera focused heavily on the universal themes of family, legacy, and the true meaning of fatherhood. The central plot revolves around Peter Quill meeting his biological father, Ego, a Celestial being. This relationship is a clear study in distinguishing between a biological patriarch and a true, loving parent figure. The film's strength lies in its emotional arcs, particularly the complex relationship between Gamora and her sister, Nebula, and the surprising bond formed between Rocket and Yondu. While the narrative promotes a positive message of altruism and chosen kinship over ambition and egotism, it uses a "God-the-Father" figure as its ultimate villain, directly engaging in a form of anti-theistic allegory. The female characters are powerful and central to the emotional core, directly challenging the toxic 'patriarchal' power structure represented by the main antagonist. The content is generally free of race-based identity politics or explicit sexual ideology lecturing, focusing instead on character merit and the overcoming of abandonment issues.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics3/10

The characters are judged primarily by their merits and internal struggles with abandonment, self-worth, and loyalty, adhering to a universal meritocracy. The diversity is centered on various alien species and genetic hybrids, not human immutable characteristics. The antagonist, Ego, a powerful male figure, is vilified due to his monstrous ambition and pathological self-absorption, not for his human-form appearance.

Oikophobia4/10

The central conflict is the explicit rejection of Peter Quill's divine, powerful biological heritage in favor of his adopted, flawed 'chosen family.' The narrative champions the values of altruism and loyalty demonstrated by the misfit team over the cosmic, egotistical ambition of the ancestor/creator figure. This deconstructs a form of heritage but replaces it with a strong, positive institution of found family, viewing it as a shield against chaos.

Feminism6/10

The core of the film's drama centers on the complex sisterly relationship between Gamora and Nebula, who overcome their emotional trauma and reconciliation is a key triumph. The main villain, Ego, is the archetypal toxic, self-absorbed patriarch/creator-god, which the heroes—male and female—must destroy. This narrative structure vilifies the powerful male figure and endorses the female characters' powerful emotional and physical competency, aligning with a 'takedown of the patriarchy' theme.

LGBTQ+1/10

The narrative maintains a normative structure, focusing on the development of the traditional male-female attraction between Peter Quill and Gamora and the theme of the adoptive family unit. There are no overt or subtle explorations of alternative sexualities, gender ideology, or lecturing on sexual politics within the plot or dialogue.

Anti-Theism8/10

The main antagonist, Ego, is a Celestial being and self-proclaimed 'God-the-Father' figure who created himself and is bent on universal domination. The entire heroic plot revolves around Peter Quill having to destroy his own creator-father to save the universe. This directly establishes the 'divine' authority figure as fundamentally evil, a potent anti-theistic allegory that is contrasted with the transcendent morality of altruism and love demonstrated by the surrogate father, Yondu.