Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017, James Gunn) (Patreon)

Mike Catches Up With All The MCU Movies He Skipped: An Odyssey Undertaken Solely For The Purpose Of Watching Black Panther Without Having Some Weird Anal-Retentive Breakdown (Please Do Not Waste Your Valuable Time Arguing With Mike In The Comments About How Dumb This Is, Just Accept His Sickness), Part 8 of 10. Awkward mix of broad comedy and shameless schmaltz, repeatedly scoffing at the notion of taking things seriously (as when Nebula's fiery revenge speech gets immediately undercut by what amounts to "chill, lady") and then struggling to generate pathos from family bonds both genetic and surrogate. Latter element left me entirely cold, with the exception of the Gamora-Nebula rivalry—and that only thanks to Gillan's miraculous ability to emote through all that makeup. (After this, Oculus, and Jumanji, I'm ready to follow her anywhere. Well, anywhere that doesn't require me to watch half a century's worth of Doctor Who.) Mixed feelings about the funny stuff: Still really enjoy Bautista as Drax ("This gross bug lady is my new friend"); still mostly having a good time with the '70s jukebox aspect (particularly the emphasis on "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)," a song with lyrics so silly that I, too, have been known to solemnly recite them as if they'd been written by Keats); still generally appreciate that these films inhabit their own playful corner of the Marvel machine (though it's hard for me to imagine how its cartoonish characters mesh with the rest of Infinity War). But there are some actual comedy routines here, e.g. Baby Groot bringing a series of increasingly ludicrous incorrect items back to the jail cell—I laughed, but it's so absurdist that it threatens to compromise...hmm, can I refer to "the movie's integrity" with a straight face? Anyway, certain jokes feel as if they'd be more at home elsewhere, though they're nonetheless preferable to the self-conscious cheesiness of Peter and his dad playing catch with a ball of planetary energy. 

TWO MORE TO GO. 

(Honestly, though, this hasn't been so arduous. Don't remotely love any of these films, and would shed no tears if the MCU went away, but most of them are reasonably diverting. I just hate that Hollywood is now virtually 100% franchise-oriented, so recoil from "product" on principle.)