The reviews for the sequel to Marvel’s biggest gamble/surprise have been underwhelming at best. The consensus for the film is that it suffers from trying to repeat the formula of the first film while also trying to be twice as big and epic and have twice the amount of humor. The film’s comparisons to Age of Ultron was alarming and a concern of mine going into it. However, I’m pleasantly surprised to say that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a fantastic sequel that not only is more enjoyable than the first, but is much more emotional and at the same time, a fantastic character based film that relies more on developing them than giving us a traditional three-act structure.
The film picks up with our heroes on a mission for the Soverign Race, who are quite annoying and the weak point of the film. Nevertheless, the Guardians find themselves being pursued by them after Rocket steals the very thing they were hired to protect, and soon they find themselves in the presence of Ego, a being with the power to make planets and just so happens to be the Protagonist’s (Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord) long-lost father. This, as well as other personal growth from Rocket, Gamora, and even Yondu, are the emotional strings and best strength of the film. Every performance is fantastic and every character is given enough time to shine in humor and emotion.
The best performance and by far the most compelling piece of Volume 2 is surprisingly Michael Rooker as Yondu. He is given more screen time and written so well that it goes to show Marvel has a talent for expanding on character depth and choosing the perfect actors to flesh out these roles. The action sequences as well as the direction are top-notch and superb on every level. And also, the soundtrack is once again nostalgic and awesome and fit beat for beat the tone of the movie. Check out this awesome, fun sequel.
Grade: A