SPOILER FREE
Let me start by saying that going into this sequel I enjoyed the first film and caught it in theaters upon it's initial box office run. Before seeing the first Guardians Of The Galaxy film, I had no prior knowledge of this comic book story and went in blind due to the enormous success of the first movie. I found that film to not only be charming but also energetic, funny, and channeling the sense of space adventure that was present in JJ Abrams Star Trek movies and even the original Star Wars trilogy. Guardians Of The Galaxy was not only dazzling but exciting with striking visuals and had an appealing cast that consist of newcomer Chris Pratt, Star Trek's Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Michael Rooker, and Glenn Close. What was most striking about Guardians, is how fresh it felt along with the amount of heart it possessed along with being a visually stunning experience. Going into Guardians Of The Galaxy 2, the expectations for the sequel were set high as the first film was such a breakthrough film, that the sequel needed to not only be as good as the first one but surpass it while bringing something new to the table. Having now seen Guardians Of The Galaxy 2, I can now say that the sequel while not exactly matching the heights set by it's predecessor, is a very strong sequel that does it justice along with continuing the storyline set up by the first movie.
Guardians Of The Galaxy 2 is a sequel that follows the first film closely and places heavier emphasis on the characters, further developing them while emphasizing the family aspect of the storyline. With Guardians 2, Peter Quill's family is explored with Kurt Russell being introduced as his father figure with Quill's true parentage being revealed in this one. Whereas the first one showed Peter's group of friends coming together to form a family, the sequel shows Peter and his family struggling to stick together as they battle a new enemy. Guardians 2 brings back many of the same ingredients that made the first film such a hit with audiences such as having an action-packed plot, stunning visual effects, great soundtrack, irreverent humor, and large doses of heart. Who doesn't get a kick out of Baby Groot in this one. As far as sequels go, Guardians is one of the more consistent ones as it doesn't surpass the first film, but it sticks close to it even if it's missing some of the freshness of it's predecessor. The main faults that can be said about Guardians 2, is the lack of a true villain as the film focuses more on Peter's family than being a space journey like it's predecessor. Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana once again give strong performances in the main roles with Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, and Dave Bautista giving strong supporting performances. Sylvester Stallone surprises in his small cameo role and Kurt Russell delivers a strong performance as Peter's questionable father figure. The combination of both Russell and Pratt in the roles of father and son prove to be a perfect pairing as Pratt's character gives off the vibe of being a young and spirited Russell from Big Trouble In Little China. What many sequels end up doing which either works in their favor or against them, is to repeat many of the same tricks of their predecessors while being surprising with newer ones. Guardians 2 repeats many of it's predecessors tricks with director James Gunn sticking close to the same formulas while being surprising with the family aspect of the film being put front and center, making the film feel more personal for the audience with its characters. As far as Marvel franchise sequels go, Guardians 2 is one of the finest to be made within their universe while also serving as a benchmark of how Marvel sequels should be executed. It's genuinely a more exciting and satisfying sequel than say Avengers 2: Age Of Ultron but still not as great of a sequel as Civil War. Galaxy 2 works because it gives audiences exactly what to expect from it which is action and adventure mixed with comedy, romance, and a family dynamic that speaks to it's audience which can allow them to find relatability with it. The films technical aspects such as it's art-set decoration, make up, and costume design are all top notch with a killer soundtrack. Despite all the things that work in Guardians favor, the movie ultimately feels bloated as if Marvel was forcing James Gunn to add more Easter eggs for future installments in their universe. While that isn't necessarily a bad thing, one also questions the need for so many after credit sequences and subplots that distract from the actual plot which is Peter trying to learn of his family heritage. The storyline for the sequel isn't as well structured as the first film as the narrative appears to be a bit uneven at times and the plot isn't as well explained but it serves to build up the characters and story from where the audience left off with these characters previously. The film plays out more like one big group therapy session than an actual adventure, which gives hope that Guardians 3 will take notice of this one fault in the story and bring back some of the excitement that the first movie possesses that's missing here.
Overall, Guardians Of The Galaxy 2 is the summer blockbuster entertainment that many audiences will find great entertainment with and along with absolute pleasure from many fans of the first movie. Despite the strong effort to make a sequel that lives up to the legacy of the first film, Guardians 2 falls short but also isn't far behind from where it needs to be. As great as Marvel is at mapping out their own universes, they need to learn to not try and give out too many teasers for what's to come and to just focus on the story and film at hand, letting the plot and characters develop on their own. Audiences know what's coming and what to expect with the next phase of Marvel films, so there's no need to cram it down audiences throats like say Iron Man 2 did (That's not the case with this movie but nearly five teaser trailers is a bit excessive). The film is still loads of fun and action-packed for audiences with a great deal of humor, heart, and visual display to behold. For fans of Chris Pratt and Kurt Russell, they will not be disappointed here and will even take surprise delight in Michael Rooker's characters advancement in both screen time and character development with one of the films best lines being "I'm Mary Poppins y'all". Guardians Of The Galaxy 2 is a strong sequel that deserves to be seen and enjoyed by Marvel audiences alike, but they also must expect that as good as this sequel is to the first one, it's not necessarily better as the first one still remains the more fresh and energetic film.
8.5/10
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