Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Movie Review

The very first scene of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" proudly announces that this second outing is going to have the same tone and banter as its highly-successful predecessor did back in 2014. If you think that's a bad thing, don't. The second film is literally bigger and meaner in every sense of those words while retaining the not-so-serious vibe that made the whole experience a whole lot of fun once again.

Once again, our ragtag team finds themselves fending off certain death when a mysterious stranger named Ego (Kurt Russell) saves them. Ego soon reveals that he is the missing father that Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) has been looking for his whole life. He invites Peter and Gamora (Zoe Saldana) back to his planet in the outer reaches of the cosmos. As Ego unveils the true nature of Peter Quill's parentage, he must decide if he will leave his team and help his father fulfill his dream.

People may be put off that "GOTGVOL2" decides to literally "stick with the formula" but we beg to differ. Yes, most of its story is Marvel Cinematic Universe formulaic but that's pretty much about it. Everything else is a whole new experience. Best of all, we finally get to know more about our characters this time around and not only Peter Quill. There are more subplots that the movie works on and while it makes the movie feel a little more busier, it never feels tedious or slow even with its running time of 136 minutes. One of the bigger reasons why this is the case is that the film's humor is still top-notch and even more amped up this time around. "GOTGVOL2" will literally make you laugh from start to finish. If we could pick one character that takes the trophy for the best comedian it would be an easy win for the character of Drax played by Dave Bautista. 

The visuals and sounds are what you expect it to be - outstanding. The visuals are Marvel Studios fare meaning its CGI-filled but one that's entertaining at its core. The soundtrack is still one of the better reasons why you should experience "GOTGVOL2" - it may not be as groovy as the first mixtape but the second one is still a great setlist that perfectly matches what's happening on-screen. The biggest thing we loved about the film though was the character Ego played by Kurt Russell. We won't reveal much but Ego is one of the bigger reasons why the story is a lot more meaningful in this second outing and one that adds a huge emotional punch into the film. "GOTGVOL2" builds off where the first film left off and was able to transform it into a more balanced experience. We just can't wait what Volume 3 has in store for us.

Rating: 5 reels




Why you should watch it:
- the humor alone is worth the entry price
- the visuals and soundtrack is topnotch

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- uses the same formula as other films from the same cinematic universe