Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Despite being in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 easily had the most creative freedom of any Marvel sequel to date. While most of the Avengers solo films were basically a reaction to The Avengers (i.e. how does Tony Stark handle a near-death experience or how does Captain America fit into murky political waters?), Guardians' cosmic setting and team formation story line meant that they could pretty much go in any direction they wanted. Just leave Thanos out of the final equation, bring in whatever bad guy you like, and have fun with your increased budget! Of course with expectations higher than ever the real question was whether or not the second film could capture the first's magic.

Fresh off their initial Galaxy saving, the Guardians are hired to protect a valuable resource for the Sovereign, a pretentious race of space aliens who want to avoid tussling with an inter-dimensional being. However, when Rocket enrages the Sovereign leadership, the Guardians are quickly pursued and forced to crash land on a nearby planet where they meet a being claiming to be Peter Quill's Father (Kurt Russell). With the Milano still grounded Quill, Gamora, and Drax travel to learn more about Quill's would-be father while Rocket and Groot at left with a captive Nebula to contend with Yondu and a possible civil war between his Ravager faction. So the question remains, will the team be able to reunite and succeed when a next threat challenges the galaxy's existence?

When it comes to movie sequels there are two ways you can go. You can go the John Wick angle and go for bigger versions of the things that made the first film popular including a bigger world, bigger set pieces, and a new challenge. The second school is the Empire Strikes Back approach where we dig deeper into the characters and head into darker territory. And Guardians Vol. 2. definitely falls into the second camp.

It's an approach that means that the film won't have the fresh feeling of the first outing and may feel less bouncy, but is arguably a better film. While the first film was all about figuring out if these damaged characters could end up working together for the greater good, Vol. 2 is all about team members dealing with their biggest hang-ups. Star-Lord comes face to face with his father issues and the value of his adoptive Guardians family vs. his own flesh and blood. Nebula and Gamora deal with the traumatic upbringing via Thanos. Drax bonds with his new friend Mantis and Rocket and Yondu bond over the damage that makes them act out and push people away. It's a more intimate and pleasantly unexpected direction for the sequel to go.

Thankfully, we don't have to wallow in it because writer/director James Gunn is still a masterful cinematic comedian who handles the films' emotional transitions exceedingly well. He's one of the best in the business at easing overly emotional moments with tension-cutting jokes, teasing movie tropes, and throwing in shades of dark humor into a PG-13 movie. There are at least two extended set pieces/comedic bits in this movie that are arguably funnier than any particular moment from the first Guardians and it means that the series' sense of fun is still present even in the midst of some sad moments.

The movie also does its best to avoid blatant repetition. The majority of the set pieces are things we haven't seen before including a chase through an asteroid belt (Empire Strikes Back much?), big monster battles, Yondu and Rocket with a two man show against an army, and a finale which actually pits the team against a single enemy (something The Avengers haven't even done yet). Likewise, there's no repeated moments, even if they are familiar (i.e. Groot's limited vocabulary being played for different kinds of laughs).

Cast wise everyone is pitch perfect. Dave Bautista continues to be an unexpected master of deadpan delivery, Zoe Saldana is great an portraying dangerously alluring but emotionally distant characters, and Chris Pratt gets to add some emotional weight to his man-child portrayal of Star-Lord. Kurt Russell is a great addition. because when isn't he, and newcomer Pom Klementieff gives Mantis all of the intended innocence and naiviete. But the best performance of the entire film may be from Michael Rooker as Yondu. Not only does he have one of the film's most complex roles, he also does it while primarily acting against CGI characters. Telling much more will give away some crucial plot details, but this is the kind of role Rooker is so good at (slightly charismatic jerks that are a bit remorseful) and James Gunn gives him a chance to shine.

I honestly don't have a major complaint. There are some character that get fewer moments in the sun, i.e. Drax is used mostly for comic relief, but that's more of a result of a limited run time and extensive lineup than a true fault. Much like John Wick 2 if you liked the original Guardians you'll spend most of your time after this movie wondering which one is better.

Familiar but not redundant, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits bigger and better emotional notes than the first film without sacrificing the series' comedic sensibilities and offbeat charms. Go see this and get hyped for #3. Oh and stay until the very end of the credits, there are at least five post-credit sequences.