Decent sequel with some hilariously entertaining moments

Rating: Null/10 (27 April 2017)

Being someone who is not the greatest fan of the Marvel universe, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" turned out to be a pleasant surprise for me. This movie is defined by its entertainment factor, which may cause it to be regarded as a typical mainstream Hollywood blockbuster. However, the movie once again manages to cleverly combine an interesting story with entertaining characters and stunning visual effects. While the first movie already included several overwhelming effects, this sequel provided some gorgeous images which were an absolute feast for the eye.
For a movie with such a huge cast, featuring five protagonists and a huge amount of secondary characters, it was able to find a fine balance between the story line and the character development. It may easily happen for this kind of movies to feature certain characters more prominently than others and to push some of them into the background, but even though it sometimes took a few minutes to return to some characters as they were all scattered to the four winds, the movie balanced each character's appearances out and allowed them all to appear equally often. Of course, the adorable Baby Groot caused a huge amount of hilarious moments, while Peter Quill and Gamora, the protagonists known from the movie's predecessor, are developed more intimately as we delve into their pasts and get to know members of their families.
Some moments do actually feel quite forced or even cheesy, but thankfully, the movie never takes itself too seriously which basically doubles the entertainment factor. The script is not the strongest, but it does surpass expectations (at least mine), considering that many superhero/space opera flicks lack enormously when it comes to the writing. The movie feels like it is driven by its characters, which should always be the most important thing - it won't bring any pleasure to the viewers if the visual effects are exciting and the action is breathtaking, but you simply can't find any characters to root for. Even the most gorgeous cinematography will not please viewers if it is impossible to get attached to the characters, but unlike some other movies of its kind, the sequel to "Guardians of the Galaxy" managed to combine both aspects in a satisfying way.
It's not a perfect movie, it's far from being a masterpiece, but within its genre and the expectations raised by the hype which was developed after the first movie, it is going to please most fans of the first movie and is definitely worth a watch if you can forgive some weaker moments in the writing. The movie is all about the entertainment, so if that is what you expect from it, then I can certainly recommend watching it. I would actually urge you to go watch it at the cinema - I saw the first movie at home on my laptop, and the second movie felt a lot more intense to me when watching it on the big screen.