Not as Good as the First, But Still Really Fun

Rating: 7/10 (6 May 2017)

This movie is every bit as fun and exciting as the first. Right from the opening credits, you're hit with same kind of punch that Gunn dealt with the original. For the first third of this movie, I would say it hit you left and right, joke after joke, and that's what I liked the most. It focused mainly on the camaraderie of this group. What sells the first Guardians of the Galaxy for me is the chemistry between the group, and the back-and-forth they all have. The way Gunn writes these characters, and how he layers the dialogue to create a perfect symphony is incredible. And we got that for the first third of this movie. Then, the characters split up. While what each of them were doing was interesting enough, that camaraderie and that chemistry was missing. It left a hole in the movie, and the static energy of go go go came to a halt. I don't think these characters are compelling enough on their own. If we ever got a Drax (Dave Bautista) or a Gamora (Zoe Saldana) spin-off film, I don't think it would work. Even Star-Lord. It's when they're together, and they are playing off of each other, that's when they are incredibly compelling. But separating them in the manner that Vol. 2 did just froze the momentum...