Second time's not the charm for 'Guardians'

Rating: 6/10 (4 July 2017)

On the heels of the ultra-successful Disney/Marvel offering 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' the studios have followed up with another action/comedy slugfest in 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.' The film is not as original as the first, but it builds on a lot of the elements that fans loved - namely the characters themselves.
Of course, we get to see the core group of Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel) in action, and a few additional faces we recognize from the original get more screen time (especially Nebula and Yondu). We also get to know the biological father of Quill (played by Kurt Russell), who is a pretty gregarious character and serves as a foil for Quill himself. This father/son relationships is the primary focus of the film and helps elevate the story line to give it a bit more substance than a sequel of this kind normally would.
While there are a lot of instances where we've "seen this, seen that" littered throughout 'Vol 2,' especially the comedic banter between the crew and the crazy acrobatic CGI stunts, we get to see a little bit more character development here, which adds a nice balance compared to the first film. This includes the relationship between renegade sisters Gamora and Nebula, which is a case of sibling rivalry gone awry. Despite these improvements, it's fair to say 'Vol. 2' is basically on the same level as the predecessor. This includes the signature soundtrack that has defined the franchise.
'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' is not the best Marvel effort by a long shot, but it's a sign that there is a healthy pipeline of films in the works.