Funny and sweet

Rating: 10/10 (24 May 2017)

I never expect much from sequels, but this one was easily as good as the first. Both movies remind me of the fist Pirates of the Caribbean movies: tight pace, excellent writing, faultless performances. It's ironic: the script of the first film was about all of the characters, but the movie ended up being about Chris Pratt's charm as Peter Quill; the script of the second film puts Peter Quill at the centre, but the movie is much more about ALL of the characters.
I want to single out two actors from an overall great cast. First, Michael Rooker. He always plays a version of Michael Rooker, and does it brilliantly. But his character carried 90% of the heart of this movie, and Rooker succeeded magnificently at moving me while saying and doing very little, an acting stunt I always admire.
And Dave Bautista's Drax, who had the least to do in the first film of all the major characters, gets much closer to the centre of this film. And judging by the snorts and barely suppressed giggles in the audience when I was watching, a good chunk of the funniest bits in a very funny movie were delivered by Drax. Well done, Mr Bautista.