Awesome Mix, Volume 2

Rating: 10/10 (5 May 2017)

When I first saw Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014, I had never heard of the team before and was only watching it because I was a Marvel fan. Ironically, 3 years later Guardians is about the only MCU series I even bother keeping up with any more(not that I don't like the others, I just kind of got burnt out after 15+ films all trying to tie in). I was nervous, because what made the first film so memorable to me was how much it's quality and humor surprised me, something which I was sure Vol. 2 would try and fail to recreate, as many sequels to surprise smash hits tend to do. However, director James Gunn has surprised me once again, taking the Guardians into new territory in a film filled with top notch action, impressive visuals, and gut splitting humor in a storyline that is refreshingly original.
I was worried after seeing the trailers that this would ultimately be an attempt to catch lightning twice by basically repeating the first film with new jokes. But the trailers are pretty misleading(which is always a good thing with sequels) because the plot that they reveal is really only the first act of the film, including the spoiler character reveal at the end of the last trailer. This is where the viewers I think will be polarized, because after the fairly conventional first act Vol. 2 becomes a very different film than the original. I won't go into the villains, of which the film has multiple, because it's unclear who will be the main antagonist until the plot reveals it, bringing the film's multiple threads together.
Although the plot was well written, what truly makes this movie work, much like the first, is the characters. In true sequel fashion, we see the core group split up for a large portion of the film, but the side characters are so well written that it is just as enjoyable to see our team interact with them as it is when they interact with each other. It also allows each character to expand their arc rather than just playing their respective parts on the team. The humor is excellent throughout, and it seems to have gotten even more adult oriented this time around, with many hilarious, not so subtle sexual innuendos making the audience laugh out loud.
All in all, if you enjoyed the first film then I cannot see how the second part could be any less entertaining to you. With top notch humor, an engaging story, and beautiful special effects, Guardians 2 provides a great escape to a pop culture savvy corner of the Galaxy that we all wish to visit again and again.
P.S. if you enjoyed Michael Rooker's hilarious redneck space pirate Yondu the first time around, I'll go as far as saying he's the MVP in this installment.