A Successful Sequel

Rating: 9/10 (3 June 2018)

James Gunn returns to bring us the second instalment in the wildly popular Guardians franchise starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Karen Gillan and Michael Rooker.
Before I start this review, I should mention that the first Guardians film is my favorite MCU film. I think it's easily the best directed Marvel film and it features in my opinion the most human characters in the MCU.
Vol. 2 expands these characters and gives us even more reasons to love each one of our heroes. It's a totally different movie than the first one and it's all the better for it.
What I love about this film is first and foremost the characters. Everyone gets his or her moment to shine. And Gunn very wisely decides to focus on them and exploring the events that shaped them into the characters they are now.
The story here is a little less tight than the original mainly because the plot sort of happens to the characters once Ego shows up. And it isn't until the final act where it really kicks in. This is also something I adore. Gunn structures his story around his characters and that really works for this film.
It's also extremely funny. Some people have an issue with this saying that the film features to much comedy. I understand where they are coming from but for me it's what makes these characters more human. They make jokes to avoid being hurt and that really resonates with me.
The action is once again spectacular, and the CGI is mostly great. It all build towards an exciting and emotional climax that managed to make me cry.
I recommend this film to everyone, certainly if you're a fan of the franchise and I hope that Vol. 3 can bring this trilogy to a satisfying conclusion.