Good movie with some questionable choices (spoilers only at the bottom of the review)

Rating: 8/10 (8 May 2017)

A movie sequel is inevitably compared to its predecessor, with most suffering in comparison. This is particularly true when the first far exceeds expectations as the first Guardians movie was. Guardians 2 does not quite measure up, but was still a mostly fun movie to watch, with some surprisingly touching moments.
The movie opens with a lighthearted battle scene in which the Guardians are fighting an alien monster, while Groot (baby sized and with a personality to match in this movie), is playing and dancing to music. Rocket manages to alienate their employers, causing much havoc. The team later is forced to split into two groups as they deal with Peter's new found father, a broken ship, and troubles with the Ravagers. In the midst of this two of the more interesting supporting characters, Yondu and Nebula, become involved, both of which have considerably more depth added to their characters.
The special effects are generally well done, as is the acting, with Chris Pratt (Star Lord/Peter Quill) having some compelling scenes with a lot of screen time, but others including Zoe Saldana (Gamora), and Bradley Cooper (Rocket) also having some nice moments. The violence is amped up a bit, with a quite one battle having a very high body count (all bloodless to keep it PG-13). There were some genuinely funny lines and scenes, but some of the humor was forced, and dived down occasionally onto a level that was more middle school level , with "bathroom" humor that I did not personally enjoy.
Given some of the content, I was surprised how touching the movie was at times as it explored (superficially of course) ideas of family and of acceptance of others, including a new view into the relationship between Gamora and Nebula. Partly because of this, as well as some great action scenes and the occasional good humor, I did end up enjoying the move quite a bit, though nowhere near as much as the first Guardians movie. If you liked the first movie, chances are you have already seen this one, and if not you will likely enjoy it when you do.
**** Below are details on Peter's father and a comparison to some Christian themes, it contain spoilers **** *** ** *
This will be far deeper than I usually go, but this movie surprisingly got me thinking a long these lines:
Peter's father turns out to be the "living planet" Ego. He describes himself, in a rare and unconvincing moment of humility, as a god, "with a small g". In this he is accurate, as he is a Celestial, a being in the fictional Marvel Universe with immense, "godlike" powers. He has taken on a "real" human form, supposedly to allow himself to meet other lifeforms. Ultimately, he reveals he was deeply disappointed in what he found, and decide to mate with females from many species in an attempt to produce another celestial. His purpose is to join with that other celestial so that with their joint power they can convert all inhabited planets to become like Ego's planet, with no living life other than Ego himself (and his co-celestial).
Naturally, with this concept of a "god" who takes on human form, I thought of the version of this found recorded in the New Testament in which God (large G this time) the Son, takes on human form. The Guardians 2 movie envisions a "god" who has limited knowledge, takes on human form, is disappointed in what he finds, and decides to remake the universe until every living thing in it is only an extension of himself. In huge contrast, the New Testament speaks of a "God" who having unlimited knowledge already knew the sinfulness and weakness of humans, yet still took on human form, with the purpose of revealing the love and holiness of God, then of willingly dying to redeem people so that one day He could share the universe with many others who He loves. Full disclosure, I am far from objective as I make these comparisons, since though a Jew by birth (and still very proud of that heritage), I myself came to accept Jesus as the promised Messiah and my savior, a long story I would be happy to share with anyone who asks me to.
* ** *** ********* Above this line are spoilers that you may or may not wish to read *************