While not as good as the original, still a great heap of Marvel entertainment!

Rating: 8/10 (21 August 2018)

While Marvel has come out with many a great film in the past 10 years, let's be honest: Guardians of the Galaxy ranked near the top. It was such a surprise hit to everybody, but once people knew who these guys were, everybody wanted to be as good looking as Star Lord, deadly as Gamora, strong as Drax, quick-witted like Rocket and just plain awesome as Groot. It was such a massive success that no one saw coming, but did the sequel live up to the same hype?
Well, I can safely say that, while it is not quite as good as the original, Vol. 2 definitely lives up to the hype!
While the special effects and action sequences are all amazing, what really makes a Marvel movie is the performances, and the ones in this film are no different. Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker and Karen Gillan all do an even better job at their respective characters, but the new characters are all just as fascinating. Pom Klementieff plays a new character named Mantis who can feel the same emotions as someone else when she touches them; Sylvester Stallone makes a great cameo appearance in the film as Stakar Ogord, who true fans know as Starhawk; and, of course, Kurt Russell dons the mantle as Peter's father, and you could really say that these guys really were Father and Son. Oh, and the villain of the movie is really amazing; I won't say who it is because I don't want to spoil it, but it's such a surprise towards the end of the movie!
So, why do I rate this lower than the original if I felt the performances were better? Well, to be honest, a bit of the originality was lost in this one. Don't get me wrong; the songs, the dancing, the quick-witted jokes, they were all there and they are all a big part of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. It's just that I expected them to come when they did.
But all in all, a great popcorn flick to enjoy with the family! These guys really do know how to entertain!