"Rocket Raccoon" absolutely steals the show in this phenomenal addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Rating: 10/10 (16 February 2019)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a fantastical and phenomenal addition to the marvel cinematic universe, and a brilliant movie on its own. The ensemble main cast of characters were all amazing in their own rights and each had intense character arcs to back up their flaws, motivations, aspirations, and decisions. The storyline was action packed and full of heart/whimsy, able to grip onto you and keep you entertained and invested in its 2 hour + runtime. The cast did an amazing job portraying their roles and did the characters justice. Rocket Raccoon was especially well written in his own story and proved himself (in my opinion) as one of the best characters in the film. The humor sprinkled in the movie was exceptionally executed and well-placed. All the quippy one-liners landed perfectly and made sense for each of the characters and brought light to some of the more serious events. Heart is also prevalent in this movie, as there are plenty of emotional scenes that gravitate you to the story and characters. The VFX (mainly for Rocket, among all the other things) was surprisingly well done and quite the visual spectacle. The soundtrack consisted of both classic lyrical/ nostalgic compositions and symphonic orchestral pieces-both were spot on and added greatly to the film's quality. Yondu's role in the film was also very much essential and did it's job, giving us investment to his character and giving us raw emotion when he unfortunately sacrificed himself to save Peter Quill. The villan (being Ego) was mostly well written and had a believable god complex as compared to some of the other big bads in recent movie history. Though half the time he was there for expository purposes, he was a relatively compelling villan and was a good contrast to how human the Guardians have become. The subliminal messages woven in this film were fantastically well written and executed as well (being ordinary isn't so bad, and family doesn't always have to be by DNA).
Overall, this movie is one of the best Marvel films to date and a phenomenal addition to the MCU. Rocket Raccoon is surprisingly the best character of all and therefore we are equally surprised that half of the plot is centered around him and his story (not at all a bad thing.) Congratulations to everyone who worked and wrote for this film, because it's a fantastically enjoyable ride that you won't want to stop watching.