Unabashed entertainment

Rating: Null/10 (3 February 2018)

Three years after a risk-taking gambit that turned into a roaring success, the follow-up to the "G of G" came with absolute self-assurance aiming directly at the summer blockbuster market, and hit its mark squarely. The entire company is back, but good old Groot who gallantly sacrificed his life to protect and save his friends is replaced by his cute offspring little young Groot, who has inherited his entire, rich vocabulary of "I'm Groot" (same voice, that of Vin Diesel). Introduced to this sequel is villain high priest Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki who, even with her face painted completely gold, is still beautiful as her Jordan Baker in the recent The Great Gatsby remake). The true villain however is Star-Lord's Quill's (Chris Pratt) finally discovered father Ego (what a name!) played by the inimitable Kurt Russell. He has every right to claim that name as he is a "celestial", that is a god, with a small "g" as he humbly adds. As you would expect, the villainy and treachery are revealed only towards the end, fueling a final face off between father and son.
There are a number of minor sub-plots. Also introduced here is Mantis (lovely French actress Pom Klementieff), a child-like species with emotion-reading (but not thought-reading) power, initially serving Ego and eventually, among other things, became the love interest of Drax (Dave Bautista). The romance between Quill and Gamora (another beautiful actress, even painted entirely in green, Zoe Saldana) is still held at a tantalizing stage. Given more attention is the sister issue between Gamora and Nebula (Karen Gillan, count 4 of beautiful actresses) moving towards sort of defrosting. An odd couple comradeship develops between Rocket (voice of Bradley Cooper) and Yondu (Michael Rooker), with full mutual empathy for the shared characteristic of abrasive behavior hiding a tender heart. Most touching, however, is that ironically, after finding his biological father, Quill finally realizes Yondu has always been the father he wanted. Yondu echoes that sentiment "he may be your father, but I am your daddy".
This movie gives the audience an sumptuous visual feast, cutting-edge set pieces and unabashed comic comedy - best summer blockbuster entertainment this year.