Inspired but could have been better

Rating: 8/10 (7 May 2017)

This is a fun movie even though it falters a bit near the end. The first third or so expands on the promise of the first Guardians and is pretty exhilarating especially when you consider how wild it is. There's an odd kind of irreverent humor on display that is almost certain not to be matched anywhere else.
Chris Pratt as Peter Quill is really quite good. He plays it with such a light touch that he imperceptibly elevates the entire cast. He's clearly worked out a lot of the nuances of the role in a very intelligent way. Bautista as Drax is the most improved character. He actively contributes to the action instead of mostly being a prop. He also adds something elusive to the humor as if he'd done this a million times before. Why they hadn't used that more in the first film I don't know.
Keeping this short by skipping over some of its other good parts, the problem with the last third or so is that it tries to put across a rather difficult idea while generating a lot of noise and action that mostly misses. Still this is an ambitious movie that deserves the millions it'll rake in.