A worthy sequel!

Rating: 8/10 (14 September 2019)

Introduction:
I really loved the first Guardians of the Galaxy because it was surprisingly funny, had outstanding special effects and amazing characters. It was emotional and action packed and all was balanced very well. So when Guardians of the Galaxy 2 came out in cinemas I was very excited but also feared it would fail. After watching it for the first time I was relieved. It had everything the first movie had, although a bit weaker in some parts, but it still felt like a unique movie and a worthy sequel. Now I´ve recently rewatched it and I´ll give you my thoughts in this review!

Review:
1. Story
Even when watching for the second time I felt like every scene had a place. There is still the good mix of elements that made the first one so great. The sci-fi aspect is even a bit better here in my opinion. When it comes to the humour it starts decently good early on, but gets a lot better over time. It definitely tries to get in more jokes than in the first movie which sometimes makes it feel a bit too much or predictable. The action is still amazing. It feels bigger but not better or worse. The movie has very emotional moments aswell, which I appreciate a lot. The new characters were introduced very well. I felt like each character had a purpose and good development. The dialog is interesting all the way. As already mentioned the jokes can be a bit too much but other than that, the movie manages to provide good dialog. A lot was done with expressions and it didnt always need words and that makes certain scenes very powerful and shows how talented these actors are. The pacing is great aswell.
(8,2/10)
2. Visuals
The worldbuilding is amazing. We have many changes of location and each feels unique, with their own species and ways. The story doesn´t just happen to be in those locations, the locations are a central part of the story. The special effects feel fresh and very well executed. At several parts I noticed how good the cgi looks. It has a unique style and feels polished. The costumes/makeup give the characters even more traits and enables us to distinguish all of them. The colors are sometimes a bit too bright and colorful for my taste when it comes to the locations and a fight here and there but overall I really like the visual style of the movie. I honestly did not notice the camera techniques too much and that´s not even a bad thing. It felt smooth and always fitting, it just didn´t do anything too crazy. It got close when wanting to show the faces in emotional moments and I also remember it being used well in a very funny scene. Similar can be said about the editing. I really liked the transitions when multiple things happened at the same time. Cuts are barely noticed and that is a great thing to say. It´s glides from scene to scene and it all just feels very fluid.
(8,2/10)
3. Audio
Like in the first movie music is a central part of the story. I have to say I love music and the way it is used here is just great. Just like the aspects mentioned before music is used to enhance the story. The song choices were well thought out and I honestly love what peter quill listens to :) The soundeffects are equally used. It makes the world come to life and especially helps the sci-fi aspects.
(8/10)

Conclusion:
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 may not be as fresh and funny compared to the first movie, but it manages to introduce some new exciting characters and give them and the known characters good development and emotional depth. It´s a well paced emotional thrill ride from start to finish with music and visuals that are a central part of the story and characters we love and care about. Despite it´s little flaws, it´s funny, action packed, emotional and visually amazing. For me this is a worthy sequel and I can really recommend you to watch it if you liked the first one.
(8,1/10)