Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Review

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a welcome addition to the Guardians and Marvel world. The second installment of the Guardians universe opens in theaters on Friday, May 5, and sees Peter Quill and his Guardian gang tasked with saving the galaxy again as they search for the father he has never known.

Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, and Bradley Cooper reprise their roles as Peter (Starlord), Gamora, Drax, and Rocket respectively. Baby Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) is back, as well, as the tree-like sidekick of Rocket. This new installment is filled with laughs, eye-catching sequences and enough new characters to separate it from the original. However, the first Guardians felt fresh with the songs leading the way and this film, while good, isn’t as entertaining.

Pratt and Saldana’s will-they or wont-they relationship is investigated further and the addition of Karen Gillan (Nebula), Kurt Russell (Ego), and Pom Klementieff (Mantis) add spark to the already fiery cast. Russell as Quill’s father, the galaxy building Celestial, is especially good. Saldana and Gillan’s rapport, or lack thereof, is another highlight. There is an incredible fight scene between the duo that make you wonder why we have yet to receive a female led Marvel film.

Like the first film, music plays a large part in this installment which created some moments and caused others to miss the mark. The flick isn’t as funny as the first but the bickering between Quill, Drax, and Rocket will still drive laughs. As with other Marvel films, stick around for all the after-credit scenes. There aren’t any particularly groundbreaking ones but they are worth viewing.

If you’re a fan of Marvel, the Guardians, Chris Pratt or 80s music, this is the film for you. You likely won’t leave the theater as enamored as you did the first time around but you’ll still walk away feeling satisfied and anticipating the next time you see the Guardians crew.

Grade: B+