Guardians of The Galaxy 2 Review

It’s time to pop in the

Guarding the Galaxy

We join our galaxy misfits in the midst of a job protecting valuable batteries for Ayesha, the leader of the Sovereign race, in exchange for Gamora's sister, Nebula. Following some crazy shenanigans, the guardians find themselves on the wrong side of the Sovereign's weapons.  Amidst their daring escape, the team is outmatched when they are rescued by an unlikely ally: a man named Ego, claiming to be Peter's father. With this new information, the group must split up, but danger awaits. Ayesha is not about to give up. She hires Yondu and the Ravagers to hunt down Quill and crew. With so many twists and turns, will the Guardians of The Galaxy manage to escape their enemies, and is Ego who he claims to be?

Flip Over To Side B

I'm going to get this part out of the way - Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is not as good as the first. It's really hard to make the sequel better than the first, especially when most of the story centers on one of the ensemble. I mean, there are intertwining stories that keep everyone involved. While that works, it still makes the story on a whole suffer a little bit. Another thing that suffered was the jokes. While most of jokes did hit, when they missed- they missed hard. Also, a main pain point for me was the soundtrack. The first one was so epic, but this one was a little lacking.

Now, with that all out of the way, let's talk about what's awesome about this movie! The cast works very well together, and that is a must for an ensemble piece. The additional characters added new flair and each actor played their part very well. Baby Groot was equal parts hilarious and adorable, as expected. I loved Rocket - but I'm biased, since he is my favorite. And while the story did have it's weak points, it was still a lot of fun and it will draw you in.

I really enjoyed the addition of Ego, Mantis, Nebula and Yondu. It was interesting to see how other characters fit into the original group and how they handled a new issue. The story wasn't so much about them being hired to save the day. The focus was a personal quest for all of them in the end, and it was really enjoyable.  Though not as good as the first, I really enjoyed where the story went.

Paternal, Eternal, and Trash Bandits

The returning cast in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 was fantastic. Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista were great - though Drax was a bit over the top when it came to the 'jokes.' Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper lent their voices for my two favorite characters: Rocket and Baby Groot. I just like the character dynamic. It's hard to beat.

Karen Gillan also reprises her role as Nebula, and she was pretty good despite her constant intense face. I guess it's tough when your father replaces all of your body parts with machinery. However, out of all of the returning cast, Michael Rooker was the most impressive as Yondu. He really played his part well.

On to the newcomers, Pom Klementieff and Kurt Russell were great additions to the MCU. They carry a bit of mystery and the payoff at the end is great. The cast chemistry in general really makes this movie. The Sovereigns play creepy "perfect" beings pretty well, and Taserface is a mix laughable and physically intimidating. It was a film well cast.

Guardians of the Galaxy 2: Final Thoughts

While it's tough for a sequel to surpass the original, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is a lot of fun. It manages to capture the spirit of the first, and it really focuses on character development. While not all of the jokes hit, it was still hilarious - and the post credit scenes are great, as usual. There may even be some surprise cameos! (There are...trust me.) If you are looking for a good time at the movies, this is one MCU flick you can't miss.

So what do you think? Have you seen Guardians of The Galaxy 2? Or maybe you are looking for something more gritty, like Logan? Perhaps DC is more your speed with Wonder Woman (coming soon!).  Let us know what you thought in the comments below!