***THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW.***
The Marvel Studios executives and writer / director James Gunn have done it again with this group of a-holes as GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 is a more-than-fulfilling space opera adventure that avoids the pitfalls of many sequels and is almost on par with its first film.
That was my one-liner review and it really fits my thoughts on GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 without giving away too much since there is so much that can easily be spoiled. The hardest part of thinking about what to write here is what to talk about and what not to talk about and dancing around all the spoilers. The surprises are plenty and you need to experience them first-hand without knowledge of them and so you can enjoy them yourself.
So after drafting my more "traditional review," I found it too similar to our spoiler-free review from our UK writer Nick Whitney — you can read it here. So instead I will not talk about the story or the plot and I will give very short reviews the characters in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2. And I'll keep it spoiler-free as the lead-in disclaimer says above.
Star-Lord: Chris Pratt is so enjoyable in this role and you can tell he has a blast doing it. From action to comedy, Peter Quill is a joy to watch and he is our modern day version of Han Solo in his own unique way.
Gamora: Her role was okay but I still haven't seen her in full-on berserker fighting mode and she needs to be a bigger badass when we next see her in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR fighting Thanos as well as in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3.
Rocket: He's the biggest a-hole of the group and Bradley Cooper's voice work is such a great match. He's an a-hole right off the bat in this movie because he starts trouble that lingers throughout the entire film. Gunn taps into a little bit of emotion from Rocket too, and yes, it's kind of sad.
Baby Groot: Brilliant! Not too much, which was a big worry of mine going into this movie, and not too little of the tiny guy. It's the perfect amount of Baby Groot and he is adorable for many reasons that I'll keep secret, but I will say he likes to wave... a lot... and it's so damn adorable every time.
Drax: The funniest character in the entire movie, hands down. Dave Bautista is a joy to watch in the role because he is so genuinely funny.
Yondu: I haven't been a fan of the character but this might be Michael Rooker's best performance in anything he's ever been in. I became a Yondu fan by the end.
Nebula: Not a fan of the character or portrayal. I'm not sure why but I'm still not a fan after the sequel. I just don't like the performance or the writing of this character, but it must be me because everyone else I spoke to after the film likes her. So I digress, because others really liked her and I might be the only one who doesn't.
Ego: It's Kurt Russell, dammit. He just lights up the screen when he's in scenes.
Mantis: I love, love love Mantis! Actress Pom Klementieff is brilliant and her performance is my favorite of all the stars of this sequel. She is funny and naive and my new favorite. A breakthrough role without a doubt!
Taserface: You aren't ready for his funny moments.
Kraglin: Regretful but honorable space pirate.
Ayesha: Graceful and powerful. She's angry and our Guardians won't like her when she's really angry at the end of the movie.
There's other surprise cameos and appearances in this movie that I won't get into and there is definitely five scenes in the end credits, so stay for them all. And shame on you if you don't stay through Marvel Studios credits.
All-in-all GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 is a really, really fun movie by Marvel Studios and Gunn. And things will only getting bigger from here when it comes to stories in Marvel's Cosmic Universe. However, I add my name to the list of critics and reviewers who said they liked the first movie better. This is not to say GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 is a bad movie in anyway, but it's just not as good as its first by the tiniest bit.
Written by Daniel Wolf, DailySuperHero.com Founder & Publisher
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