Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Release Date: 05 May, 2017


What's It About: Star Lord and the Guardians of the Galaxy continue their quest to keep peace throughout the galaxy by stealing things from the people they're hired to protect


The Good: Lots of laughs, as always! The sequel thankfully keeps the light and self-referential tone of the first one. Everyone stays in-character and we have a new face in the form of Mantis, who serves as the emotional foil for the physically slapstick Drax and Rocket. There's also more of an emphasis on Yondu, who is Peter's surrogate father and is currently ostracized by his teammates. There are good moments of familial bonding and connection between them (especially as this film focuses on Peter's real father Ego).


The Bad: It's quite literally Guardians of the Galaxy 2, so everything down to the toilet humor is still very much there. It's crude and low-brow, so if you weren't a fan of that, don't expect any vast improvements here. The plot itself is actually quite low-scale compared to the first (which featured Thanos and an Infinity Stone), and it focuses much more on Star Lord personally, introducing his father, who had long since left him. There are a number of expositions that fasttrack much of the backstory, which may or may not have been effective... although I can't think of a better way to tell it.


Best Performance: Michael Rooker as Yondu Udonta, the adoptive father of Peter Quill/Star Lord. He has a tough, manly exterior but his softer, more caring side is explored deeper in this film. At first he was simply fulfilling a job, but became emotionally attached to Peter and decided to raise him in the absence of his real father. He shows lots of growth in this film and has the most touching moments towards the end. It was either him or Drax, because let's face it: Drax is really funny.


Should I Watch It: It doesn't have as-strong of a connection to the larger MCU arc than the first one does, and it does sort of deviate more from that and keeps the focus on the Guardians, but even then, most of the story is really about Peter, for better or worse. The character interaction between the others is a little thin and at times serves more as a series of cameo characters performing gags for easy laughs, but you can tell that they're trying to be more sincere about maintaining a presence throughout the film, and do all come together at the end.


Post-Credits Scene: Mid and post.


Similar Films: Any of the other MCU films (especially Thor)


Trailer: