Review by CJ

Director:
James Gunn

Starring:
Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Kurt Russell, Elizabeth Debicki

Other notable appearances:
Sean Gunn, Sylvester Stallone, Seth Green, Michael Rosenbaum, Michelle Yeoh, Miley Cyrus, Jeff Goldblum, David Hasselhoff, Stan Lee

Running time:
136 minutes

Watch this if you liked:
Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man, The Avengers, Suicide Squad

The Guardians of the Galaxy continue to do good (and bad) deeds across the galaxy. After their latest good (and bad) deeds, they are on the verge of being destroyed when they are saved by a man claiming to be Star-Lord’s father. Their loyalties and perceptions of each other are tested as the Guardians of the Galaxy must once again save the galaxy and themselves.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is the 15th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Can we just take a moment to recognise how great the casting for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is? Pratt does a brilliant job of playing Star-Lord, once again managing to nail both the comedic and serious aspects of the character. Saldana and Gillan play off each other well and have some great moments as sisters Gamora and Nebula respectively. Bautista owns the fun side to his character this time around. Rooker’s Yondu is a delight to watch evolve from the first film to the end of this sequel. Cooper and Diesel manage once again to portray so much through their voice work for Rocket and Groot that it is astounding to watch. Russell is in his element as the fun celestial Ego and plays every aspect of the role impressively.

Overall, the whole cast interact with each other as if they are these characters and have had years of experiences gallivanting across the galaxy together. It’s a wonderful thing to watch when a cast mesh together so well.

Because it’s the second time around and we don’t need a lot of backstory, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 leaps straight into the action with the Guardians fighting a giant beast. The fight sequences in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 are fun, exciting and often hilarious.

There are several relationships and characters that develop considerably throughout Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The are all very touching to watch and I can’t wait to see further development in future films.

Everyone’s favourite Marvel duck (No? Just me?) makes another cameo voiced by Seth Green. This gives me great hope that maybe one day we will get another live action film starring Howard. I’d keep my fingers crossed but that makes it quite difficult to type.

The soundtrack for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is great. It by no means is as impressive as the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack, but it would have been almost impossible for them to top that one.

I would highly recommend Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 to fans of the MCU or just the first Guardians of the Galaxy. This second instalment to the adventures of Star-Lord et al is action-packed with the right amount of humour and feels.

PSA: As always, remember to stick around to the end of the credits for all MCU films.

Rating:

“He says, ‘Welcome to the frickin’ Guardians of the Galaxy!’ Only he didn’t use ‘frickin”.”