Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a rarity – a good sequel. I didn’t go see this at the theater mainly because I expected the slump that usually comes from a sequel. Boy was I wrong.

GotG2 picked up right where the first one left off in terms of a fun time. You get the action. You get the funny lines. You get the characters you know and love. PLUS, you get Kurt Russell. When paired with Chris Pratt, it just feels right. I totally buy them as father and son.

Okay, the opening fight sequence was a bit goofy and felt kinda like director James Gun (III) felt pressure to wow you right off the bat. It wasn’t needed but as he was able to keep the budget the same as Vol. 1 yet bring in nearly $100 million more than the first one, don’t expect this franchise to end anytime soon. Yes, the CGI was a bit overdone but you don’t really notice it because the same snarkiness and heart are imbued throughout.

Speaking of heart, Michael Rooker as Yondu did a great job of fleshing out that character. As always though, Dave Batista as Drax is one of my favorite characters in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) but it is Chris Pratt’s Starlord that carries the film once again.

RATING 8 out of 10

by Chris Doelle

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