Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

A typical sequel tends to make for nervous minds.  In the age of endless Hollywood sequels, you can usually bank on them being entertaining but failing to live up to the original film.  The first Guardians of the Galaxy was such a hugely popular hit, that future sequels were inevitable.  However, it also placed any potential sequel in a highly enviable position.  Most films release teasers/trailers prior to release to try and entice people to go pay money and see the film.  Unfortunately, they often have to divulge important plot points to get people interested, which in turn makes the actual movie-watching experience less enjoyable than it otherwise could.

The first Guardians of the Galaxy film was so good and the franchise has so much going for it, that all of the pre-release trailers could just show funny (but vague) character interactions.  The first movie was great.  The second one looks great.  Everyone will go see it without even realizing they have no idea what it will actually be about – and that helps make the experience even better.

Chris Pratt returns as Star-Lord and the whole crew, including Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Michael Rooker, Vin Diesel, and Bradley Cooper, all return as well.  The film also brings in Kurt Russell which is a great addition – he seems like someone who for awhile was relegated to semi-obscurity, but in recent years has been make a big splash in some great films.  James Gunn is back in the director’s seat.

The story which follows the origin story is always a bit tricky.  Telling an origin story gives you so much room for content, but after that’s done, where do you go?  The Guardians of the Galaxy just effectively saved the whole galaxy from destruction in their debut outing?  What is next that could possibly rival that in terms of impact.  Well, James Gunn and Kevin Feige decided to play it very smart.  As has been done very successfully in some previous films, the story arc stayed epic, but also got a lot more personal.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 takes you on an unexpected journey – but the beauty is that you aren’t worried about where that journey will take you.  The characters and world that has been built, and all the interactions therein captivate you and allow you to just enjoy the ride.  Pure entertainment.