Not half bad. Not as good as the first, but when it is good, it's really, REALLY good. There are a few parts that drag a little bit, but we'll get to that in a second.
The story picks up where the last one left off, with the Guardians now helping the Nova Corps protect the galaxy against threats. After saving the Sovereign race from a raging monster, their leader, Ayesha, finds out that Rocket has stolen some precious batteries from them and sends out an attack. They're saved, however, by a mysterious man who they find out later is Peter's father, Ego. (*chuckle*) They decide to follow him to his home planet so that he and Peter can reconnect and have the connection they've always wanted to have. During this, however, Ayesha has hired up Yondu (Rooker from Walking Dead as part of the Blue Man Group from the first movie) to hunt down the Guardians and retrieve the batteries.
The first two-thirds of this movie not only match what made the first movie great, particularly whenever an action scene kicks in, but in some areas, it even elevated it, particularly in comedy. As funny as Groot was in the first movie, Baby Groot here is a freakin riot! Groot has been known to be clueless and to improvise, and those qualities have been elevated with this adorable miniature! The opening title sequence is him playing music while the others fight the monster I mentioned earlier. On top of that, though, as indicated by the trailer, Drax the Destroyer moves past his serious nature from the first movie, and as a result, he's just off-the-wall hilarious here! Practically every line he says holds just the right comedic tone, timing, and delivery!
Then the last third kicks in, and that's where the film started to drag a little for me. The first movie kept a good balance between drama and comedy; every scene with its intensely dramatic villain was followed by a scene with the Guardians cracking wise at each other, and that's what elevated it from being just an average, everyday comedy to one of the best sci-fi blockbusters ever made. Here, even though the emotion is heartfelt and I do still connect with these characters, it just doesn't feel as fresh or rad as the first film and will most likely throw people for a loop. The film, aside from an overload of five post-credit scenes, ends on a rather bitter note that would have been much more fulfilling if it ended on a more comedic or inspiring note. I didn't hate the last third, but it definitely felt inconsistent and not entirely what was advertised.
Regardless, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 holds up as a worthy entry into the Marvel legacy. When it wants to be funny and exciting, it can be very exciting and REALLY funny! It drags a little bit in its last third, but the first two thirds still deliver plenty of punches to go around. It's a great way to kick off the summer, and a great way to continue Marvel's winning streak! (With movies, anyway.)
My rating:
