Directed by James Gunn

Starring: Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Kurt Russell, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel 

The wait is finally over. When James Gunn and Chris Pratt announced the sequel in 2014 I was very, very excited. The first instalment defied my expectations, and a sequel could only do the same. Except as it got closer and closer I knew nothing could live up to the first Guardians. And this one doesn't, but is it a bad film? No! It's an amazing Marvel sequel that deserves a lot of love.

James Gunn deeply cares about these films and his characters - so he drives another film into the Marvel Cinematic Universe that concentrates on them rather than setting up the eagerly anticipated Infinity War. And that's what I liked about it. Guardians is it's own thing and it works well in that respect - which makes a sequel great knowing it doesn't have to include anything outside this galaxy. It's a great opportunity to spend time with these deeply charming characters once again.

So the plot follows an Empire Strikes Back scenario where the Guardians become split up from one another (which works really nicely) and we see Peter Quill AKA Starlord (Chris Pratt) finally discover his father Ego (Kurt Russell). Meanwhile, Rocket (Bradley Cooper) Baby Groot (Vin Diesel) and Yondu (Michael Rooker) deal with a Ravager mutiny. It all comes together in the end into a big CGI inducing battle, which while we're on the subject, the CGI is fine - and we learn some beautiful and inspiring things along the way. 

James Gunn's humour returns from the original, and its undeniable that it's as good as it is. Although I'll admit not all jokes hit as the first one has them do. Drax (Bautista) provides most of the laughs, and the surprisingly funny new addition Mantis (Pom Klementieff) is a delight as well. The cast are all fantastic, and I have to compliment Russell and Rooker's performances in particular. The writing really compliments them of course - and the arcs of all the characters are well told. I don't think Drax gets much to do in comparison to others, such as Gamora (Saldana) and her relationship with Nebula (Karen Gillan) however they all get some great lines and all deliver in the final act.

There are some pacing issues towards the second act with a lot of sitting around but I can't fault it too much because it makes for some very good development. There's also some clever cinematography that extends into some really well done scenes, such as one key scene with Rocket and the Ravagers. There are some great twists and turns which bring everything together - and the soundtrack excels the first one. 'Hey Brandy' and 'The Chain' make for some emotional tunes and give a lot of meaning to the story, which in the end is a film about family, and Gunn in the end gives an incredible emotional experience that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has never seen before. 

The Good

- Brilliant characters

- Some clever cinematography 

- Soundtrack is ace

- A great standalone installment from the rest of MCU

- An emotional story

The Bad

- Some second act pacing issues

- A lot of jokes don't always land

8/10