Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

A sequel made after a surprise hit usually carries the same worry: how to carry on the freshness of the first time. James Gunn offers an intriguing answer to that question. He arms the film with greater scale and more dazzling color, yet places the story’s center of gravity not on a cosmic crisis but on the relationships between its characters. Action is merely a side dish; the true theme of this installment can be summed up in one word, family.

What it’s about — Star-Lord meeting his biological father, Ego

The Guardians, who became a team in the first film, drift through space carrying on their mercenary work. In the midst of this, Star-Lord Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) meets Ego (Kurt Russell), who claims to be his biological father. Ego is a godlike being who rules a living planet, and he takes Quill to his world. At first Quill is elated at the reunion with the father he longed for all his life, but as Ego’s true purpose comes to light the situation changes drastically. Meanwhile Gamora (Zoe Saldana) confronts her long-festering resentment toward her stepsister Nebula, while Rocket, Groot, and Drax each have their camaraderie tested in their own ways.

Direction — The rhythm of neon excess and retro pop

James Gunn’s direction is not afraid of visual excess. Space awash in neon light, planets of every color, and action sequences exploding with cartoonish imagination fill the screen. From the very first scene, the staging in which Baby Groot dances to music while a battle with an enormous monster rages behind him shows at once what this film prioritizes. Fun and feeling come before menace.

The use of music is still excellent. Retro pop songs are layered onto each scene at exactly the right moment, creating the rhythm of action and emotion. That said, viewers who remember the fresh shock of the first film may be left with the impression of the same formula repeated on a larger scale. Even so, the emotional resolution the director draws out in the latter half goes beyond simple entertainment. Beneath the dazzling color lies a surprisingly serious feeling of loss and reconciliation.

Performance — Baby Groot beyond a mere mascot

Chris Pratt leads as Quill, moving freely between light jokes and serious emotion. Both his longing for his biological father and his fury at the moment that longing is betrayed are rendered persuasively. Zoe Saldana’s Gamora gains a new texture this time around in the sibling relationship, becoming considerably more three-dimensional.

The supporting cast remains as charming as ever. Dave Bautista’s Drax handles the laughs with his blunt manner of speaking, while Rocket, voiced by Bradley Cooper, is drawn as a character who hides deep loneliness beneath his prickliness. Above all, Vin Diesel’s Baby Groot functions beyond a simple mascot, as a symbol of the family the Guardians must protect. Kurt Russell skillfully plays Ego, a figure who carries both allure and danger.

What the film says — The family you choose over the family of blood

What this installment repeatedly stresses is the difference between the family bound by blood and the family you choose for yourself. Quill meets the biological father he longed for all his life, only to realize that the one who truly embraced him is someone else entirely. The process by which the Guardians, living together though somewhat out of joint, ultimately become each other’s true family is the film’s emotional core. It is also striking that small responsibilities and reconciliations toward one another carry more weight than the grand goal of saving the cosmos. Hiding such a warm theme behind dazzling spectacle is this series’ virtue, and unexpected sincerity is woven among its seemingly light jokes.

Ratings and reception

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 holds a 7.6/10 on IMDb. Its Rotten Tomatoes freshness is 85 percent and its Metacritic score is 67 out of 100, solid acclaim if not quite matching the first film. At the box office it scored a major worldwide success, cementing its standing as a beloved series within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Verdict

It is a sequel that leans on the pleasure of the familiar rather than novelty, but that familiarity is sturdy rather than slack. The dazzling action, the retro music, and a surprisingly weighty emotional line strike a balance. Though it does not reach the shock of the first film, it lacks nothing as a well-crafted piece of entertainment, so I give it ★4.0.

Recommended for

• Those who love space adventures blending dazzling color and retro music
• Those seeking one of the more cheerful and warm works in the Marvel series
• Those whose hearts are moved by the themes of family and camaraderie