5/7/2017 - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) - 5+/10

This was a fun film, much like its predecessor. Unfortunately, it could not reach the level of the first. It was juvenile and lacking subtlety, yet still endearing enough to care for and pack some semblance of emotional heft. It lays everything on extremely thick, be it sight gag, dick joke, thematic marker, or engaging emotion - it is all played to the lowest common denominator loudly to the back of the theater. None of this derailed the film mind you. Little dancing Groot was still cute, the father/son heart strings were still pulled, and the calling card mix of 70's crowd-pleasing music entwined with slick sci-fi action still clicked. It all just felt like an amped up rehash, missing the unique magic that the original film bathed in.

There were plenty of logic flaws (Rooker's Yondu has the most dangerous weapon in the galaxy or the introduction/cessation of Peter's "god magic", just for examples) and unnecessary set-up (not even the most hardcore comic lovers are clamoring for the original/GOTG 3000 Stallone spin-off film that was set up here, I would wager). These seemed like over extensions/studio dictates and plot convenience. Could just be that everything is under more scrutiny the 2nd time because expectations will always be different. Or maybe the unfortunate elements just bugged me more this time around than the first one.

Everyone except for the director's brother does a solid-t-good job with the roles and elements they are given. Much of the rest was by-the-numbers but workable. Again, this was a solidly fun and well-done film, just stretched thin and over emphasized.