Guardians 2 is a boatload of fun

The first Guardians Of The Galaxy should not have worked.  They are from the D list of the D list of Marvel Superheroes.  A talking raccoon?  A tree that only speaks one phrase?  Chris Pratt (the guy from Parks & Rec?!?) as a leading man?  None of that should have worked, and yet it did. And it worked in a BIG, refreshing way.  Guardians felt like lightning in a bottle.  There was no way they'd be able to duplicate that, right?  Well, Guardians Volume 2 came pretty damn close.  It's every bit as fun and delightful as the first installment.

Volume 2 picks up slightly after the first film.  The Guardians are protectors for hire (kind of like an interestallar A-Team), and are tasked with protecting a new race of aliens' power source.  Of course, in true misfit style, the Guardians end up pissing their new bosses off and proceed to get a death sentence placed on their heads.  They flee and escape certain death with the help of Ego (played with cocksure attitude by the always great Kurt Russell), a mysterious man who is revealed to be Star Lord's long lost father.  This isn't a spoiler as it was in every trailer for the film.  You also find this out quite early in the film.  Ego seems perfect to every one but Gamora (The great Zoe Saldana).  The shine quickly comes off of Ego's veneer as we delve deeper into his history.  I won't go further than that since I don't want to ruin the storyline beyond that.

Like the first film, the cast shines.  Pratt is as funny as ever, and Baby Groot is a delight (and a hell of a marketing tool!).  The real star of this film, however, is Dave Bautista's Drax The Destroyer.  While he had a lot of funny lines in the first, director James Gunn gives Bautista every opportunity to shine in this film.  He has some laugh out loud moments that had me in stitches.

Another reason why this film works is that while it's zany, dysfunctional and downright silly at times, it is a film that stays grounded.  In this case, it's about family and the things we do for our loved ones.  It's a film that's not afraid to get sappy.  However, it never veers into the cheesy territory as some of its compatriots (cough cough Batman v Superman) tend to do when displaying love and affection.

It's also a movie franchise that (to this point) seems to have little desire in tying itself to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Sure, there are breadcrumbs sprinkled about, but you could watch these movies without ever seeing another Marvel movie and be totally comfortable with the story.  I don't think there is another franchise in the MCU that can say that.

I'm giving Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 3 out of 4 stars.  While it doesn't quite reach the same level of overall awesome as the first one, it still holds its own as a fun Summer getaway.  The cast is superb and the new additions really add to the already strong core.  Definitely go see it and (as always) stay through the credits.  There are 5 (a new record) post credit scenes.

I keep waiting for the wheels to come off the Marvel train, but this machine just keeps on chugging.  Their next challenge might be their greatest... to reboot Spider-Man for the umpteenth time in July's Spider-Man: Homecoming.  Until next time... this has been a Too-Fat For The Movies review.