Things I Liked About Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2:

• The same wonderful sense of humour that is helped by an easy chemistry between the returning cast. It also helps that each cast has a lot more to do.
• Killer musical soundtrack with some pleasant surprises when you least expect them.
• An emotional pull to each of the character story arcs. They are all saying the same message about family but each has a different angle on it. I found myself wiping a little tear out of my eye on occasion.
• How can any movie where you put both Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone in it not be good? Sly is only in it to set something else up. Russell as Ego is an intriguing character with some very twisted logic.
• Visually beautiful as most effects are thoughtfully presented not just a mess. The opening Baby Groot scene where a massive battle is taking place between the guardians and some monster. But that occurs in the background and the focus is purely on a little Groot. It’s a wonderful contrast.
• Baby Groot, of course!

Things I Didn’t Like So Much about Guardians of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2:

• Feels like there is too much going on visually at times.
• While each character’s emotional beat is great on its own feels like there is too much to appreciate.
• The enemy still becomes another ridiculous computer-generated effect to fight.
• So many end credit sequences.

Should I See Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2:

The answer is a solid yes. The film feels a little bit like too much of anything is not good for you yet overall still works. A strong emotional centre, great visuals and sense of style all help make it a good sequel. Not as impacting as the first but still there is Baby Groot to console you the whole time.

As a note: I will be doing more long-form review when time permits, but also I wanted to experiment with the format a little. Tell us if you like it shorter and your thoughts on the movie too.