In 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy was released and met with widespread acclaim from both critics and fans. Marvel had tested the boundaries of how much humor they could get away with, adding a
walking tree and a talking raccoon to an already odd assortment of characters, and they succeeded wildly. It was no surprise then, that the announcement of a sequel was met with widespread excitement. When it was released, it gained even bigger support.
Gaining an 81% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 67% on Metacritic, the movie was an instant hit. The sequel follows its heroes after they anger a formidable enemy, the Sovereign, by stealing the batteries they were hired to protect. At the same time they uncover the truth about Peter Quill’s parentage.
The second movie introduced a different dynamic between the Guardians of the Galaxy. For most of the first film they were a group of strangers working together for their own gain. In the most recent one we get to see the friendship that has developed between Peter Quill (self-named Star Lord), Gamora, Rocket, Drax, and the show stealer, Baby Groot.
After sacrificing himself for his friends in the first film, fans were given a sneak peak of a new Groot growing from a flowerpot. In the second movie Groot has
outgrown the pot, but he still stands only a few feet tall. Baby Groot still only speaks his trademark three words, “I am Groot,” but with an adorable new voice. It’s also obvious that he’s grown up with Peter Quill, for he is constantly dancing to Star Lord’s 80s mixed tapes.
Guardians 2 had just as much humor as the first one, but not always the same style. The movie retained its laugh-out loud jokes such as Star Lord flying to each team member in the middle of a battle asking if they have any tape. Now that it has its cushion of success however, the filmmakers decided to add some more PG-13 jokes that had adults roaring as well.
Overall Guardians of the Galaxy 2 turned out to be a spectacular sequel that didn’t stray too far from the action-packed, feel-good mood of the first one. With incredible space-fight scenes, humor for all ages, (and Baby Groot), the movie is a must see.
