Stars of the film are calling Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 better than the first, but as always, the final word will be up to the fans when the film arrives in theaters May 5. Without having to establish characters, the sequel should have more time for corny team banter, 80s songs and spaceships blowing up. However, this also means the stakes are much higher than the first time around. What can compare to meeting Groot for the very first time?
While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 didn’t have the same ‘wow’ impact as the original, according to the first reviews it’s still a really enjoyable film. Even better if you leave your high expectations at the door and get ready to embrace a more rich and complex journey.
“Within the first 10 minutes, fans will be smiling ear to ear as their favorite idiots have come together again to make all the right mistakes. Beyond those opening moments, the film gets a little cloudy for a while,” says Brandon Davis of Comicbook.com.
The laggy moments are for no other reason than there’s a lot of storylines happening and the Guardians ‘joke your way through everything’ doesn’t work as well. However, the third act makes it worth it, according to Davis, who calls it, “the best finale to any Marvel Studios production to date -- by far.”
On the other hand, The Hollywood Reporter’s Todd McCarthy has some harsh words for Marvel’s B-list heroes.
“Alas, most of these maverick mercenaries prove rather less charming the second time around; they're like bickering family now and not in an amusing way.”
While most reviews praise Yondu’s performance, McCarthy says “the well-cast Russell and Pratt are the best in the film, the one occasion Gunn calms down a bit to stage meaningful exchanges.” Meanwhile, Zoe Saldana’s character, Gamora, barks out every line “in an elevated state of annoyance,” according to McCarthy.
While The Hollywood Reporter’ s review is one big snowball of hate, every other review so far has been at least halfway positive.
"Shot for shot, line and line, it’s an extravagant and witty follow-up, made with the same friendly virtuosic dazzle. Yet this time you can sense just how hard the series’ wizard of a director, James Gunn [...] is working to entertain you. Maybe a little too hard.” said Owen Gleiberman of Variety.
Entertainment Weekly’s Chris Nashawaty adds that it’s still possible to enjoy this film while knowing “there’s something a little lazy and thin” about it.
While other reviewers didn’t come right out and say so, MoviePilot’s Alisha Grauso did. She was the only writer to claim Vol. 2 is better than the original. Admitting it shouldn't be crowned the best Marvel movie ever, she started off the review by saying, “I'm happy to say it just might be better than its predecessor. It still has all the trademark wacky Gunn humor, but comes with even more heart.”
Grauso points out the sequel’s villain is much more developed, with “poignant motivation” compared to Lee Pace’s Ronan.
“It creates a movie that is perhaps one step less nonstop fun, but richer, deeper, and dare I say more surprising than anything we've gotten from the Marvel Cinematic Universe yet.”
Do you have high hopes for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2? Let us know in the comments. The film arrives in theaters May 5.
