‘Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2’ ★★★

It's rare when a sequel can be better than the original, and this isn't one of those rare times. This follow-up includes the same humor, massive special effects and wonderfully quirky cast, but the writing and direction by James Gunn stumble because the team gets split into smaller splinter groups. The Guardians are at their best when they are together cutting each other down and saving the galaxy at the same time.

Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Drax (Dave Bautista), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Baby Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) find themselves hired to protect precious batteries owned by a race of creatures that have a very high opinion of themselves. This job gives way as part of the Guardians team is taken to a planet by a man who claims to be Peter's father.

Mr. Gunn makes every scene or action bigger and bigger. He also loads up the film with one-liners that after a while just start getting in the way. His efforts to expand his Galaxy results in his cast being split into smaller groups including a secondary story about Gamora and her sister, Nebula (Karen Gillan). They work well together but not as well as the core group.

The film is still loaded with strong special effects and a must-have soundtrack. This makes the sequel good but lacks the element of surprise that made the original film so much fun.