Peter Quill, Gamora, Rocket, Drax and Baby Groot (Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista and Vin Diesel respectively) are back, only this time its personal, to quote the tagline to Jaws: The Revenge. If you're not already familar with the light-hearted, eclectic group of space mercenaries, get on it and come back later. The story sees them pursued by "conceited douche bags" the Sovereign, led by Elizabeth Debicki, after Rocket casually steals from them. They are saved by the mysterious Ego (Kurt Russell), who claims to be Quill's long lost father. Look out for the best use yet of CGI de-aging in the flashback scenes.
The bulk of the film deals with relationships, be they familial, paternal, romantic or friendly. The benefit of this isn't just that it resolves character arcs that began in the first film in a neat, cathartic fashion, it gives the entire cast meaty roles to delve into. Pratt in particular because of his conflicted feelings of abandonment, showing vulnerability and anger that his career has not let him explore. Fortunately, the reduced comedic role for Quill allows Bautista's boisterous, belly-quaking Drax to take the wheel, ignorantly causing offence in delightful interactions with newcomer Mantis (Pom Klementieff).
A notable issue in Marvel films is tackled by Gunn's tonally merry film: an explosively bright colour pallet is far more visually pleasing than the washed-out Avengers, and at times manages to be almost poetically beautiful (namely at a key scene in the denouement). The humor definitely helps too. Few films can deliver such pure joy with ease, mixing comedy, visual panache and action. The most enjoyable is either the 'Mr Blue Sky' intro of adorable dancing, slapstick and sweet callbacks or the arresting 'Come a Little Bit Closer' breakout. Spot the irony in the phrasing.
The soundtrack (Volume 2) is essentially like Jackie Brown in comparison to Pulp Fiction (Volume 1); an inferior, less inspired follow-up, but still vastly superior to other competition. Hang your cynical head in shame Suicide Squad. Fortunately, Gunn's jukebox hides the cracks in the score that threaten to force sentiment occasionally. Nothing creates genuine feelings like selecting a fine pairing of vintage Cat Stevens and moving thematic developments.
The banter is still there - as are the dramatic undertones - and although neither is quite as effective this time around, the addition of a strong villain, new team members (take a bow Sean Gunn, nepotism disregarded) and enough recurring quality ingredients make it crowd pleasing, top band Marvel entertainment.
FOUR STARS. Play the comic Easter egg hunt drinking game.
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