A 1970’s marvel splash page thrown on to a screen in the most beautiful, brilliant, & exhilarating way, James Gunn’s epic sequel “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is a wonder; intertwined with depth, heart, emotion, and above all, fun. The first one was a blast from nowhere, and this sequel – scratch that, continuation – of Marvel’s rag-tag team is just like the first in its own way.

The easiest improvement from the first film is Gunn’s writing and direction; there’s no setup needed & no exposition, and it flows so much better. Within bits of comedy and laughing Gunn brings in emotion and he brings romance and a special uniqueness to the story that allows to become simply a marvel. The song choices easily impress as they are woven in the story in this one, and while not as good as the firsts soundtrack, boy do they still fucking rule.

Gunn’s direction is sleek; never allowing a dull moment to overcome the characters and their story. Like I said above, “Guardians 2” isn’t a sequel per se, but more of a continuation of what Gunn established in the first film. Gunn, I think, understands that these characters can handle themselves in screen and he is able to use that as a key point and just let’s it flow into a beauty. The slo-mo, wacky-faced wonderfulness the film has keeps it on its feet.

Returning as Marvel’s misfit team of heroes, the Guardians themselves are even better than the first. Chris’s Pratt & Zoe Saldana are equally great and their chemistry together is done so well. Bradley Cooper and Baby Groot are so freaking good. They’re brilliant and emotional all in one. But Drax is hands down the best part. He’s fledged out more and he’s so so funny. Kurt Russell brings such charism and I loved the character of Ego, he’s probably one of the MCU’s greatest villains. Plus, Michael Rooker is all time great here.

In all it’s beautiful, hilarious, and gorgeous glory, one flaw dawned upon me and is why “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” doesn’t reach five stars. The characters – while all fledged out and written to near perfection – have some times too much emotion. There’s moments – like the whole Gamora & Nebula sub-plot – felt weird and it didn’t flow very well. Other than that though, it’s masterful.

There’s no denying that Marvel Studios’ has been on a roll as of late. With James Gunn’s newest flick in the MCU, it continues that roll to bring a new, freshly done, superhero flick. 2017 is coming to be one of the finest years for CBM ever. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is a beautiful, entertaining, heart-breakingly emotional ride in the superhero word, and above all, has kickass music.