There is a thing with movies where the second (and third and so on) installment is not as good as the first, save a couple of franchises. I never really have high hopes for “part 2”. The exception to this rule is Marvel (usually).
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 is the continuation of Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot as they continue to save the galaxy from evil-doers. In the first Guardians they defeated Ronan, this new one has new bad guys like Taser Face and his band of nastiness.
The film is written and directed by James Gunn and stars an ensemble cast featuring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris Sullivan, Sean Gunn, Sylvester Stallone, and Kurt Russell. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the Guardians travel throughout the cosmos as they help Peter Quill learn more about his true parentage.
Now I am not going to sit here and say Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 is better than the first one – I will let you be the judge of that. But I can tell you it’s at least as good. I love how we as an audience get to know even more about the characters and their history. I love that we see the family unfold, something we saw a glimpse of at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 (“we are Groot”) between the bickering and the snide remarks. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 we see that while there is still bickering, sarcasm, and side-eye, there is also a camaraderie between the main characters and know that they will do anything for each other.
The addition of Kurt Russell as Peter Quill’s father Ego is brilliant. Kurt plays to Ego’s ego so well and knows he’s a badass. Watch for a tender moment between father and son amongst the galactic fighting and lasers.
My favorite character – and probably most viewers fave – is baby Groot. The opening scene is all him, running around and narrowly missing danger while dancing to his favorite song. It’s adorable. Innocent. Another favorite is Yondu. Michael Rooker plays the bad guy with a heart so well that you feel bad for him when things don’t go his way. Pom Klementieff as Mantis is pretty great too and has her own comic timing that I hope to see more of. 
Also watch for a cameo from Miley Cyrus! I have the inside scoop on that coming up!
Also look for Ving Rhames and Michelle Yeoh. There are others but I want you to be surprised!
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 is in theaters May 5th!
