The first "Guardians of the Galaxy" movie was a box office success back in 2014, bringing in a whopping $94 million during its opening weekend. Part of the Guardians' success was how playful the movie was, while still delivering on a good amount of space action any space opera/Star Wars fan would enjoy. The quirks of the cast also helped make this movie wonderful, from the lovable flying, Walkman-listening, joke-cracking Star-Lord (played by Chris Pratt), to the gung-ho, sarcastic, yet tiny Rocket Raccoon (voiced by multiple Oscar nominated actor Bradley Cooper), to the sweet, lovable, tree giant Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel).

It's safe to say, the sequel to this awesome blockbuster doesn't disappoint. While it doesn't trump the original, it sure does take us on a fun ride the entire time.

Starlord's father is...Kurt Russell?

Talk about an obvious but brilliant idea! When casting who would play Chris Pratt's on-screen dad, you would look for someone with the same kind of charisma, sense of humor, and looks. The way Star-Lord's dad was portrayed by Kurt Russell was fantastic. Also, the explanations of where he's been while Star-Lord has been wandering around the galaxy, why he left Earth, and what his role in the universe was brilliantly handled.

I would say the surprise star of this movie for me was Yondu, the Reaver captain who abducted young Star-Lord as a kid. His character arc in this movie was so unexpected for me, but again, so well executed, with his character being appropriately somber when there was need for it and appropriately kick-ass as well.

Yondu's character arc wasn't the only arc explored in this movie. Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Nebula (Karen Gillian), and even Rocket had their share of really powerful character moments, another unexpected pleasure. That doesn't mean there wasn't a fair amount of action, though. There were plenty of fast ships, laser beams, and giant space monsters for sci-fi lovers out there.

Stalone is also in this movie.

His part in this movie isn't huge, but its set up to be in future movies.

Overall thoughts

It was a fun ride. It makes you feel good throughout the entire movie, even in its more somber parts. While I wouldn't categorize it as a modern classic like the first Guardians movie, I will say it was pretty close to perfect -- great story, great effects, great soundtrack -- and it looks like James Gunn is set to make a third one soon.

Rating: 9/10