GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY  Vol. 2  4.0***

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is back and as flashy and bad-ass as ever.  All the lovable and wacky characters return: Peter (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket, the zany raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), and Baby Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) .

The Guardians are still a dysfunctional family – Peter and Gamora are the couple that you root for but they always seem to find things to fight about; Rocket is so jaded he won't let anyone get too close; Drax (the tattooed giant of a man) is still socially inept, and  the most normal member of the group seems to be the tiny talking tree, Baby Groot, who can only say variations of the phrase "I am Groot." When Rocket steals valuable property from a race of gold skinned aliens, the Guardians are chased around the galaxy until they are intercepted by Ego, a living god played by Kurt Russell, who just happens to be Peter's father. Peter, Gamora, and Drax go off with Ego while Rocket and Groot stay behind to guard Nebula, Gamora's wacko sister. Without giving too much away, eventually a bad guy threatens to destroy the galaxy ( surprise, surprise) and the Guardians have to stop him…save the Galaxy AGAIN !!!

While the plot ends up being pretty conventional, Guardians Vol 2  is really about the characters learning to deal with all of their pent up personal issues. In that sense, it's unusual for a Marvel movie . We get some good emotional scenes here. I was impressed with Michael Rooker's character Yondu, a supporting character from the first film that I did not expect to see again. We get more insight into who he really is. I also have to give a shout out to Batista's performance as Drax. I'm not sure how much range he has as an actor, but he's excellent in the part. He's hysterically funny. Then there’s Baby Root who is sooo cute and adorable. But then  every character is handled  well. Peter's relationships with Gamora and his father are well done, and Gamora's relationship with her angry sister is also well developed.

Overall, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a visually exciting sequel that is as good as the original. It has a fun cast and characters, the soundtrack ( mostly classics from the 80s.. see list below) is awesome, the visual effects are stunning  and the action is exciting.   

Rated PG-!3 for Sci-Fi action, language and a hint of violence. ( But in my opinion it is suitable for 10 and up and especially adults with a sci-fi yen)

Clark

Here’s a list of the classic 1980s songs in the soundtrack: 1. Mr. Blue Sky – Electric Light Orchestra   2. Fox on the Run – Sweet   3. Lake Shore Drive – Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah   4. The Chain – Fleetwood Mac   5. Bring it On Home to Me – Sam Cooke   6. Southern Nights – Glen Campbell   7. My Sweet Lord – George Harrison   8. Brandy You're a Fine Girl – Looking Glass   9. Come a Little Bit Closer – Jay and the Americans   10. Wham Bang Shang-A-Lang – Silver   11. Surrender – Cheap Trick  12. Father and Son – Yusuf / Cat Stevens   13. Flashlight – Parliament   14. Guardians Inferno – The Sneepers feat. David Hasselhoff