“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is a fun film and a successful sequel in just about all the ways that should matter to audiences. It evolves its fan-favorite cast, adds new elements to their stories, and best of all, it avoids “sequelitis”: that feeling of “been-there, done-that” that most follow-up films fail to escape.

It’s not “perfect” – the film does have some pacing issues which arguably are the result of having so many moving parts to the film’s story.

But the film’s heart and its many laugh-out-loud moments outweigh the flaws here. Those who were fans before should delight in what they get, and new viewers should be left looking forward to the next adventure.

What’s it about?

“Vol. 2” picks up shortly after the events of 2014’s “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Outlaw Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), former assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldana), muscle-bound warrior Drax (Dave Bautista), gun-and-gadget guru Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), and adorable sapling Baby Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) are doing their best as galactic problem-solvers-for-hire, bickering amongst themselves and often causing new trouble along the way.

While on the run from a job almost well done, the Guardians encounter Ego (Kurt Russell), a powerful space traveler who saves their skins and promptly thereafter reveals that he is, in fact, Peter’s long-lost father. Ego wants to reconnect with Peter, and invites him and the Guardians to his planet, where he hopes to completely explain Peter’s origin and unique destiny.

Meanwhile, old rivals and new enemies find their present fates tied to the Guardians. There’s Yondu (Michael Rooker), who originally took Peter from Earth as a child and raised him as a member of the outlaw gang the Ravagers. There’s also Nebula (Karen Gillan), Gamora’s adoptive sister who’d like nothing more than to kill her a thousand times over for reasons deriving from their shared childhood raised by the mad titan Thanos.

Among the new antagonists are the gold-skinned beings known as “The Sovereign,” led by their haughty high priestess, Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki). Ayesha and her fellow genetically-perfect people want payback for the gravest of insults dealt by the Guardians – being made to look like fools to the entire galaxy by a ragtag group of “inferior” beings.

Will the Sovereign have their revenge? Is Ego really Peter’s father, and are they both all that the powerful being claim them to be? What do David Hasselhoff and “Brandy You’re a Fine Girl” by Looking Glass have to do with it all?

And can the Guardians of the Galaxy stop fighting with each other long enough to figure it all out and live up to their lofty name once a threat to the entire universe presents itself?

Only one way to find out. Hit “play” on Peter’s Walkman, and start the music.

Consistency of vision

As almost all of the most successful Marvel Studios movies have in the past, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” benefits from consistency and continuity behind the camera.

Writer/director James Gunn adapted these relatively obscure Marvel characters for the screen and made them fan favorites three years ago. With this new film, he takes the elements that audiences responded to so enthusiastically the first time around and takes time to further develop them. It’s not just “more of the same”, but rather a natural evolution of what worked before.

The result is a film that, despite it being a second chapter, still feels fresh and new, avoiding the most common pitfall of sequels: rehashing the successful original in the vain hope of recapturing its effect on audiences.

Gunn shows faith in the characters he crafted, in their individual quirkiness as well as their charm together. That faith pays off, though it must be said it pays off more for some than for others.

Bautista, Rooker steal the show

What may surprise audiences new to the “Guardians” brand about “Vol. 2” is that the film’s biggest laughs and most emotional moments are not necessarily built around the lead characters.

Instead, it’s the story beats involving supporting characters like Bautista’s Drax and Rooker’s Yondu that may prove to be what people are talking and laughing about as they leave the movie.

Bautista is pitch-perfect as the filter-less, oblivious-to-nuance Drax. As a performer, Bautista nails his deadpan delivery on his every line, delivering scenes that fans will no doubt be quoting long after the credits roll.

Rooker’s Yondu, meanwhile, provides an effective contrast in the story as Peter’s rough-around-the-edges surrogate father, as opposed to Ego, the handsome, magnanimous biological father who wasn’t around until now. That prior relationship, set up in the last film, pays off in “Vol. 2” for both Rooker and Pratt’s characters, and delivers much of the film’s emotional heft during the film’s climax.

Oh, and Baby Groot fans rejoice.

Watch for multiple sequences built around his occasional trouble understanding human directions – they’re the funniest non-Drax related scenes in the film.

Does all that make for a busy film? Without a doubt, yes, and it contributes to the film’s two-hour-plus running time.

Worth seeing?

Naturally, for the legions of die-hard Marvel Studios fans worldwide, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is already a must-see on opening weekend. For those new to these characters and this saga, there’s still great fun to be had.

Go for the laughs, the heart, the classic hits soundtrack, and the action and special effects, which got little mention in this review simply because their quality is a given in these films at this point.

And yes, stay for all those mid-credits scenes at the film’s end. Some work better than others – there’s a couple that only longtime Marvel Comics fans will get, while the others have much broader appeal.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris Sullivan, Sean Gunn, with Slyvester Stallone and Kurt Russell. Directed by James Gunn.
Running Time: 137 minutes
Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language, and brief suggestive content.