Writer/Director James Gunn has delivered another grand and hilarious adventure through the cosmos. The film not only raises the stakes for our heroes but also reaches into the depths of their hearts.

The sequel opens with our rag tag crew on a job protecting an alien power source from a being of lovecraftian proportions and propels them on a narrative that explores everything from each characters mind to beyond the furthest stars. On the surface it may appear the film has fallen into the trap most sequels fall into of trying to replicate the big moments from the original and leaving it at that. However what this new adventure of our favorite spacefaring misfits does is use the familiar trappings to allow the characters room to develop and grow in their relationships with each other and with fascinating new teammates and villains.

The set pieces and action sequences are all sufficiently exciting but the real reason for staying in the seats is to hear each character talk and watch them interact with quippy dialogue that gives each guardian deeper levels to their backstories and motivations. Every single cast member performs spectacularly giving weight to every line, expression and action. The emotional range on display that these actors showcase in bringing these characters to life is astounding. This is truly an ensemble and every cast member is an essential piece without which the magnificent puzzle of this film would not have come together.

The visual effects and design of the piece are all fantastic and seamlessly create a thrilling science fiction world that in addition to the soundtrack and heart pounding score brings the entire film to life in brilliant fashion.

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 takes the momentum of the first and instead of trying to outdo it focuses on letting it’s characters grow and make us fall even deeper in love with this motley crew of space traveling swashbucklers.