Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol: Backstory

When Guardians of the Galaxy came out two years ago I saw it on a whim, and was pleasantly surprised at how fun it was. Plus the music was fantastic. It was a comic book movie that knew it was a comic book movie and was willing to poke fun at that.

After becoming superhero'd out, I wasn't sure I would see Vol. 2. I was pretty sure it would do what all sequels do that make them so awful - over do everything that made the original good. But tonight I went with a group of friends, because that always makes anything better.

Where the first one was fun and exciting, this sequel insisted on giving backstories to ALL the characters. Even Yondu, sitting in a cage after his ship and underlings have been taken from him, has a backstory moment. I did end up liking where his story went, but in the moment it felt like too much.

I was afraid Baby Groot would be over used, because he's just so dang cute. He was used perfectly, though. He even gets to dance during the opening credits to "Mr. Blue Sky", a truly awesome song. I was sitting next to my friend Jessica who has not seen the first one, and she adored Baby Groot.

Rocket was likely my favorite character that isn't Baby Groot. He has the best lines. None were better than his succinct take on stupid names, which made me laugh terribly loud. I was a little annoyed at his ability to take out every single person coming against him in one scene, but I can overlook that because he's just such a great character.

The movie doesn't feel like the typical Marvel Cinematic Universe, even though it is (part of Phase III, to be exact). And that's a good thing. There's no race to close a hole in the sky. The story doesn't seem terribly pressing or world-saving until the end, when it's revealed that Peter's dad is a bad guy. And honestly, I fell asleep for a quick second because it was just explosions on screen that didn't mean anything. I mean, we spend an inordinate amount of time with Peter and his dad, for no real reason. I didn't get the point of the movie, other than to continue the MCU, make money, and allow the world to see Baby Groot.