Guardians Of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is bigger, faster yet not necessarily better

REVIEW: At times Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 director James Gunn strains under the weight of expectations. Mostly, he delivers.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2

Three and a half stars

Director James Gunn

Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Kurt Russell

Rating M

Running time 136 minutes

Verdict Sequel steers a tricky course

WITH all due respect to the Star Wars franchise, it was James Gunn who went rogue in his first, attention-grabbing space adventure.

While his counterparts in the superhero universe ( Deadpool excepted) were labouring earnestly towards something more “substantial”, the playful ring-in took a bunch of lesser-known Marvel characters and returned them to their comic book roots.

Displaying an enviable lightness of touch, Gunn retrofitted his ragtag bunch of renegades with an analog soundtrack ... Peter Quill’s ‘70s/’80s mixtape worked a treat.

Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) and Yondu (Michael Rooker) navigate their way out of a tight spot.

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The director’s distinctive skill-set can probably be traced back to his early days at Troma Entertainment, a prolific New York production house that specialises in B-grade exploitation films.

Set a few months after the first film, Guardians Of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has clearly lost the element of surprise enjoyed by its more unconventional forebear, which was the sleeper hit of 2014. RELATED: THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE EXPLAINED

To compensate, Gunn’s sequel is bigger, faster and more expensive. (The budget has been kept tightly under wraps, but major set pieces such as the thrilling opening credits action sequence in which Baby Groot’s Mr Blue Sky dance routine upstages the Guardians as they do battle with an extraterrestrial monster would suggest a bigger bankroll.)

In Vol. 2, the alien misfits find themselves being pursued by Elizabeth Debicki’s vengeful high priestess Ayesha when Rocket (Bradley Cooper) unwisely steals something from her.

But the real threat is an ancient megalomaniacal being intent on colonising the entire universe.

The characters’ backstories are also expanded.

As it turns out, there is solid justification for the rage the seething warrior Nebula (Karen Gillen) feels towards her green-tinged sister Gomora (Zoe Saldana).

RELATED: SALDANA FELT ‘EMOTIONALLY COMPROMISED’ IN VOL 2

Pom Klementieff joins the Guardians Vol. 2 as Mantis, who has an unusual backstory to say the least.

The central relationship in Vol 2., however, is the one between Peter Quill and his absent birth father (to complicated matters even further, the guy is actually a planet.)

Kurt Russell takes on the role of Ego in what turns out to be inspired piece of casting. While Quill’s father issues are rather formulaic, the two actors make a good biological match.

In contrast to the lean, mean original, Vol. 2, which clocks in at 136 minutes, feels busy and a tad bloated.

And even though they are playful, five post-credit sequences seems somewhat excessive.

Having said that, these unlikely Guardians are the sort of characters audiences will happily travel to the edge of the galaxy with — eye-popping, Wile E. Coyote, multiple intergalactic wormhole hops notwithstanding.

Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Baby Groot (Vin Diesel) make quite a team and are the film’s stars.

Pratt’s ridiculously named Star-Lord has just the right balance of smarts and arse.

Cooper’s intrepid vocal performance as the foul-mouthed, bomb-building bandit Rocket Racoon weaves deftly between mammalian scene-stealer and anthropomorphic irritant.

Michael Rooker has more to work with in the sequel as the blue-skinned Yondu and Dave Bautista provides welcome comic relief as the literal-minded Drax.

Gunn works hard to deliver a sequel that delivers on the promise of the original film. There are times when you can feel him straining under the weight of expectations, but for the most part, he delivers.

Guardians Of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is now showing

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