Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 rocks. It’s big, it’s glossy, and it’s tons of fun. Ok, so maybe there aren’t too many surprises plot-wise. Maybe it’s a little over sentimental at times. Maybe it’s not the laugh-out-loud ride that was GOTG1. But Volume 2 delivers – and it does it with style, assurance, and heaps of heart.

With friends becoming family, and family getting dangerous, The Guardians’  latest outing sees our favourite superhero team attempting to unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage.

Picking up just four months after the first film ended, in this portion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s still 2014. As most of the MCU films are set in the year they are released, Guardians Vol. 2 actually takes place before Captain America: Civil War. So, if you thought that the latest Thor trailer had a definite Guardians’ vibe, that might not have been your imagination.

Yes –  there’s lots here for the eagle-eyed fan to analyse – but the joy of GOTG2 is it’s willingness to laugh at both at itself and the modern superhero genre. When a film opens with a wise-cracking, slo-mo, Cthulic battle played out while Baby Groot boogies to the strains of ELO’s Mr Blue Sky, you know you’re in safe hands.

The super-saturated colour palate is lush. The CGI is everything you’d hope for. But fans who go to see Guardians at the IMAX literally get way more bang for their buck because select scenes feature special IMAX formatting. These scenes are presented in an expanded 1.9:1 aspect ratio, which adds up to 26% more of the image than standard theatres. And with a spectacle film like this, that’s a big, big deal, especially in 3D.

However while everyone has their favourite Guardian, the real star of the show is undoubtedly the Awesome Mixtape #2 which makes the whole film feel like one long, perfectly-realised music video. This might be brain candy but it’s really, really good brain candy.