Marvel Studios' GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, VOL.2 is yet another success story for the Disney-owned company. It brings back all the action and humor of the first space adventure, and does so masterfully. One could argue that this sequel is even better than the original. Personally, I would consider both about equal in quality. 

I never knew this ragtag group of space adventurers until the movies came along. Those characters have, as many of you know, been around in comic books long before their leap to the big screen. So I can only judge this movie, like its predecessor, on its own merits. In any case, this movie entertains in spades. It's loud, brash, and full of confidence----a quirky space opera which aspires to be more than the sum of its parts. The visuals are often magnificent, courtesy of its big "Disney" budget. At the same time, it doesn't take itself very seriously. Humor----mainly courtesy of its furry CGI creation Rocket Raccoon----is abundant throughout. 

The main storyline (among several subplots) this time revolves around Peter Quill AKA Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) finding out that he is, for all intents and purposes, of divine origin. He finds out that his father Ego (Kurt Russell) is a god-like entity called a Celestial. This all-powerful being has constructed a whole planet by manipulating the matter around his own consciousness. Ego, years ago in the guise of a mortal man, had fallen in love with Peter Quill's mother and this had resulted in Peter's birth.  Peter is now forced to make a choice: accept his true nature as a god-like being, or continue to live as a mortal. It isn't long, however, before Quill sees that Ego isn't the benevolent force he claims to be, and that he needs to be stopped. He also realizes that Yondu (Michael Rooker), the one who raised him after his abduction as a child, is the one who is truly worthy of being called "dad".  

With its main storyline and various subplots, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, VOL. 2 is two hours well-spent.