It’s showtime, a-holes! Members of the press were granted an early screening of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, directed by James Gunn, and the consensus is overwhelmingly positive. Deemed “fun,” “funny,” and “emotional” with a whopping FIVE post-credits scenes, the second outing for the Guardians may be the new adventure fans are craving.
As of this moment, there aren’t any published reviews, so all reactions are coming out of Twitter in short bursts. Still, you can get a pretty good sense of what’s in store for fans when they see Vol. 2 in theaters on May 5.
The sequel to 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy follows the Guardians as celebrity bounty hunters who struggle to keep up with their new reputation. As the newly-formed family threatens to tear apart, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), a.k.a. Star-Lord, learns more about his true heritage. At the same time, a new job forces the Guardians to welcome newcomers, including Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Nebula (Karen Gillan), better known as Gamora’s (Zoe Saldana) sister and formerly villainous daughter of Thanos (who doesn’t show up in the sequel so don’t worry about him).
Eric Eisenberg of CinemaBlend said the film is incredibly “funny, beautifully colorful” and walked away “super happy!”
Haleigh Foutch of Collider says the film is “a whole heap of fun. Gorgeous, a bit mad, and surprisingly emotional.”
Angie J. Han from Mashable says Vol. 2 is “MCU at its very best.”
Germain Lussier of Gizmodo says the new movie is “filled with tons of surprises and an unexpected amount of emotion.” He added: “Another Marvel winner.”
Uproxx senior writer Mike Ryan says the film takes after Empire Strikes Back and calls it “very fun” while noting that Drax (Dave Bautista) and Groot (Vin Diesel) are show-stoppers.
Silas Lesnick of ComingSoon said the first film from 2014 set a high bar but that the sequel does not disappoint.
Erik Davis of Fandango wrote several tweets in high praise: “[E]xciting, funny, gorgeous & a helluva tearjerker. For many, it will become their new favorite Marvel movie.”
Not everyone is feeling charmed by the Guardians, though. Jeff Sneider of The Tracking Board wrote that Vol. 2 “isn’t as good as the first. What felt fresh now feels forced.”
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will be released on May 5.
