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Everyone in front of and behind the camera is back for another go-round in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, a fun time at the movies, even if it falls a tad short of the first film‘s humor and character engagement. This installment focuses around the sudden appearance and identification of Peter Quill’s (Chris Pratt) father, played by the always-welcome Kurt Russell. Dad reveals himself to be a god of sorts, and, well, you saw how Star Trek V: The Final Frontier turned out. Subtextually, the Guardian characters all seem to be on the same character arc they began in the last film, struggling to trust one another and form a surrogate family. It works for the most part, but I’m not sure how much longer the series will be able to coast on those fumes without a significant shake-up.

Many will say Baby Groot steals the show, but for me it is Michael Rooker. Rooker’s character, Yondu, is the one who raised Quill in the place of a biological father. The emotional heart of the film is in the redemption of this character (after events that take place in the first film). Hollywood is often quick to play the father/son card for easy tears, but writer/director James Gunn is somehow able to make the trite option more palatable than most.  Like the first film, Guardians 2 is also a comedy. But don’t be surprised if you end up crying more than you laugh.

PS: This film is surprisingly violent and really pushes the PG-13 rating. The heroic characters kill many, many people.

With Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan, and Sylvester Stallone.