Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
2017 · James Gunn · 136 min · Action / Comedy
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 bet everything on emotional depth and the gamble mostly paid off. Yondu's arc is the best character work in the entire MCU up to that point, Baby Groot is a merchandising phenomenon who also happens to be charming on screen, and the father-son story at the center carries real weight. The humor hits harder when it lands, but it misses more often than the first film, and some jokes undercut dramatic moments that deserved room to breathe. The pacing stalls on Ego's planet, and the Sovereign subplot never earns its screen time. It is a messier film than its predecessor, but the emotional peaks are higher, and that final sequence still hits.