Verdict:
There are writer’s guidelines against stating your score in the body of your review, but given the Imdb’s inflexibility, I have to say that Guardians 2 is possibly the most 6.5 out of 10 movie I’ve ever watched.
I remember how I thought the ending to first Guardians movie had unrealistic physics. I was so young and innocent back then. Guardians of the Galaxy 2 lets you know right away that it throws the physics out of the window, which frees you from having to worry about the pesky things like realism and this creative choice appears to have been the right one.
In combination with an overwhelming amount of colourful CGI, the flexible physics at times makes you feel like you’re watching a Shrek movie, and it was not annoying like I would’ve expected it to, because it was basically a cartoon at that point.
Compared to the first movie, the sequel turns the goofiness knob all the way to the right, and with it, becomes funnier. This movie is a comedy above anything else and that’s where it shines. All you need is a few fun characters played well, just doing their shtick.
Perhaps the most notable thing about the movie is that it doesn’t have a strong central storyline. There is a main villain, but he and his plan do not really enter the movie until about the halfway point. Instead, this movie has 4 or 5 stories and themes running through it, almost side by side, which somehow does not feel disjointed.
Unfortunately, the film went downhill for me in the second half, as prolonged action sequences were making increasingly less sense, and the humour was replaced by conflict and forced drama. There are a few very creative scenes, but their creativity is isolated. They don’t feel necessary in the context of the main narrative. They look like a pretty music video that exists to look cool.
Also, something I always consider when watching such movies is how will it age 10 years from now, when the quality of CGI gets much better. The costumes and character designs are nice, but they are drowned out by all the fake explosions and monsters.
In short, this movie is at its strongest in its middle section, when it is just having fun and doesn’t think too hard about anything. The last third of the movie starts losing momentum and entertainment value.