[8.2/10] As the Marvel Cinematic Universe expands and expands, as each new franchise and sub-franchise must add more characters (“We need new faces for the merchandise!”), every new sequel increasingly risks becoming unwieldy and umanageable. While *Civil War* managed to thread that needle nicely, the tyranny of “more” can threatens to hobble each new franchise installment before it’s even left the spaceport.

*Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2*, a follow-up to the surprise 2014 hit, does feel a bit overstuffed in places, as it introduces two new major characters, turns a pair of antagonists to the side of the good guys, and still needs to service the five original Guardians amid a host of new locales and new threats. But for a franchise whose first entry brought several *Star Wars* comparisons, writer/director James Gunn succeeds by following the *Empire Strikes Back* method.

It’s not just that the film reveals the identity of the protagonist’s father or spends time in caverns that turn out to be living organisms; it’s the notion of splitting your heroes up for most of the film only to bring them back at the end. That tack helps balance the many needs of a film like *Guardians 2*, a movie with several stories that all center on a theme of discovering who your real family is.

It achieves this by essentially dividing its cast up into pairs, with each duo anchoring a particular slice of the adventure and building an arc before the inevitable reunion and excitement at the end of the film. Star-Lord engages with his probable father, Ego, a newcomer to the franchise who takes advantage of Kurt Russell’s appropriately scruffy charms. Gamora goes ten rounds with Nebula, her frenemy sister who starts to find reasons to side with the good guys. Rocket Raccoon spends much of the movie playing off of Yondu, with the prickly pair confiding (loudly) in one another their insecurities about pushing people away. And in the slightest but most endearing story, Drax is parterned up with Mantis, an empathic and equally socially stunted newcomer who bonds over their literalism and awkwardness. Groot, of course, remains to bring a steady dose of comic release and the cuteness that launched a thousand ships worth of baby plant merchandise.

With all of that going on, *Guardians 2* can certainly feel overstuffed at times. Balancing those four major pairings, while also paying off a series of less-developed arcs involving the other major characters having enmity, romance, or paternal affection for Quill, means there’s some issues with pacing in a film that clocks in over two hours. But *Guardians 2* is never dull, using that multitude of plots to its advantage by jumping to another whenever one storyline starts to sag or deflate the tension of the film.

It also delivers what it promises. As sequels are wont to do, it doubles down on the elements of the first films that people found so delightful. The classic tracks are back in full force, with the likes of ELO and “Mr. Blue Sky” kicking things off in another sequence that blends comic sci-fi action with seventies-fueled cheer and a little boogieing. The old school references are deployed regularly and with relish, with everything from Pac-Man to *Knight Rider* to Mary Poppins getting a shoutout. And *Guardians* is still a franchise committed to humor, with scores of humorous asides and bits of physical comedy, even if occasionally they feel overlong or shoehorned in. A late quest for tape in the midst of the usual universe-threatening battle that plays in the quotidian spaces between the action set pieces feels truest to the series’s wry spirit.

The inventive design elements that made the first extended look at the wider Marvel cosmic realm so engrossing return as well. There is The Sovereign, a race of easily offended award statuettes come to life. There is the living planet itself, an alien paradise just unreal enough to be unnerving. And there’s the superlative “700 jumps” sequence that races through various amusing corners of the Marvel Universe with *Looney Toons*-esque changes in proportion. For all the complaints about the sameyness of the look of the MCU films, *Guardians* is one place where the uber-franchise does not skimp on visual panache.

For all the intertwining plots in the film, Gunn does a nice job of creating arcs and meaningful roles for nearly every character in the film (save for Baby Groot, who is, for the most part, a baldly manipulative yet effective mascot). Ego reveals the nature of his mission and presents Star-Lord with some harsh truths that lead to an unexpected but heartening epiphany. Gamora and Nebula find common ground even when they’re at each other’s throats. Rocket and Yondu have a “not so different” moment that ends up surprisingly encouraging for the “don’t call me that” raccoon. And even Drax and Mantis, the pair most at a disadvantage in terms of sentiment and understanding, have an affecting moment of shared emotion.

Much of this is very loud and obvious. Make no mistake, no audience members will walk out of the film wondering what the theme or message of any given storyline was. And in contrast to the prior film, *Guardians 2* is slightly less apt to undercut its own lack of subtlety in these bits of drama or pathos with a quick gag to take the edge off. Still, it’s all functional at worst, with enough charged moments, good character work, and quality acting to make it all worthwhile.

Despite that, *Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2* is an improvement on its already fun and charming predecessor. The sequel is more ambitious, succumbing to some of the demand to go bigger and grander, but finding ways to balance that potential storytelling girth with exciting visuals, unexpected twists, and an undercurrent of people appreciating the family they did not realize they already had, even when tempered by the family they’ve already lost. It is, undoubtedly, a big film, flush with characters and storylines and new faces and places, but by dividing and conquering, it’s also a movie that takes the time to make sure each portion is a meaningful part of the greater whole, and not just a stepping stone to saving the universe yet again. That tack, the film’s humor, and its familial themes, make *Guardians 2* another stellar MCU outing, that stands with the best the franchise has to offer.