Everyone's favourite intergalactic a-holes are back with more fun and primary colour than you can shake a bag of Skittles at.

Every now and then a film comes out of nowhere with such ferocity that it confounds all reasonable thought and becomes a law unto itself. To an unsuspecting audience, a film starring a dorky human with a ridiculously overblown moniker, a talking raccoon with a fetish for prosthetic limbs, and a living tree with the ability to say just three words; had all the markings of Marvel Studios’ first significant flop. And yet Guardians of the Galaxy wasn’t. Not by a long shot.

Not only did James Gunn’s eccentric space opera fill the (as then) Star Wars-shaped void in all our lives but it was able to click with both hardcore comic book fans and casual movie goers alike, becoming one of the studio’s biggest hits in the process. This ragtag bunch of intergalactic a-holes may have swooped in from leftfield but it was clear to everyone that they weren’t here to mess around (much).

To that point, Marvel Studios had been trading almost exclusively on characters like Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America who, although far from superhero A-listers at the time, brought at least some name brand recognition with them. Make no mistake then that, with a bonkers premise and a cast of oddball, lower league heroes; the release of Guardians of the Galaxy was an enormous risk, but one that paid off handsomely.

In the three short years since the first film’s release, however, both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the comic book movie landscape have shifted significantly. With this altered landscape comes altered audience expectations and, combined with the anticipation stemming from the first film’s success, means that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has its work cut out living up to the hype.

Picking up immediately after the conclusion of their initial adventures, the newly renowned Guardians of the Galaxy - comprised of Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), and Baby Groot (Vin Diesel) continue their adventures across the nether regions of the cosmos. Falling afoul of Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki), the pompous leader of the golden-skinned Sovereign race, the team are forced to run for their lives, leading them into unknown waters and into the affable arms of Ego (Kurt Russell) and sidekick Mantis (Pom Klementieff). Claiming to have information on Quill’s true parentage, the Guardians must follow the enigmatic Ego to his home planet in order to gain the answers that they desire. All is not what it seems, however, as it soon becomes clear that their new ally has one or two skeletons in his planetary closet.

Expectations are understandably high for a sequel to any successful film, but when that film carries with it the level of cultural cachet that Guardians of the Galaxy has garnered, the pressure is most definitely on. In a bid to avoid the industry’s ever-persistent sequel problem, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 makes no bones about slamming all its cards on the table and doubling-down on its predecessor’s winning formula and, while it’s not all a direct hit, the tactic ultimately proves itself successful.

Chief amongst these successful aspects is an unerring desire to place character and well-earned emotion at the film’s epicentre. In amongst all the gags, capering cosmic action, and pin point music cues; the first Guardians of the Galaxy proved itself unafraid to hit home emotionally. From the bold cold open with the death of Quill’s mother, the film and used this gut-punch of a scene as an emotional yardstick for the remainder of the film.

It’s an emotional hook that director James Gunn goes to great lengths to ensure is built upon organically and, in this manner, this is precisely where Vol. 2 surpasses its predecessor. This is a Marvel film though, so action is always king, but Gunn makes it clear that he intends to ensure that it never once dominates the emotion. It’s a tactic that reaps its rewards as, even in its most CGI-heavy action moments, the film’s emotional heartbeat never dips.

In many respects, Vol. 2 is every bit the thematic continuation of the first film; building on the plot strands and character foundations set up so superbly in Guardians of the Galaxy. Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord is at the film’s emotional core, as his unresolved parental issues lead him down some genuinely poignant avenues. As the key plot point, the burgeoning relationship between Quill and Ego the Living Planet (yes, Kurt Russell an entire planet) is the primary emotional focus of the film and, thanks to the charm and chemistry of Pratt and Russell, their story packs far more punch than it does on paper. That is, however, far from the whole story.

Every member of the team receives a richly deserved emotional payoff, with character arcs from the first film either concluded or further developed. The sibling rivalry between Gamora and Nebula, Drax’s tragic backstory, Yondu and Rocket’s continued search for identity, and even Baby Groot’s pre-pubescent growing pains are all deftly balanced, built upon, and left appealingly open for future instalments. In upping each character’s ante, the emotional heft of Vol. 2 succeeds in surpasses Guardians of the Galaxy, while giving more shade to what could’ve been a ragtag collection of one dimensional space oddballs.

As with the Marvel’s Avengers team ups, the key to success for a film of this nature is in the balance of its ensemble cast and its ability in giving every character a fair roll of the dice. Despite the team being split for a large chunk of the film, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 largely strikes this balance with finesse and charm in abundance. Every Guardians member plays their part in the grand scheme of things, but in Drax and Yondu we have the film’s two biggest standouts.

Yondu’s growth from a throwaway thug to a father figure and fully-fledged team member with ample depth, is an impressive feat and a testament to both Gunn’s writing and Michael Rooker’s versatility as one of the finest character actors in the game. The conclusion of his arc delivers the third act’s largest emotional kick and a sweet touch to ground everything when all the heavy-duty CGI action starts to hit. In terms of scene stealers though, Dave Bautista’s Drax wins the battle hands-down. As an actor, Bautista clearly has his limits but James Gunn has found a way to work within them perfectly; moulding Drax’s material around the former wrestler in a way that manages to maximise his comic potential, while teasing out some surprisingly touching moments, specifically in conjunction with Pom Klementieff’s Mantis.

To counterbalance the heart, humour has become the cornerstone of James Gunn’s intergalactic corner of the MCU and the particular brand of off-kilter shenanigans that served Guardians of the Galaxy so well is still ever-present in Vol. 2. Jokes, quips, and light-hearted banter are abundant and, while their surprise factor has gone, there’s still much joy to be had. While not all jokes land successfully, the majority click and work to inject a necessary layer of levity that, as deep as the emotional cuts go, things never become too self-important. This is a trick that Marvel has perfected across the board but, in a film concerning some of the studio’s most bizarre characters, a sense of humour is desperately needed to avoid the movie disappearing up itself.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a film dialled up to eleven in almost every conceivable way, so it’s almost inevitable that something had to give somewhere along the line and, hidden amongst the whirlwind of noise and colour, the plot gets a little lost. While it generates some interesting and unexpected dynamics, James Gunn’s plan to play the classic group-splitting manoeuvre, leaves two distinct plot lines dangling that feel far too loose and disconnected to be wholly satisfying. While focusing on emotion and character development is great, it often feels at the expense of plot and leaves a film a little too baggy and lacking any real urgency.

From the retro-stylings of its 80s-flashback opening, to the now obligatory post credit scenes, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is an absolute assault on the senses, and more than willing to engulf you. It’s a stunning visual experience, with Gunn utilising the full arsenal of his crayon box to maximum effect; applying eye-popping colour and impressive visual invention liberally throughout.

After the kaleidoscopic treats of Doctor Strange, it’s clear that Marvel are more than willing to go out on a limb to give their films more of a visual footprint and, as the comic book genre expands exponentially, these will be the kinds of flourishes needed to give it longevity. Whether it’s the twisted fauna on Ego, or the gold-dipped opulence of the Sovereign, the weird and wonderful alien worlds we’re introduced to in Vol. 2 play their part in widening the superhero scope and, at times, feel akin to diving headfirst into a planet-sized bag of Rainbow Drops…in the best possible sense.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the visual bombardment is complemented perfectly by another collection of deep cuts from James Gunn’s extensive record collection. Opening to the wistful delight of ELO’s ‘Mr. Blue Sky’, the soundtrack essentially performs the same trick as its predecessor by simultaneously complementing and serving the film’s tone to enhance both the action and emotion perfectly. Like the film itself, Guardians of the Galaxy’s Awesome Mix Vol. 1 soundtrack came straight out of left field, with an inspired array of 70s rock, pop, and soul and, while many of the tracks on the Awesome Mix Vol. 2 operate on a more meditative level, they complement the film just as well.

In the grand book of Hollywood, the chapter on truly worthwhile sequels is pitifully short, so enormous credit must go to both James Gunn and Marvel for producing one that offers everything its predecessor did while injecting more imagination, humour, and primary colour than you can shake a bag of Skittles at. The left field novelty value of the characters may have worn off by this point, but the initial intrigue that swept the original film along has been replaced with some very well-earned character development and a surprising emotional depth. Bolstered by a great ensemble cast and propped up by one of Marvel’s most intriguing villains, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ensures that, even when the plot goes missing, it offers more than enough to keep you invested in everyone’s favourite bunch of a-holes.