Finally the next installment of this great series of intertwining Marvel movies is here, and we fans are beyond ecstatic. However, what’s there to say about the second volume of Guardians of The Galaxy? Well, I’m a mixed bag of emotions with this one. I am almost numb. I really want to love it and at the same time, I really want to dislike it. I can’t come down to either feeling. I’m right in the middle.

The film starts off with a bang from right at the beginning. The Guardians are hired by the high priestess of the planet Sovereign, Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki), to protect a bit of equipment which is being attacked by an enormous creature descending from an open portal from another planet. It is here we get our first real glimpse of Baby Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) and all his cuteness, while the rest are fending off this mammoth creature. Completely oblivious to what is happening in the background, Groot dances to one of the awesome 80s tracks we expect from these films. The Guardians finally save the day and are rewarded with the repossession of Nebula (Karen Gillan), the sister of Gamora (Zoe Saldana). As they leave, Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) has other ideas and decides to go back to his stealing ways and take batteries from the items they were assigned to protect.

The banter is on show from the very beginning and as we continue to watch the movie, the banter never ends – cheap shots from everywhere. It’s at some points very funny, but other times immature. The writing steeps to a bit of a low here. From turd jokes, to making fun of Peter Quill/Star-Lord’s (Chris Pratt) denial of his love for Gamora, there are plenty of simple jokes the kids will laugh at.

It’s not long before the golden skin Ayesha realises that the Guardians have betrayed her and her gold skin people. Therefore, she seeks Yondu (Michael Rooker), a past nemesis of the Guardians. She puts a bounty on their heads and Yondu and his clan do what they do best; capture, deliver and get paid. When we meet Yondu again, many are sceptical of his loyalty considering what he has done for Quill in the past as seen in the first film, by letting him and his friends go. This is where we meet Sylvester Stallone’s character, Stakar Ogord, who calls Yondu out for the betrayal of his mates, and the hidden loyalty to the ones he is supposed to be against. Sly’s role is a tiny cameo and probably unnecessary.

Now, while this is all happening, our third and most prominent storyline that most of the movie is centred around, is that of Quill and the deeper feelings he has about his ‘daddy issues’. All he knows is that his dad just leaves him and his mum on Earth. He never gets to meet him. Enter, Ego (Kurt Russell). Ego seeks Quill for more reasons than to finally introduce himself as Quill’s dad. Ego has plans; a plan he planted (literally) before Quill was even born and went beyond that too – world domination. It also explains his disappearance. It’s actually quite a good little twist.

There are some cringe-worthy moments here when we see how emotional Quill gets as he defends his dad against Gamora, who is suspicious of Ego. He talks about watching other kids play ball with their dads and how he missed out on those sorts of memories as a kid. Then, when Ego tells him he is the only one carrying a celestial gene, he is half immortal and that his new source of power includes creating an electrifying ball of light with his bare hands, he uses that ball as an opportunity to play catch with his dad, in slow motions. The film is a comedy before anything else; best to not take any of it seriously.

We also discover another side of Yondu and his true relationship with Quill. As we may know, Yondu was assigned the task to retrieve Quill as a child from Earth and return him to Ego. However, Yondu never does return him because ‘he’s skinny and could get into tight spaces. Good for thieving.’ Underneath all that lays another truth which is touching and one for viewers to discover.

Finally, we have the Gamora vs Nebula and Rocket vs Quill ego battles that carry throughout the film in small additions. They are not dominating storylines but little insertions which help shape the personalities of our characters. They are always at it at each other; one always wanting to be better than the other. This one tops the even minor storyline of Drax (Dave Bautista) finding his romantic side with Ego’s empathetic assistant, Mantis (Pom Klementieff). Surprisingly, it is with the brawn-and-no-brains Drax that the movie gives an important life lesson. Calling Mantis ‘ugly’ as a compliment, Drax tells her that ugly people know, those who love them love them for who they are, but ‘beautiful people don’t know who to trust.’

I had two issues with this Guardians of the Galaxy film. One was the constant bad jokes. They will easily amuse children and frustrate those who seek intelligence in witty remarks. The second is the uncertainty of what exactly the plot is until just before half way hits. We don’t fully understand if it centres Nebula, Yondu or Quill. A significant amount of running time passes before it is clear. It sounds like a lot is going on, and the plot is slowly but surely reaching the surface. Eventually, it all works when we finally reach a point in the film when it all makes sense. From that point the flow is never disrupted. It’s easy to follow and keeps you on your feet with its fast pace method. It’s just a shame that the plot couldn’t be cemented from earlier on. It really just wanted to tell a lot of stories at the same time.The best thing about Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 2, is that it is overly entertaining. With the spectacle of colour, and the quickness of spaceship riding and fighting, there is hardly a dull moment in a visual aspect. Mix that all with the story itself, it keeps you awake. The colours are bright and the CGI is magnificent. It’s the one fact we need to realise when it comes to James Gunn’s Guardians movies. They won’t be as dark as, lets say, Captain America or Deadpool, and they won’t be solid superhero movies like The Avengers. They are made for light-hearted entertainment purposes first and foremost.

So, why am I a big bag of mixed emotions? It just wasn’t the best thing ever. It was good, and at times really good, but I didn’t love it. I guess I can pin point it down to the immature banter. I am not an uptight person, and can handle a silly joke, but sometimes too much silliness can take away from the sole purpose of a film. It was a distraction. When watching the movie for the storyline, and seeing how their issues unfold, I thoroughly enjoyed it. But, when they started joking about things like how big Drax’s ‘turds’ are, it’s a small bit, but annoying.

Without hesitation, the standout of the entire film is Baby Groot. Every time he is on the screen, he is mesmerising to watch. You cannot help but gush in admiration. Adorable isn’t even the word. You just want to put him in a sandwich and eat him and his cuteness all up hoping you don’t get a splinter. You can feel every bit of his emotions. I believe his character and three word vocabulary make more of an impact than anybody else in this film. He is the best and carries the film together.

Despite a few interferences which I believe better writing could have prevented, Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 is good fun. 3 out of 5.