It’s likely you’ve seen a “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” trailer at least once, as Marvel has been feeding its fan base’s excitement for months. If not, here’s the rundown. The movie is a sequel to the immensely popular “Guardians of the Galaxy”, a story about Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord), a lovable character played by Chris Pratt, and his and his rag tag group of friend’s quest to save the galaxy from the threat of Ronan, the plot’s main antagonist.

In the trailers, we saw that these beloved characters haven’t changed at all; they’re still the galaxy’s worst heroes, fun-loving and insulting, saving lives and working for people in the galaxy, at a price.

The story, which was never fully established in the trailers, was fantastically played out. Peter’s father, previously known solely as the man who abandoned Peter and his mother, is shown in the moments shortly after Peter was born. His name, we learn, is Ego, and he’s what’s called a “celestial”, or in other terms, a god. It is quickly revealed that there’s something more sinister at work with Peter’s father.

The visuals in this movie were absolutely stunning. From Ego’s planet to space, everything looked beautiful. The CGI specialists pulled off realistic and detailed graphics, something that’s lacking in most movies in theaters today.

In addition to the visuals, the storyline was absolutely heart wrenching and perfect. The audience is allowed to witness Peter’s broken childhood, with transitions to the present where we see a soul crushing rise and fall of his newfound relationship with Ego. The emotion is both overwhelming and captivating, easily plucking the heartstrings of viewers.

Overall, this action packed sequel was fantastic, coming close to surpassing the original. This is rare, as sequels are often lackluster in comparison with their predecessor.

In addition, many Marvel fans, including myself, were expecting some sort of foreshadowing of Marvel’s upcoming Avengers movie, “Infinity War”. Yes, we got a small hint of  what’s to come in the after-credits scene, but the movie never quite mentioned anything that could be significant to the future of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe).

All in all, this movie was utterly wonderful. The jokes sparked laughter throughout the audience and the heartfelt scenes brought tears to almost everyone’s eyes. Marvel is always producing  these high quality movies, and I don’t expect that to end anytime soon. The two hours and 18 minutes you spend watching this will not be wasted, and you’ll be hooked on the emotional high hours after it’s done.