Colorful aliens, cheesy music, and witty love plots are definitely enough to keep an audience interested. Marvel has proven this theory to be correct numerous times, and has mastered the trait in their smash supernatural blockbuster, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The film is nothing short of an adequate sequel to the original 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy, yet feels repetitive in several aspects.

In the original film, the Guardians of the Galaxy came together and saved the Galaxy from pure destruction. At the time, the film was such a hit because of its star-studded cast and unique plot. The original guardians consisted of Star-Lord/Peter Quill (Chris Pratt),Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Rocket Racoon  (Bradley Cooper), Groot (Vin Diesel), and Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista).

The same ensemble hit the big screen again, and faced another life-threatening being. Although the villains are different in both movies, this time around the film felt forced. For all intents and purposes, this film has already been done. It’s prevalent that as long as new ideas arrive, Marvel will keep reviving the same basic stories.

Behind the mask of the film- Marvel used all of its typical techniques. The good guys come together to fight the bad guy, and usually an important character dies somewhere in the plot. Marvel’s overused tactics are predictable, but if you’re willing to turn the other cheek on these faults, then most likely you will still find this movie to be tasteful and well written.

Yet Marvel surprised fans with a new kind of villain, Peter’s father. The celestial being, Ego (Kurt Russell) takes on the role of the almighty God like figure. Ego holds himself with a high level of self-respect, and believes that above everything, his future is the most important. All in all, Ego’s ego gets in the way, and what’s truly important is blind to the powerful being.

The emotional appeal of this conflict certainly kept the audience intrigued, and was the films main success. The relationship between Peter and Ego was constantly evolving, and every step that the two made was profound. The father and son duo was comical at times, yet grew into a more complicated and vicious relationship as the story progressed.

Moreover, one of the most prominent features in the original film was the soundtrack. The “Awesome Mix Vol. 1” was filled with rock classics such as Blue Swede’s “Hooked on a Feeling”, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, and Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love,”. This soundtrack provided the movie with lighthearted and upbeat songs that perfectly matched the plot of the film.

Yet, in the new rendition, many of the songs were unknown and difficult to match with the story. Some of the “Awesome Mix Vol, 2” better known known artists consisted of Electric Light Orchestra’s. Blue Sky”, Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain”, and George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord”. Compared to the first mixtape, the second didn’t quite exceed audiences’ expectations.

Although the film didn’t blow audience’s away, it was still a fun film to see. The movie surely provided laughs (and tears), and kept audiences hooked throughout the entirety of the film. So, if you’re interested in a space opera with overly colorful aliens, then this may be the perfect movie for you.