“This is probably going to be Marvel’s first flop,” I remember reading upon the announcement that the Guardians of the Galaxy, an obscure Marvel property at the time, was going to be getting the movie treatment. It was a gamble, to be sure, especially coming after the fact that the films Marvel Studios had produced films surrounding the core Avengers members. However we all know how that turned out: a talking raccoon, two green people, a tree that said maybe five words on a good day, and a space pirate originally from Earth defied the odds and became household names. The sequel was confirmed right away and suddenly things were looking very different for Marvel as a whole going forward.

Nearly three years later, we’re finally reunited with the Guardians in Vol. 2. Initially, you know what to expect from the core ensemble after the first film, seeing that while the first wasn’t perfect, the sequel aims to keep everything that worked the first time around. That means you get your throwback soundtrack, your inappropriate jokes, and everything that people loved about the ensemble cast. Vol. 2 is a fun film, and while there are flaws to be found on a technical level, it brings character development for the majority of the cast, all the while answering questions left by the first. There’s a sense of fulfillment in Vol. 2, and the fact that the Guardians of the Galaxy manage to catch lightning in a bottle again on their second go-around bodes well for them going forward.

Vol. 2 picks up (presumably) a few months after the first film’s conclusion, with the Guardians taking on a dangerous mission from the Sovereign race that essentially tells you straight up what you’re in for. It’s a welcome and enjoyable intro sequence that has the proper action a film like this deserves, but still has you laughing as it’s going on, even as the situation continues to grow worse for the five core members by the second. Once that opening sequence is over, though, things start moving forward and one, debatably poor decision made by one of the team members catapults the entire film forward. The following events result in the Guardians meeting Ego, who comes forward almost instantly as Star-Lord’s father. From there, the film branches out and the Guardians are on separate paths, with Star-Lord, Gamora, and Rocket being given the most development this time around.

There’s no major attempt to connect Vol. 2 to the over-arching plot of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, of which it actually works in the film’s favor. Gamora may mention Thanos and Rocket drops a reference to the past film’s events, but this is, ultimately, a story about developing the team members further and Star-Lord coming face-to-face with his heritage.  While it takes place in space and it feels you’re going at lightspeed at times, Vol. 2 opts to dial it back and get human for a time, of which it ultimately works in the grand scheme of things. If you loved everyone before, you’re only going to love them even more by the time the credits are rolling.

The film’s structure, for the most part works exceptionally well, with the first and third acts of the movie being bombastic in nature. It’s the second act that, while ultimately necessary in order to develop our heroes, slow thing down, but for almost too long. There’s an action sequence in this second act, one that’s surely to be memorable in the entirety of the MCU, but the sequence ultimately leading up to it feels too long and doesn’t seem to go anywhere for a while.

The film’s third act builds off of the emotion and action before it, blending the best of both acts into a highly emotional, intense, and insane sequence that gives the viewer a reason to panic. It’s easy to forget that the Guardians of the Galaxy aren’t the Avengers, and with only a few months of teamwork under their belt, what they ultimately face in this final sequence is truly a remarkable feat. Essentially, it doesn’t even seem like the Avengers could pull this one off, just some “A-holes.”

For all the fun and emotion that’s present, Vol. 2 stumbles at times beyond the previously mentioned pacing issues. Ultimately, the soundtrack becomes something of a problem for the film going onward, as the action sequences in which the soundtrack comes on during become something like a glorified music video of sorts. One scene that involves Yondu, Rocket, and Groot feels especially like this, despite being visually stunning as it is.

While the film is hilarious and whatnot, and often quotable as well, the humor often comes at inappropriate times. One moment in the film’s finale makes sense given the context given prior, but still manages to feel out of place in a way. It becomes tonally imbalanced at times, with many of the jokes underwhelming should-be emotional moments and even making the emotional moments softer at times because you’re half-expecting a joke at some point.

Vol. 2 is a beautiful film, though. Visually, the CGI is truly astounding for the majority of the time. While I feel Doctor Strange still remains the best looking film in the MCU, Vol. 2 would have usurped that position rather quickly had it not had some blatantly obvious green screen moments in the film. It’s overall an incredibly well shot, beautifully composed movie with plenty of jaw-dropping moments, but it’s in smaller moments with CGI environments where you can see the computer magic at work, in particular one scene with Star-Lord and Ego where there’s unbalanced lighting going on.

While the shortcomings are there, make no mistake that Vol. 2  has devoted and passionate performances all around. Dave Bautista returns as Drax and is dishing out the laughs left and right, while Zoe Saldana and Karen Gillan return as Gamora and Nebula respectively, of which their sisterly feud is developed more and results in an excellent sequences where everything comes to an explosive conflict. Gamora is given her time to shine in Vol. 2, but Nebula has very little to work with and makes very little development as well. In contrast, Michael Rooker’s Yondu is given far more development this time around and becomes intertwined with Rocket and Groot, the trio making a highly unlikely team and the dynamic between him and Rocket being particularly enjoyable.

Kurt Russell and Pom Klementieff are the newest and most important additions to the film, portraying Ego and Mantis and to the best of their abilities. Russell’s dynamic with Chris Pratt on screen ultimately sells the father-son dynamic that they’re supposed to have, with the powers he possesses becoming more and more remarkable as the movie goes on. Mantis, however, gels with the team almost immediately, with her dynamic with Drax becoming a highlight of the film. She is not accustomed to interaction with life besides Ego, so managing to make her sympathetic and funny all the while not becoming annoying or a hinderance for the team and a huge plus.

Guardians of the Galaxy was truly a stroke of luck for Marvel, but Vol. 2 is an indication of genius. There’s shortcomings to be found in the film, but all in all I might actually enjoy this sequel more than the first. It’s emotionally satisfying, utterly hilarious at times, and a proper follow-up to the first film, all the while not relying on other films in the MCU to propel it forward. In the next year we’ll be subjected to the inevitable Infinity War, but for now it’s just nice to spend time with the Guardians and deal with something that’s not reliant on an Infinity Stone.