‘Guardians of the Galaxy 2’ turns up the volume

Cue up that “Awesome Mixtape Vol. 2,” because the Guardians of the Galaxy are back to give you another bout of Last Song Syndrome. This sequel to 2014’s surprise summer hit Guardians of the Galaxy is exactly what you’d expect, music included. And for once, that’s not a bad thing.

We all know sequels and franchises are a plague upon mankind. As sure as Sean Spicer will insert his foot in his mouth in front of the White House press, Hollywood exists to milk a successful franchise. But here’s the thing: straight out of the gate, Guardians of the Galaxy announced itself as a sci-fi action hero entry that didn’t take itself seriously — at all — and in fact reveled in all the pop references and wisecracks that we associate with the funnier bits of Star Wars and Star Trek. So, as the Star Wars saga has grown all war-serious with its Rogue One, and the Star Trek reboot stumbles into lethargic listlessness by its third outing, we can appreciate a little fun and levity.

All of which are provided by likable returning characters in — Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 — Chris Pratt as Peter Quill (aka “Star-Lord”), Zoe Saldana as blue love interest Gamora, Bradley Cooper voicing crotchety raccoon Rocket, Dave Bautista as massive tattooed fighter Drax, Michael Rooker as blue-faced buccaneer Yondu and, er, Vin Diesel as the voice of Baby Groot. Add to that Karen Gillan as Gamora’s sister-with-issues Nebula, and Pom Klementieff as Mantis, and you have an even motlier crew than before.

Set months after the first movie ends, the Guardians are working hard to keep their newfound team together even as they’re drawn into the mystery of Quill’s true parentage in the outer reaches of the galaxy. As we know, Quill was abducted from Earth and brought to the farther reaches of space by Yondu, working as a scavenger/thief, usually be-bopping to his favorite ‘70s one-hit wonders on a vintage Walkman (despite it being the Eighties when he’s abducted, Quill prefers ‘70s jams, as the popular soundtrack from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 bears out).

 Like the first one, GOTGVol2 is determined to have fun, and once again directed (and written) by James Gunn, it never lets up on that promise. A bit long towards the end, there’s at least no shortage of banter and wit and pop cultural references. Whether it’s Quill comparing his and Gamora’s “unspoken thing” to Sam and Diane in Cheers (a reference that melts no ice with Gamora), or the plethora of ‘70s pop tunes sprinkled throughout (the opening sequence set to ELO’s Mr. Blue Sky is a hoot), it’s clear this is Gunn’s playtime, cavorting in a sandbox of bluescreen backgrounds in some imaginary outer space, reinventing the action movie for the tongue-in-cheek crowd.

But it’s also got heart, or a semblance of one, which goes a long way. While escaping from vengeful High Priestess Ayesha of the Sovereign People (Elizabeth Debicki) for stealing some very powerful batteries, Quill’s gang are propelled towards a meeting with Ego (Kurt Russell), an “ancient and mysterious cosmic being” who just might be the baby daddy of, well, pretty much most species throughout the Universe. But Gamora, who’s got her own troubles avoiding being killed by her rivaling sibling Nebula, suspects something is a little off with Ego. Meanwhile, mohawked Yondu has got his own redemption mission going on, after his crew of Ravagers stage a mutiny on his ship. (The thing about all these ridiculous character names is, Star Wars had much the same problem: as Harrison Ford once remarked to George Lucas after flubbing a line while shooting Episode IV, “You can write this sh*t, George, but you can’t say it.”)

What’s clear is that GOTGVol2 is committed to a kind of retro futurism that is hip these days. Whether it’s vinyl, vintage cars, watches and typewriters, or people who still cling to 8-tracks or cassettes, there’s a desire to speed forth into the future while hanging onto artifacts of the past. Thus Quill still totes around an archaic personal music player, and the soundtrack is filled with ‘70s chestnuts like Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) by Looking Glass, Southern Nights by Glenn Campbell, Fox on the Run by Sweet (but only, it seems, in the trailer), George Harrison’s My Sweet Lord, and Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain.

Retro-future nods surface everywhere, like the ‘70s Galaga arcade sounds made by the military fighters of the Sovereign people (and their 1930s Flash Gordon/Metropolis design sense), the presence of a relatively obscure Microsoft Zune (replacing Quill’s Walkman), and even the one and only David Hasselhoff for no good reason whatsoever. Visually, it’s buzzy eye candy all the way.

Yet nonsense like this doesn’t always sell hundreds of millions of tickets worldwide. The ingredients just seem to be right for at least this second outing of GOTG. Does it all add up to more than a hill of cosmic beans? It doesn’t seem to matter. The soundtrack’s playing, the brain’s on cruise control, and you’re strapped in for the ride.

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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is distributed by Walt Disney Studios.