Marvel Cinematic Universe: Every 2017 Project Ranked Worst To Best

There is a lot to love about the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel. From the simple fact that we finally got to catch up with this lovable group for the first time since 2014 to the introduction of characters like Mantis and Ego to its (unsurprisingly) fantastic soundtrack to the touching death of Yondu and beyond, it's a big, goofy, heartfelt follow-up to a film many people love.

It says a lot about what's left on this list, then, that Vol. 2 rests in the middle of what we got in 2017. By no stretch of the imagination is it a bad film, and it's easy to see why it could be (and undoubtedly is) many people's favorite MCU movie of the year, but compared to the first movie, it feels a lot less focused in a narrative sense, sidestepping a grander story to dive deeper into some of its characters (like Peter) while almost sacrificing some (like turning Drax into a laugh machine), which also results in a generic villainous endgame to wrap things up.

That said, the character work is great, and there's satisfaction to be found in seeing Peter get closure in his parentage or Gamora and Nebula find a middle ground in their sibling rivalry or watching the team all raise baby Groot in their own ways, but as a whole it falls just short of being as solid as the first movie in terms of things like pacing and humor, even if it's still a charming, worthwhile sequel nonetheless.