Taking over the top spot in box office sales, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” leaves zero doubt that it is one of the best works produced by Marvel Studios, and perhaps one of the best works of the year.

Following the events in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” opens with the Guardians fulfilling their new duty: defending planets from various dangers in space. Instead of chasing down enemies throughout the whole movie like the first film, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” focuses on Star-Lord, played by Chris Pratt, and his evolving relationship with his father Ego, played by Kurt Russell.

This was a nice change from the previous film, which was dedicated to humorous jokes and numerous battles. Sequels are often meant to build off of relationships developed in the first film, and continue to show characters fighting an overarching villain, but “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” chose to reverse this order and it payed off.

“The father-son dynamic added to the story nicely,” Lizzy Herrick, junior, said. “Basically everybody was re-discovering themselves.”

I was pleasantly surprised at how background characters from the first film were incorporated and more of their story was shared throughout the movie. Two supporting characters that came to the foreground in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” were Nebula, played by Karen Gillan, and Yondu, played by Michael Rooker. Both had suggested stories behind them, but by making the choice to share their real stories in the movie, I think Marvel was able to successfully add much needed depth to these characters.

The only negative thing about this movie was the first half. It had a very light-hearted feel, which didn’t really match with the emotions the characters experienced near the end of the film. In the end, though, Marvel Comics are meant to satisfy those looking for humor, and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” definitely did not miss out on sarcastic comments here and there.

“It was a funny movie, just like the first one,” Anna Butts, junior, said. “Although, I thought it would give more insight on the upcoming movies.”

Rumors have already started about a third movie, but right now talk is focused around “Avengers: Infinity War.” Since almost every character already introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe will have a role in “Avengers: Infinity War,” coming out in 2018, Marvel has given themselves a challenge. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” was just the first step in proving that they could handle a large casting list, and if “Avengers: Infinity War” is anything similar, Marvel is in a very secure spot.