Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was announced before Guardians of the Galaxy even hit theaters, so it’s been almost a three year wait for the sequel to the surprise smash hit from Marvel. While there have been plenty of Marvel movies to tide us over during that time, the follow-up is finally here and we want to know your thoughts.

We wanted to get you a review as soon as possible, and thankfully Haleigh Foutch saw the movie back in April, so I encourage you to read it if you haven’t already. I saw the film earlier this week and found it absolutely delightful from the get-go. While I had seen tweets criticizing the movie as “bloated” or unnecessary, I feel like it’s a purposely character-driven, plot-light feature. James Gunn could have made a film where Villain X is after Object Y and it’s up to the Guardians to save the day, but he chose to go in a different direction.

Vol. 2 is most like Iron Man 3 in the MCU because it’s largely unconcerned with moving the ball forward with the overall plot or connecting to other movies. There’s no appearance from anyone in Thor: Ragnarok and the only time an Infinity Stone is mentioned is when Ego (Kurt Russell) says he heard about Peter (Chris Pratt) being able to hold one. For fans who think the interconnected stories is the greatest thing these movies can do, that might be disappointing, but I think it helps Vol. 2 stand on its own and embrace solid storytelling by focusing on characters and themes.

While the film does have a loose narrative structure and a big climactic battle (which thankfully doesn’t involve something massive falling from the sky), it’s all about family and trying to cement the relationships between these characters. While “daddy issues” are certainly part of the plot, from Star-Lord’s relationship to both Ego and Yondu (Michael Rooker) to the conflict between Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Nebula (Karen Gillan), the larger themes is about we build and repair families. For Vol. 2, that construction requires a level of sacrifice and selflessness. These are all people who have spent a lot of time pushing others away, and Vol. 2 forces them to come closer together. If the first movie was about putting together a team, the second movie is about putting together a family.

I can’t wait to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 again, and I’m eager to see how James Gunn continues this story in the upcoming Vol. 3.

Now what the film is in theaters, we want to hear your thoughts. Did you like it more or less than the original? What did you think of the more character-driven approach? Where does the movie rank among the MCU movies? Sound off in the comments section.