The comedy-packed action sequel titled Guardians of the Galaxy 2 hit theaters across the country on May 5 and featured a rambunctious cast of colorful characters.

Thanks to its predecessor, the release of this new PG-13 movie has been dubbed a “family favorite” by movie critics. Guardians of the Galaxy 2, for its humorous antics, fantastic makeup, and modernized CGI effects, drew crowds of all ages, states the editorial of Rotten Tomatoes, a popular movie critic site.

Guardians of the Galaxy displayed a variety of entertaining action sequences and were made more interesting because of the characters who have crossed over from the original movie.

Characters like Groot became fan-favorites early on in the original movie and the well esteemed sequel added newer perspective to him by featuring him in his childhood years in order to invoke more humor. The tree-like character Groot was a hook used in the initial trailers and was a factor used to attract more viewers.

Another hook, starring a younger Kurt Russel in particular, served as an example of how prevalent the artistry in this movie truly is. The feat depicting Russel’s younger face is noted to have been accomplished using “90% makeup and only 10% CGI,” states GamesRadar, movie analyst site, and has left viewers floundering as to how the “de-aging” was so realistically executed on-screen.

This capture of Russel immediately had people talking even after the movie was over, prompting a series of articles explaining the design. This was only made possible because of the skill of a fellow makeup artist who has been working with Russel since the 1980s.

In an interview alongside fellow actor Chris Pratt, who plays Russel’s son in the film, Russel explained his initial feelings upon receiving the script.

“You don’t want to be the guy that comes in and does the lousy sequel, and so I was leery of it at first. It was a pressure I never felt before. But I was just happy to get to join these guys and we had a ball,” Russel said, talking of the movie’s success.

Russel followed up by telling interviewers the movie appealed to him because of the comedy, stating he was “jazzed up” in particular about Chris Pratt’s character after reading one of his scenes.

“I know the Marvel world a little bit, but I’m not a fanatic. But this has its own vibe. And it’s one I’m really glad I got the opportunity to be a part of because I really enjoy that,” Russel said.

On the other hand, Chris Pratt said his own drive came from his boyhood fascination of comic book characters.

“I knew when I got the cast and the role that that was really important to me. The way these characters looked was a really big part of my childhood and I wanted to accomplish that if I could as an actor,” said Pratt.

The film, which starred other fan-favorite actors such as Vin Diesel, and Bradley Cooper, overall enhanced the adventure leaving critics impressed. The Washington Post has rated Guaridans of the Galaxy 2 with a 4 out of 4, while other critics like Common Sense Media rated it at a 4 out of 5.

Each character contributed something new and unique, and while the screen seemed crowded with familiar and unfamiliar faces at times, the passion the actor’s brought to their scenes made up for the clutter. The sequel’s anticipated release has left audiences dazzled by a unique glimpse into space adventure films.