Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: First reactions call it hilarious, surprisingly emotional

Critics' initial responses landed on Twitter ahead of the film's review embargo dropping on 24 April

Has Marvel knocked it out of the park once more?

If the first reactions from critics are to be believed, the answer's a firm yes; Twitter saw some initial, spoiler-free responses to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hit the web ahead of the embargo for reviews being officially lifted on 24 April.

And the outlook is overwhelmingly positive, with some declaring the "funny, action-packed, emotional" film the very best of the Marvel cinematic universe, only building on the film's extremely rare 100% score in a test screening earlier this year.

The film sees the return of Chris Pratt's Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana's Gamora, and Dave Bautista's Drax; alongside Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel lending their voices to Rocket and Baby Groot. Michael Rooker's Yondu and Karen Gillan's Nebula also return, potentially as new members of the Guardians; while Pom Klementieff and Kurt Russell join as Mantis and Ego the Living Planet, the latter happening to be Star-Lord's dad.

The sequel is set two-to-three months after the first film, as the Guardians come face-to-face with a new threat and Elizabeth Debicki's Ayesha, the golden High Priestess and leader of the Sovereign people.

You can check out the first reactions to the film below.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits UK cinemas 28 April.