Don't get hooked on a feeling, pal.

Didn't build on it all? It's all it DID do imo. Like you pointed out, the first was entirely about getting that cast together and it didn't matter what happened, it was going to be great. Then they've done the stock standard sequel move of further highlighting the character traits we loved in the first movie. Arguably drowning us in it, right? But that's what we all ask for in sequels. When we don't get it, we claim it was too far away from the original.

Funny enough I was talking to a person and they told me how much of a letdown the soundtrack to GOTG2 was compared to GOTG1 and "it is obviously because there are no other good songs in the world that 1 hadn't already used" and I couldn't keep a straight face.