Do you remember when the Guardians of the Galaxy were the underdogs? Do you remember when no one aside from hardcore comic book fans knew of their very existence? Do you remember when this was an untested property that was for sure to fail simply because it wasn’t another traditional installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, back when it was simply just Iron Man and his amazing friends? Well, here we are now nearly a full decade later and these a-holes are still around.
Not only is Guardians of the Galaxy one of the more beloved series within the MCU but it’s also one of the only remaining properties left from Marvel to be a guaranteed financial hit based on the name alone. And with Vol. 3 set to be the conclusion to this iteration of the Guardians, they are about to lose another one. While that might be a negative from a business standpoint, it is surely a positive from an artistic and creative one. Not only does it give director/writer James Gunn the chance to end his Marvel run on a high note before he departs full time to course the upcoming DC universe, it’s able to provide something that very little comic book movie trilogies have nowadays, an actual definite ending.
Make no mistake, there is nothing that is on Gunn’s mind throughout Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 than given the trilogy that he started a truly satisfying conclusion with the characters that he loves from the bottom of his heart. There’s no concern with setting up other movies, there’s no attempt to get you interested in whatever comes next, and it’s not even trying to be the so-called “savior” of the MCU. The only goal it sets for itself is to give a good and proper farewell to what is arguably Marvel’s most surprising franchise yet. In all of those regards, it succeeds entirely.
While there is some flaws to be had, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is simply fantastic. It’s every bit as good as the first two, and in many regards even better, it instantly joins the list of some of the very best work in the MCU, and it will no doubt satisfy audiences that are just craving for one last adventure with their favorite band of galactic misfits. It’s far in a way the most mature of the Guardians movies, every character gets a meaningful arc or moment to shine, it’s themes around family and friendship are more meaningful than ever before, and even some of the shortcomings of the more recent entries (mainly the CGI and VFX work) are actually some of the very strengths of the film. While there will certainly be plenty that will be put off guard with how different it is compared to the first two Guardians movies in regards to tone and feel, it’s clear that nothing in this movie is included without purpose. James Gunn knew exactly the movie he set himself out to make with this one and he accomplishes it greatly.
(Warning: The following premise might contain some mild spoilers for the movie. The reason I say this is because there is a certain subplot/element that the trailers have not touched upon. It’s not a huge spoiler as it’s revealed early on in the movie but for those that want to go into this movie completely blind, be warned.)
Plot Synopsis: Taking place after the events of The Holiday Special, we see the Guardians adjusting to life on the planet Knowhere, where Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is still grieving over the lost of Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and constantly getting flat-out drunk in the process. One night, a powerful golden A.I. created by the Sovereign named Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) is sent to Knowhere to find Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and bring him back to High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), the mad scientist responsible for making our favorite trash panda the way he is now. While Warlock fails his mission to retrieve him after encountering the other Guardians members, Rocket is left badly wounded and on the verge of death.
The team tries to heal Rocket until Nebula (Karen Gillan) explains that any attempt to operate on him will trigger a fail-safe device inside of him that could potentially kill the raccoon. It’s then that the Guardians team of Starlord, Nebula, Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), and Groot (Vin Diesel) set themselves on a mission to retrieve the code that will turn off the fail-safe device that is inside Rocket in order to save his life. Of course, they can’t do it themselves as they also seek the help from Gamora, who once again is the Gamora from 2014 and not the one that Peter fell in love with, who is with the Ravagers, led by Stakar Ogord (Sylvester Stallone) and also has Kraglin (Sean Gunn), Yondu’s second-in command, who is still around.
Meanwhile, as Rocket is on his potential death bed, he has constant flashbacks to his time with the High Evolutionary, where he was experimented and tortured along with his friends. The High Evolutionary is a sinister monster who has a goal of trying to make everyone and everything “perfect” while creating a new Earth that is filled with nothing but perfection. The Guardians of the Galaxy find themselves facing their biggest challenge yet, not only to save the galaxy from the High Evolutionary but also saves their own well-beings.
When reading that plot synopsis, you might think that sounds quite dark for a movie about the Guardians of the Galaxy along with taking place within the MCU. And you would be right! This story plays out as grim and somber as you would imagine that certainly earns it’s PG-13 rating (and that’s not just because it’s the first MCU movie with a f-bomb added to it). By diving into the past sins of the Guardians along with flashback scenes about how Rocket Raccoon got created the way they did, Gunn leaves no stone unturned and isn’t afraid to have his audience witness these bleak events along with these characters.
To be sure, the movie still contains the typical humor and comedy that the Marvel movies are known for with plenty of amusing gags and quips throughout that adds enough light to the bleakness of the story. However, unlike with most other MCU movies, the humor serves a purpose and adds to the characters themselves. They aren’t simply joking around because they are in an MCU movie, they are joking to hide from that sense of sorrow that they are feeling deep down and it’s just who they are. It’s manages to be the darkest of the Guardians movies while also the funniest of the Guardians movies without it ever coming across as too jarring.
The biggest hook with the Guardians of the Galaxy other than the weirdness and sci-fi elements is with the characters themselves. At this point, James Gunn basically assumes you love these characters to death and are willing to go through any journey with them. After going through their own movies where they save the galaxy and the crossover movies where they (somewhat) save the entire universe, here we see the Guardians saving themselves….along with a handful of others. It’s not only their raccoon friend that’s dying, it’s their emotional well-beings and the thought how the next mistake they make could be the last one. And if that is made, did they do what they wanted to accomplish for themselves or do they need to fight for that second chance to do so?
Did Peter Quill need to make amends with his grandfather to feel whole again? Does Mantis need her own identity aside from being a servant to Ego or a member of the Guardians? Does Gamora need to be the Gamora that the family remembers to be accepted? Does Rocket really need to run towards the monster who made him instead of running away from him to fulfill his destiny? Can Nebula turn her sister the way she did to herself? Can Drax serve a purpose that doesn’t involve sacrificing himself to be with his family again? Can Groot say anything other than I am groot? All those questions in more helps showcases just how far the Guardians are willing to go to save themselves because at this point, they all know that they love each other just as much as the audience loves them.
What really helps here are the performances of the main cast that certainly give it their all and deliver their finest performances to date. Chris Pratt is able to deliver the emotional beats as well as he has ever had as Star Lord, so much so that the moments where he’s being quippy can be seen as coming out of nowhere even when it’s what the character has been doing all along. Zoe Saldana finds even more depth to Gamora, where she basically has to play a character that is not the ones that was with the Guardians with the first two movies and Infinity War, and is able to absolutely sell it. Karen Gillian is great at helping showcasing just how far the character of Nebula as come since her somewhat extended cameo in the first movie. Dave Bautista and Pom Klementieff are just as lovable, funny, and charming as they’ve been in the previous movies as Drax and Mantis. Will Poulter as Adam Warlock, despite always appearing in and out of the film whenever the script needs it, blends well with the rest of the cast as well as Linda Cardellini as Lylla, Rocket’s female friend. The other returning cast members from the previous movies such as Sean Gunn’s Kraglin, Sylvester Stallone’s Stakar, and Elizabeth Debicki’s Ayesha are recognizable but still enjoyable to see.
The two biggest standout performances however comes from Chukwudi Iwjui as the main bad guy of High Evolutionary and Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon. High Evolutionary makes for hands down the most HATEABLE bad guy in the entire MCU, one that you absolute love to LOATHE for all the sinister things that he has done and his bats*it crazy plan. This all makes it the more better with Iwjui’s performance who strikes a fine line between going full ham and being a legit threat at the same time. When it comes to Bradley Cooper as Rocket, this might go down as the very best performance in the entire MCU. Although he plays less of the sarcastic, wise-cracking raccoon, he’s able to give an emotional and vulnerable performance of being a little fella that’s on life support. Cooper has proven to be a great dramatic actor on occasions but I don’t I’ve ever seen him tackle a role quite like this.
In terms of production, this is a huge step-up from previous MCU movies. While there’s is obvious CGI and effects added to the picture, it never feels jarring or out of place. This is a beautiful film to look at because of how clear the vision of James Gunn is on screen. I don’t know if it’s because there was more time added to this than other MCU movies or because Gunn is just a more experience director but this is still a visually dazzling film that never becomes unpleasant to look at. The action sequences, while a bit few and far in between compare to the other Guardians movies, are quite good with one extended, one-camera sequence in the climax being the clear standout of the picture. These scenes are cut, clean, and easy to follow/enjoy while they are happening. And of course, the music choices are just as inspired as the previous Guardians movies and the original score by John Murphy might just be the best of the trilogy.
In terms of downsides, there are times to where the movie does move too fast to get from one emotional beat to the next, which mostly involves characters talking about their past mistakes much faster than they should even if the situation they are in calls for it. There’s also the subplot involving Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock that makes sense thematically but feels disconnected with the rest of the movie in terms of story. And there’s also a plot element that’s introduces during the third act that feels tacked on and seems to only exist to add more tension towards the second half of the climax.
Even so, even when these movies are not perfect, they always feel right. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is able to successfully hit all the beats it needs to give fans and audiences a satisfying ending to it’s trilogy along with showing off how Marvel can still find ways to deliver quality entertainment, even when it might seem like they’ve reached their limits. It’s able to be funny, dark, sad, engaging, and deliver the highest and most personal stakes of all the three Guardians movies.
I don’t know what the future holds for the MCU or the team members that live to fight another day but at this moment, I don’t really care. All I wanted from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was for it to deliver a conclusion that felt definite and right. And if you ask me, it was no doubt able to deliver a famously huge third.
Other comments:
- Yes, there are two post credit scenes!
- And yes, I saved the worst pun for last!
- Btw, I’m not joking when I said this is the darkest and bleakest of these movies. Fair warning to children taking their kids to see this, there are some haunting flashbacks scenes with Rocket involving animal abuse and extermination. If you think that’s too much for your children to handle, then you might want to skip out on this one.
- How in the world do you give the MCU’s first F bomb to Chris Pratt and NOT Samuel L Jackson? Kevin Feige better answer for that!
- Nebula might honestly be the most developed character in the entire MCU! Her arc throughout these movies is just magnificent!
- I know James Gunn loves his friends and family but maybe cool it with the constant cameos off them for future DC movies. Or at least make them less recognizable!
- Love the shout-out to St. Charles, Missouri!
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