Marvel’s latest spacefaring journey is a welcome upgrade after a spate of snoozers.
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” heralds the end of director James Gunn’s work with Marvel Studios as he heads off to helm the DC Cinematic Universe, and he will be sorely missed.
The “Guardians” films are some of the best and most beloved in the MCU, and the trilogy has escaped the Marvel curse where one part of a trilogy is weaker than its two brethren (cough, cough “Thor: The Dark World”).
“Vol. 3” shifts focus away from Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill/Starlord and instead takes a look at fan favorite Rocket Raccoon’s origin story as the other Guardians race to save his life following a devastating injury. The crew also has to contend with not one, but two, antagonists along the way: Adam Warlock (whose appearance was teased all the way back in “Vol. 2”) and Rocket’s maker, the High Evolutionary.
Other side stories are explored over the duration of the movie, and unlike many other recent Marvel offerings, these stories are meaningfully concluded by the end. Notably, this includes Quill grappling over the loss of his universe’s Gamora and coming to terms with an alt-timeline Gamora who does not love him.
While this movie spells the end of the original Guardians lineup, it is still satisfying to see each individual character departing for their own adventures.
The foundations of the movie are solid. The action is fantastic, and the soundtrack is pretty banging, with lots of callbacks to the first “Guardians” movie. The humor is similar to other MCU movies, but this time, the jokes actually stick the landing.
One of my least favorite things the MCU has been doing recently is shoving clever jokes into every nook and cranny of a script, oftentimes in the middle of scenes that are heavy and emotional. “Vol. 3” still jokes around in those taut moments, but not in a way that yanks you out of the scene.
Speaking of “emotional,” bring tissues to this one. The movie intersperses flashbacks to Rocket’s backstory in between the action, and it veers between wholesome and hopeless depressing.
Another warning — if you are sensitive to violence against animals, tread carefully. The High Evolutionary does horrific things to very realistic-looking CGI animals, and some of it is quite graphic. In fact, it is so disturbing that there have been calls to reevaluate the movie’s PG-13 rating. While there is little in terms of graphic gore, it is enough to unsettle audiences.
Overall, “Vol. 3” appears to be the film to breathe life and enthusiasm back into the MCU. Hopefully, it is not a swan song, and this means we are once again getting fun and enjoyable Marvel movies. It has earned a well-deserved “A” Cinemascore, and it is expected to be a strong performer at the box office.
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” is currently in theaters. Although there has not been an official announcement, the movie is expected to be released for streaming on Disney+ after a 60-day theatrical release window, following in the examples of previous recent Marvel releases.
