Since their first movie in 2014, the Guardians of the Galaxy went from C-list Marvel heroes to household names as the characters would continue to entertain movie audiences with their subsequent sequel and team-ups with the Avengers. Outside the MCU, an animated series that would last three seasons and two video games would come about and resemble the films' style; and with the music being a prominent part of the franchise, I have a playlist of nearly a hundred songs that were used across the different mediums mentioned. But all good things come to an end as we see the release of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3", James Gunn's conclusion to the trilogy and his final Marvel project before taking over DC's film universe. For the last adventure with our favorite space outlaws, they certainly pulled out all the stops to deliver a film on par with "Endgame" and "No Way Home" for a proper send-off.
Gunn brings everything we've come to love with this franchise and then some. Characters with heart, hilarious comedy, amazing visuals, and entertaining action; on the action front, a real stand out was when they went full Daredevil with a one-shot hallway fight that gives each Guardian a shining moment. And of course there's the music; Gunn packed more songs in here than the previous two films and yet he still finds a way to make them fit well into the story and worthy of an Awesome Mix. I'm going to be emotional for awhile listening to the soundtrack after watching this movie.
Where things differ from the previous films is that Vol. 3 is the darkest of the trilogy, with the opening scene's somber tone giving you an idea of what was to come. There were several moments that had me tearing up. Admittedly, there are some tonal whiplashes where after those emotional moments that the next scene starts off with a pretty good joke; it makes it a little conflicting where I'm laughing while still processing something heart-wrenching. This film also has some of the most graphic imagery I've seen from a Guardians or MCU film while still keeping it PG-13. It's similar to Gunn's work on "The Suicide Squad", not to mention we get the MCU's first f-bomb. I get the feeling that since Gunn was on his way out anyway that he wouldn't have to worry about much pushback from Marvel; not like they can fire him again at this point.
What's great about these characters is that even after all this time, we're still seeing new sides to them. It makes them feel like genuine people, learning from their pasts, growing, and taking left turns in their lives. Quill and Rocket stand out for their character arcs, reaching pivotal parts in their lives as our main protagonists through these films. There's also great dynamics such as the comedy between Drax and Mantis and how the personalities of Nebula and Gamora have kind of switched around compared to the first film.
Chukwudi Iwuji is great as the High Evolutionary, the film's main antagonist. He really sells it as a megalomaniac with a god complex. Crazy as this sounds, it kind of makes me wish either the High Evolutionary was our new saga spanning big bad or that Iwuji was playing Kang; he was that good. The only fault I can find is that after Ego and Thanos, this is the third villain the Guardians have fought who has this vision for the universe they're determined to make a reality. Still, I feel we got the second most satisfying villain defeat of 2023 after Belos on "The Owl House".
The character of Adam Warlock has been somewhat teased since the first movie with the real set-up coming in a Vol. 2 mid-credits scene. Vol. 3 brings our golden boy to the big screen with Will Poulter in the role and he's...there. Okay, Poulter delivers a good performance, goes through a character arc and has some pretty cool moments from the minute he literally explodes into the film. The problem though is that with everything else going on in the film, he feels kind of like an afterthought and gets lost in the story; there were some moments where after not seeing him for awhile, I thought to myself "Oh yeah, he's here."
Overall, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is a near-perfect sign off from James Gunn and everyone who had a hand in crafting this journey. The ending does leave things open to explore interesting new directions for the characters should the MCU decide to look in on them again. In the meantime (wink, wink), see the film and bid farewell as soon as you can. And check in on your fellow Guardians fans; we're definitely not okay at the moment.
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