Movie Review - Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3

 

Well after the lacklustre that was Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania, surely James Gunn's final Marvel film (well final as in directed, but he may continue in a producing capacity going forward) is the one that really kick things off in Phase 5. The Guardians of the Galaxy, as we know them, have come a long way. With two great films, a funny but heart-warming Christmas special and appearances in the last two Avengers films and a Thor film, we've come to know and love this little band of misfits. Marvel took the risk of bringing a widely unknown team of heroes, at the time, to the big screen and it paid off. Now we come to what many are hyped up to calling a very emotional final film for this variant of the team. Probably won't be the last we see of these guys, but definitely the last time we will see this team together. So grab your mixtapes, guns, blades and estranged siblings as we look at hopefully, a much better Marvel film for Phase 5:

Since the Holiday Special, the team have set up their base of operations on Knowhere. All seems well with Rocket (reprised by Bradley Cooper) in particular, taking an interest in the music that Star-Lord (reprised by Chris Pratt) listens to. But the place soon gets attacked by one Adam Warlock (played by Will Poulter) who is sent by Ayesha (reprised by Elizabeth Debicki), the Soverign people from the last film, as revenge from that film's events (at least at first). Although the team succeed in defeating him, Rocket is badly wounded and the team soon go about curing him, which leads into a few shocking revelations and flashbacks that detail how Rocket became what he is and the man responsible for making him the being that he is today.

It of course goes without saying that this is another Marvel film that attempts to bring closure to characters we've come to know and love. But unlike Thor: Love and Thunder which ironically had these characters in it, this film does a better job of it. Rocket's origins are difficult to watch if you love animals and while it is very much a Guardians film centred on him, it also takes time to develop the other Guardians too like Star-Lord adjusting to a Gamora (reprised by Zoe Salanda) that never joined the team due to events that have transpired previously. And it does a good job of bringing in some fan favourite associates of the team without trying to steal their spotlight. It's an emotional rollercoaster, but one that, for sure, puts Marvel back on track with their films. I hope this quality of film continues for the remainder of the Multiverse Saga. We are all Groot. 8/10