After being released on May 5, the newest Guardians of the Galaxy, and latest installment of the Marvel Universe, has been garnering big audiences and mixed reviews. Directed by James Gunn, GOTG Vol. 3 includes a familiar cast with characters that audiences have come to love, including Chris Pratt as Peter Quill, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket Racoon, Dave Bautista as Drax, Zoe Saldana as Gamora and Karen Gillan as Nebula among others. There were also some new faces introduced, such as Chukwudi Iwuji playing a new villain ‘The High Evolutionary’ and Will Poulter playing a villain turned ally named Adam Warlock.
Personally, I feel as if this film greatly surpassed my expectations for the third movie in the series. It maintained the well-known characters and the fun, upbeat, aspects of GOTG that fans love, while still developing originality and bringing new life to the stories of these characters. Volume 3 is definitely the most somber of the GOTG films, delving more deeply into some origin stories and dealing with heavier topics, but it still manages to maintain the momentum of the previous films with lots of laughs and a memorable soundtrack.
As James Gunn’s last film with Marvel Studios, it seems as if he wanted to go out with a bang and say goodbye to Marvel and GOTG with an unforgettable experience for audiences. The plot centers around Rocket Racoon, delving deep into his tragic backstory as the rest of the group searches the galaxy for a way to save his life after a fatal wound. In their quest for Rocket’s salvation, the Guardians encounter new villains and new group dynamics as Gomora rejoins the team, but this time without any memory of the Guardians or her relationship with Quill. There are several tense and even heartbreaking moments along the way, but the film ends in a satisfying manner that leaves viewers with the feeling that both Gunn and the GOTG characters have said a final goodbye to the franchise.
Similarly to the previous Guardians of the Galaxy films, the soundtrack for this movie is what ties the film together and adds to the overall experience in a positive way. Songs like ‘Creep’ by Radiohead and ‘Badlands’ by Bruce Springsteen bring an element of fun and humor to balance out the more serious tones of certain scenes, and music is woven into every moment of the film.
Another shining quality of this movie was how the plot left room to explore deeper aspects of many characters that often get overlooked. Rocket was the focal point of the film, but characters like Drax and Mantis also get more screentime and reveal more depth to their characters that were hidden in the two previous films. Volume 3 shows how much all of the characters have evolved since the first movie, and it also gives viewers a glimpse into how they might continue to grow and change in the future.
Some may argue that the plot of this film moves too slowly, with excessive amounts of backstory and not enough action. While I will agree that the first 90 minutes or so of this 2 hour and 30-minute movie are a bit slow, these moments are still full of humor and important character building that lends itself well to the second half of the movie. Additionally, some have criticized the excess of scenes portraying animal abuse and eugenics, which I believe were slightly disturbing but did add to the plot overall and the importance of the Guardian’s mission. However, before viewing, audiences should be warned that there are some graphic images and tragic animal abuse and consider if such content would be triggering or too disturbing.
The Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy has come a long way since the first film was released in 2014. Marvel fans have been turning towards these movies for many years for their comic release and lovable characters, and I believe that any GOTG fan will not be disappointed with this final film. From the music to the memorable characters and witty humor, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a film audiences will be coming back to for years to come.
Grace Giger can be reached at [email protected]