It’s been nearly a decade since the misfit Guardians of the Galaxy were introduced into the MCU. The first movie turned these D-list characters into household names. Yet, their inclusion got lost in the mix of the bevy of Marvel projects since. Now, we’re finally getting the franchise bookend that promises an emotional payoff.
This movie centers on Rocket. For plot-specific reasons, the team travels to find the creator of Rocket. Meanwhile, flashbacks are spliced throughout the movie to show us the origin of the creature that refuses to be called a raccoon.
This is still an ensemble movie, so we see Star Lord (Chris Pratt) wallow away at losing the love of his life, but also hope that a parallel version of Gamora (Zoe Saldana) will fill the void left by the original. There are several villains in this movie, but one new threat is the born-yesterday Adam Warlock (Will Poulter in a wasted role), who has been given a mission to retrieve a Guardian, while disposing of the others.
The beauty of the first movie (or really any well done ensemble piece) is that it allows each character to breathe and get their own miniature arc. This shouldn’t be difficult to do in a bloated 2 1/2 hour runtime, however, beloved characters are given next to nothing to do except quip and lend a hand in fights.
The most important thing to know going into Vol. 3 is that this is by far the most emotional Guardians movie and possibly the most heavy in the 15 year old Marvel franchise. The flashbacks, specifically, focus on the heavy side of trauma, torture, and abuse. Anyone who is sensitive to animal cruelty, even if it’s purely CG, should avoid this altogether. This may also be a little much for younger children looking for a thrilling ride. Parents may want to watch this one first before taking their kids to see it. Fans of the franchise will get misty-eyed with the conclusion of the trilogy and the farewell to these characters.
Vol. 3 is tonally inconsistent, as it tries to balance the James Gunn fart jokes and insulting banter of these cosmic friends, splice that in with some bombastic action scenes, but then anytime the story runs out of steam, they’ll take you back to Rocket’s traumatic experiences. The jokes don’t land in this three-quel, but the emotional impact absolutely does.
The cape flick landscape has been a joke when it comes to effects in the past few years. However, Guardians puts every dollar on screen and help keep your mind in the escapism of this universe. The CG characters are the ones that show the most personality. Rocket and the friends he makes in the flashbacks establish the heart of the movie. In fact, if this were just considered a Rocket origin movie, it would be far stronger and tighter. Outside of his story, characters like Groot and Gamora get nothing to do. Drax and Mantis are a fun pair to watch and bring the most energy to the movie. Sure, they’re the comedic element at this point, but I stopped expecting depth from either of them a long time ago.
Action-wise, there is one memorable scene that takes place near the end in a hallway. (There’s just something about Marvel hallway fight scenes) It finally brings all the Guardians together in a stunning sequence that gives each of them the chance to shine.
The alleged conclusion to the Guardians of the Galaxy is a mixed bag, but thankfully it’s a course correction from the abysmal joke-fest that was Vol 2. It’s a heavy experience that walks the line between off-putting and heroic. Fans of the series will succumb to the emotional pull, but potentially miss the humor that just somehow doesn’t land. In the end, Vol 3 brings it all home and concludes the story of one of the high points of the MCU. C+
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