GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 3: We Come Full Circle

Ten years ago James Gunn decided to do the impossible by bringing a group of characters to the screen that very few people outside of hardcore comic readers had heard of. The first Guardians of The Galaxy movie was a monster hit for Marvel and Gunn and propelled its stars (most were relatively unknown) into the big time. The mixture of heart and action and Gunn’s signature style of comedy meshed incredibly well to the point that the first film in the series is easily one of Marvel’s top three outings. Now the gang is back to wrap up what they started all those years ago in the conclusion of the trilogy: Guardians of The Galaxy Vol 3.

From the moment the film began it was clear that this was Rocket’s picture, voiced once again by the amazing Bradley Cooper. This was probably his best performance of the trilogy and that isn’t a knock on the other films he just managed to take what he was already doing perfectly and elevate it. Rocket’s backstory is the spine of this movie and we find out just how tragic his origin and his life up until we met him were. Watching what Rocket went through in the past makes what he lived through in Infinity War and End Game that much more heartbreaking. The little guy has had a rough go of it.

The family we choose

At their core, all the Guardians films have been about family. The family we are born into versus the family we choose. Of course, the Guardians are their chosen family but being in that family unit gave all of them the opportunity to heal from trauma caused in their pasts by the families each of them were born into. They were about finding your tribe and doing whatever it takes to protect them. That’s the totality of the emotional journey in this film. Everything they were doing was being driven by the need to protect one of their own. To keep their family safe. (Spoilers ahead).

Early in the movie that strong family unit is put to the test by the arrival of Adam Warlock (played beautifully by Will Poulter) on a mission to collect Rocket on the orders of the High Evolutionary (brought to life by the deliciously evil Chukwudi Iwuji). Rocket of course is the result of the High Evolutionary toying with biology and technology, trying to create the perfect beings to live in harmony. Rocket is special to him because he was the only being that was capable of critical thinking. During the attempted kidnapping Rocket is severely injured and that set the entire story in motion.

Peter, Nebula, Drax, Mantis, and Groot (Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, and Vin Diesel) with the help of 2014 Gamora (the always amazing Zoe Saldana) are unable to operate on Rocket due to a kill switch that was installed by the High Evolutionary. The entire film centers around the Guardians searching the universe for the codes to deactivate the kill switch so they can save their friend and brother. They will of course stop at nothing, Rocket is the heart of their family.

Into the forever and beautiful sky

Like each of the Guardians films that came before, this one has a killer soundtrack. The highlight for me was the inclusion of the Beastie Boys (No Sleep ’till Brooklyn) in the middle of the climactic battle. It was a perfect choice and added to probably the best action scene Marvel has put on screen in a few years. Peter getting the Zune at the end of Volume Two was such a good way to help the music selection for this film. Starting the movie with Creep by Radiohead didn’t hurt at all either.

The imagery and directing in this movie were perfect. James Gunn made sure every frame was full of color or movement or things to discover upon multiple viewings (yes, you’ll want to watch it again). From the costume department to the cinematography (Henry Braham) every frame is a painting done by a master at the top of his game. No unfinished sculptures here, it was as close to perfection as you can get.

None of this would even matter if the film didn’t have incredible heart and a story we care about with characters worth rooting for. The cast was under enormous pressure to try and replicate previous successes and they did an amazing job finishing off a tale that began ten years ago. There isn’t a weak performance in this film from any actor that worked on it whether it be a main player or someone in the background. Everyone was solid. The standout for me was Dave Bautista as Drax. He got his big break with the first film and his arc from volume one to three is my favorite. Yes, it turned out that it was Rocket’s world and everyone else was just living in it but Drax had a beautiful send-off and Bautista brought the goods.

Conclusion:

From visually stunning images to the biggest action scenes to the comedy and the heart, the family, and the journey, Guardians of The Galaxy Vol 3 had a lot to live up to. From the moment that the first trailer dropped, expectations were super high. The final product easily lived up to the hype and surpassed it by a mile. This is one that you’re going to want to see on the biggest screen possible with a group of friends that you can laugh with but more importantly, a group that you don’t mind crying in front of. This movie packs an emotional punch.

Writer and director James Gunn really put together something special here. He was able to take all of the loose threads from volumes one and two as well as the Avengers movies and write to a point of satisfaction. That isn’t an easy task for anyone but he made it look that way. This movie put The Guardians solidly in the top five film trilogies of all time, that isn’t something that can be argued or proven wrong. It’s a stone-cold fact. You really need to take the time and find out for yourself. This is easily the best Marvel movie since End Game. I’m going to miss this team.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 was released in theaters on May 5th.