The Guardians are Back! Check out our thoughts on the film!
Hey All!
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 is the 32nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) series, the 3rd film in the Guardians Series, and what is said to be the final chapter for the team of heroes we were first introduced to in 2014 in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film. After nearly 9 years of on screen adventures through their films, their Avengers tie in films (Avengers Infinity War and Avengers Endgame), a brief appearance in Thor Love and Thunder, and the 2022 Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, writer/director James Gunn has found a way to conclude this journey in a way that is emotionally satisfying without leaning into either extreme of being depressing or cheesy.
Returning for this third and final film is basically everybody, but here is the rollcall: Chris Pratt returns as Starlord/Peter Quill, Zoe Saldana returns as Gamora, Karen Gillan returns as Nebula, Dave Bautista returns as Drax, Pom Klementieff returns as Mantis, Vin Diesel’s voice returns as Groot, Sean Gunn returns as Kraglin, Elizabeth Debicki returns of Ayesha of the Sovereign, and arguably the real star character of this film the voice of Bradley Cooper returns as Rocket. Maria Bakalova (Bodies Bodies Bodies) made her debut as the voice of Cosmo the Space Dog in the Disney Plus 2022 Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special but returns here with much more to do and is absolutely adorable.
Brand new to the cast is Will Poulter (The Maze Runner) as Adam Warlock, an incredibly powerful and nearly indestructible new creation of the Sovereign who refers to Ayesha as his mother, though he is artificially created. And the villain of the story is The High Evolutionary, a sadistic scientist obsessed with creating the perfect beings and the perfect society, played to perfection by Chukwudi Iwuji (HBO Max’s Peacemaker). And I would be remised if I failed to mention that longtime collaborator of James Gunn, Nathan Fillion (Slither, Serenity, Castle) makes an appearance in a very funny and memorable role as a security officer.
As mentioned above, the character of Rocket takes center stage for the story of Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3. In the first part of the film, Rocket sustains injuries which are irreparable due to his cybernetic enhancements and thus the Guardians must travel to the place and people who made Rocket the way he is. Concurrently, as Rocket is laying and struggling to hold on to his life, flashbacks of how Rocket was “made” and his time spent with his creators are cut through the film. Though the adventure happens in the current story to save Rocket’s life, it is Rocket’s life “flasbacking” before his eyes which makes up the emotional core of the film.
Though the story is kicked off and fueled by Rocket, each of the characters’ story arcs are properly serviced. Each character is dealing with some form of grief and/or anger within themselves and with each other and by the end of the film each one has established a new sense of self and found new purpose and direction in their lives. Their stories conclude in a way that is not sad because of loss, but bittersweet because of growth. Growth that comes from within and growth that results in growing apart. Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 more than anything has the message that it is ok to be sad and to say goodbye because there are some people who can mean the world to you in your life but that does not mean you are meant to spend your entire life with them and for you to keep growing as a person, sometimes you need to accept hard changes and grow apart from those you love.
In terms of continuity, it is highly recommended to have seen the previous two Guardians of the Galaxy films, Avengers Infinity War, and Avengers Endgame. There are plot elements in those films which are crucial to the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3. I would suggest watching The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special as well, and maybe even Thor Love and Thunder just to see how The Guardians split from Thor. This is the final film for this series so they wrap it all up with no threads left untouched.
The Guardians of the Galaxy films and characters have managed to stay very much in their own lane with very little crossover into the rest of the MCU, no one was excluded from the crossover event of Infinity War and Endgame, and that has very much played in their favor. The tone of all of the films has always been a bit irreverent, definitely comedic and fun, and of course emotionally relatable despite taking place in the most out of this world settings within the Marvel Universe. Being so secluded has allowed for the actors and character relationships to grow and feel more real and potent. More than any other team/cast of characters in the MCU, the Guardians of the Galaxy are the ones most like a family. They are mean to each other, they yell at each other, they joke with each other, and they will die for each other. There is an action scene that takes place in a hallway of a spaceship where the Guardians are all on screen together and fighting a horde of henchmen and they way they weave amongst each other in the battle is more cohesive than any other team in the MCU.
Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 is rated PG-13. It has the very first use of the “F-Word” in the MCU, it has intense scenes of violence, and a few graphic shots of bodily injuries which may be too much for younger audiences to see. These instances are definitely worth considering if you want to take your young kids to see the film because they love Baby Groot.
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