Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3
2023 | Dir. James Gunn | 150 Minutes

"My beloved raccoon, the story's been yours all along. You just didn't know it."

When Rocket is seriously injured in a surprise attack, his found family embarks on an urgent mission to save his life, a journey that reveals Rocket's tragic secret origin.

James Gunn's swan song to the once-obscure Marvel Comics space heroes he turned into household names, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is uncompromisingly brutal and undeniably weird, but also delightfully hilarious and incredibly touching. The sudden tonal shifts of the picture can feel abrupt, one minute exploring the cruelty of the central villain's methods torturing and violently discarding his animal test subjects through Rocket's flashbacks as the hero's life hangs by a thread, the next minute lingering on the humor of Quill's failure in connecting with the living Gamora variant after pouring his heart out to the annoyance of his closest friends as they bicker about the counter-intuitive color-coded buttons on their spacesuits. However, the argument can be made that it all works, the heartfelt story of these unlikely heroes ultimately culminating to complete a uniquely bizarre and genuinely uplifting epic about a collection of outcasts who had become a family, coming to terms with their individual misfortunes (some of which are far more extreme than others) and forging ahead into their respective futures.

The set pieces featured in Vol. 3 are conceptually some of Marvel Studios' most imaginative yet, some of the most successful blending of physical production design and meticulously crafted CGI. The entire visual construct of Orgocorp's Orgoscope headquarters made of living tissue is fascinatingly disgusting. While perhaps not the most exciting, the 1980s American suburb facsimile of Counter-Earth naturally lends itself to comedy down to the tiniest details. Most of the action scenes simply serve their purpose, though the extended battle in a corridor featuring the full team is an all-timer. The needle-drops are inspired, memorable, and some selections are honestly surprising, with Rocket singing along to the acoustic version of Radiohead's "Creep" over the opening credits and the feature wrapping up with the denizens of Knowhere new and old dancing to Florence + The Machine's "Dog Days Are Over" among other stand-out choices.

Much more so than in the previous films, Vol. 3 hinges on Bradley Cooper's vocal performance as Rocket and he is phenomenal as the beating heart of the picture, convincingly leaning further into the pitiable creature's vulnerability than ever before. Chris Pratt's Peter Quill is also more sympathetic than the role had ever been, with Pratt effectively demonstrating Quill's growth into a slightly more mature hero who has endured more than his share of heartbreak. The comedic duo of Pom Klementieff and Dave Bautista as Mantis and Drax only gets better with each appearance, and both turn in solid dramatic work as well, particularly Klementieff's Mantis who is afforded moments to truly flesh out her character in this sequel. As Nebula, Karen Gillan plays the role with more noticeably more subtlety, still filled with rage but generally more mellow making her reactions to the antics of her team even funnier. Zoe Saldaña's portrayal of the new Gamora is impressive in how much she truly comes off as a different, markedly more antagonistic version of the fierce warrior, perhaps more noticeable than in Avengers: Endgame due Saldaña having more scenes to play in. Vin Diesel is still very funny as the voice of Groot, sounding more like himself now that the current Groot is closer to adulthood. Sean Gunn's Kraglin capitalizes on having more screen time, afforded a hysterical character arc that involves learning to control Yondu's arrow and a love/hate relationship with Cosmo the Spacedog voiced by the hilarious Maria Bakalova. Chukwudi Iwuji chews scenery like nobody's business but he also gives the narcissistic and sadistic High Evolutionary just enough depth to make him slightly more than just a forgettable one note villain. Will Poulter is fun as Adam Warlock, though the cosmic superbeing serves more as a destructive plot device than a fully-realized character. Linda Cardellini provides an emotionally devastating performance as the genetically enhanced otter Lylla, affectively adding extra layers of depth to Rocket's story. The cast also features Elizabeth Debicki as Sovereign High Priestess Ayesha, Sylvester Stallone reprising the role of the seasoned Ravager Stakar, and Nico Santos and Miriam Shor as the High Evolutionary's android Recorders Theel and Vim.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is an appropriately loving and occasionally off-kilter send-off for the Marvel Cinematic Universe's original band of spacefaring weirdo misfits. Frequently taking on a darker tone than most MCU stories while losing none of the irreverent humor of previous installments, the disturbing elements of the plot may not blend well with the comedy for some audiences, but it is never out of place and only serves to strengthen the truly uplifting moments. The film is a sincerely moving finale that gives each member of the team a satisfying conclusion to their character arcs.

MID-CREDITS STINGER

The new Guardians of the Galaxy listen to a familiar tune as they take on their latest mission.

POST-CREDITS STINGER

At the breakfast table, Quill and his grandfather discuss mowing the lawn.

FRAGMENTS

- The Marvel Studios logo that opens the film exclusively features images and clips of the team from all of their previous appearances

- Glad to see Nico Santos bring the same energy to Recorder Theel as he brought to Mateo on Superstore

- Never thought I'd see the Cousin Eustace from The Chronicles of Narnia play one of the most powerful characters from Marvel Comics

- The team's new ship, the Bowie, is named after iconic recording artist David Bowie

- Regular James Gunn collaborators Jennifer Holland, Nathan Fillion, and Daniela Melchior respectively play Orgocorp employees Administrator Kwol, Master Orgosentry Karja, and Ura the receptionist

- The awesome Judy Greer, who played Maggie Lang in the Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp, provides the voice for War Pig

- Lloyd Kaufman, co-founder of Troma Entertainment where James Gunn began his filmmaking career, makes a cameo appearance reprising his Guardians of the Galaxy role as former Kiln inmate Gridlemop playing cards with Kraglin and a few familiar faces from past installments

007 CONNECTIONS

- Dave Bautista (Mr. Hinx in Spectre)