IT’S hard to believe that it has been nine years since Guardians of the Galaxy hit the big screen.
Expected by some to be Marvel’s first flop because it featured characters no one had ever heard of (a gun-toting raccoon? a talking tree?), it was instead a huge hit that expanded the universe and brought cult writer-director James Gunn to new heights of success.
Since then, Gunn was cancelled (then uncancelled) for bad old tweets, delaying the release of Vol 3. And in bigger news, earlier this year he was named co-CEO of DC Studios and is currently hard at work relaunching the rival studios’ slate of superhero titles, including writing and directing the next Superman movie.
So in many ways, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 is a big send-off for these characters – Peter Quill/Star Lord, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Nebula and Mantis – with Gunn saying goodbye to them and the MCU at large. Some of the actors have also made it clear that this is their last hurrah.
This sense of finality is all over the movie, with many of the characters in their feelings when we meet them – Vol 3 even starts with an acoustic cover of Radiohead’s Creep, establishing a downbeat tone.
The soundtrack of these movies, previously packed with classics from the 70s and 80s is now more modern, with plenty of recognisable hits, used as emotional accent marks or supercharging action scenes.
While everyone gets their time in the spotlight, the story this time focuses on Rocket (Bradley Cooper), who’s become the target of his creator, The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) – a megalomaniac obsessed with creating the perfect society, to the point where he will experiment on unwilling subjects and commit genocide on a whim.
To face him, the Guardians will travel from their hideout on a moon-sized alien skull, to a gross biological/organic space station, to an off-kilter recreation of Earth. Opposing them are an army of delightfully deformed alien/machine hybrids, and the golden god-like Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) who has his own agenda.
In between and even during the often spectacular action set pieces in inventive settings, there’s plenty of time spent with the characters. Peter (Chris Pratt) is dealing with the fact that the Gamora (Zoe Saldana) he loved is dead, only to be replaced by a newer version who has no interest in him. This story beat gets repetitive, as do a few others.
Rocket gets an extensive series of flashbacks that explain his previously mysterious origins, and it gets plenty twisted. The movie isn't afraid of going to some pretty dark places, to the point where it can feel a little manipulative, but it definitely takes you on an emotional journey. Anyone with a fondness for cute animals might be triggered.
While Marvel has received dings for lacklustre special effects in the most recent Thor and Ant-Man movies, here they are largely spectacular. It’s kind of incredible that the effects and performance are so good that you just accept Rocket as a real person. The locations look great and the designs are top-notch.
The runtime for Vol 3 is two hours and 30 minutes and it feels like it. In many ways, it feels like a kitchen sink movie, where Gunn is just emptying out all his ideas, which at its worst can result in a lot of repetition – one too many lengthy action scenes and shouty character moments.
Ultimately, this is a mostly satisfying love letter to these characters. Gunn has never shied away from sentimentality – he is nothing if not sincere. There are plenty of tearjerker moments, as well as laughs, with no multiverse nonsense to be found. If this is goodbye for the Guardians, then it’s a fitting one. – The Vibes, May 4, 2023
