Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

The post "End Game" Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a mess. The movies and Disney+ shows have been wildly inconsistent. It left a bad taste in my mouth. I held out hope that Phase Five would change that. The first entry, "Antman and the Wasp: Quantamaina," was complete garbage. I thought that maybe I was just done with the MCU. Then James Gunn made "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3", his last MCU movie, before working for the competition at DC.

The Guardians take on a more personal mission when Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) gets hurt, and they must race to save him.

Rocket has always been one of the best characters in these movies, and this movie is entirely his. His backstory is a large chunk of the plot, making up this movie's heart. In the flashbacks, we see him getting experimented on. While this is brutal and heartbreaking to watch, it provides context for why he is the way he is. I cried more than once watching "Guardians."

The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) is the man behind Rocket's creation. He is obsessed with improving the world by forcing evolution on animals and making them more intelligent and docile. He is brilliant and ruthless in his pursuit of this goal. This is a villain The MCU hasn't tackled yet, and he is one of the more compelling in any of the movies.

Gunn is one of the best writers/directors working in Hollywood. He has a knack for writing weird, humorous, and complex characters. Gunn has taken this group, who were D-list Marvel characters, and made them incredibly popular. He started working for Troma Films, known for their weird/gross movies (look up Toxic Avengers) and some of that shows here. One planet they visit is made up of organic, almost flesh-like material. It is weird and gross but entirely in line with Gunn's sensibilities. This is Gunn's Marvel Swan Song (barring some unprecedented agreement between rival studios), and he goes out with one of the best MCU movies. I cannot wait to see what he does with Superman (which he is writing and directing for DC) and all the other DC properties he is now in charge of shepherding.

9/10

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, strong language, suggestive/drug references and thematic elements

2hrs. 30min

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