The first Guardians of the Galaxy is still one of my favourite MCU films so far. James Gunn delivered a funny and heart filled entry, showing off a different side to the Marvel Cinematic Universe that we hadn’t seen before, bringing these unknown characters to the very front of this universe. Audiences and critics aligned helping the film become very successful at the box office and beloved amongst fans. The sequel (despite being released on my birthday) didn’t quite hit the same with not as many jokes landing, but they returned to form when they were mixing with the rest of the Avengers in Infinity War and Endgame, playing a vital role.
Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 picks up after the events of the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special released just before Christmas last year. When Rocket is injured during an attack on Knowhere, the Guardians must find a way to heal him before it’s too late. They uncover the tragic events that led to Rocket being created by the sinister High Evolutionary, who wants to create a perfect world.
I have to say my hopes were very high for this one. The trailers for the film looked epic, and with director James Gunn being at the forefront of the industry news recently with his now involvement with DC Comics, becoming a co-CEO of DC Studios. Gunn has always been a great filmmaker, and his The Suicide Squad was perfect for what it should be. He’s always managed to fully understand his characters, and manages to deliver big moments mixing heart, laughs and seriousness. Volume 3 delivers more of the same, with some of the best and most powerful moments we have seen.
Star Lord might have been the lead character of this franchise generally, but he very much becomes a passenger to Rocket driving this car. His story with Gamora, doesn’t work and is by far the weakest part of the film. The storyline doesn’t work and feels like the Russo’s backed Gunn into a corner by bringing over a different Gamora, and to be honest I think the film could’ve been stronger without Gamora in at all. The moments where Star Lord is more focused on Rocket and their relationship work a lot more.
The High Evolutionary, played by Chukwudi Iwuji, is one of the strongest and best villains we have seen since Thanos. Iwuji delivers a fantastic, at times scary, performance, especially when a lot of his time is spent opposite CGI characters. Having worked with Gunn on Peacemaker, he would’ve known exactly what he wanted and will certainly go down as the best villian from the GOTG films.
Drax very much became a walking joke in Volume 2 and most of the time, I didn’t even find the jokes funny, and it was too much. The sense of humour works a lot more in this entry, but once again the best moments with the character are the ones where the heart of the character shows, and is what the character should be.
I would’ve liked to have seen more of Groot, considering the relationship he has with Rocket, but he doesn’t actually end up doing much in this film. Nebula feels so tonally different to what we have seen from her and again, the film could easily have survived just as much without her. Like Drax, Mantis has been used as a joke quite a lot, she had a big role in the Holiday Special, so makes sense she got a little bit more of a backseat in this entry, some jokes worked and others didn’t. Adam Warlock has been hyped a lot, being teased since the first Guardians of the Galaxy, I would’ve liked to have seen more of him, especially when Will Poulter got into such good shape for the role. I have no doubt we will see him again in a future project, most likely next being in Avengers: Kang Dynasty or in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Overall, Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 is perhaps the most heartwrenching the MCU has ever been and is at it’s strongest when it’s pulling at the heartstrings with the more serious moments. If you love these characters you won’t be disappointed. It might not be a perfect film, but it has a lot of more than perfect moments which carry it through.
What did you think of Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3?
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