Kaitlyn Murphy
*Minor spoilers ahead for Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3*
It’s safe to say that Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 had audiences around the world hooked on quite a few feelings when it hit theaters last Friday, something Marvel Studios has been lacking with recent releases.
Guardians director James Gunn gave Marvel fans a heads up on Twitter that the final installment of the trilogy was “a movie about joy & compassion & learning to see beyond the rim of our own worlds & having empathy for all living things.” Without a doubt, that is the perfect way to describe this film.
Volume 3 opens up with a flashback scene of a young Rocket Racoon (Bradley Cooper), who viewers know was abused and experimented on in his past. But no one could predict the extent until seeing what the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), a geneticist seeking to create the perfect species to inhabit his “Utopia,” and his scientists did to Rocket (who at the time was labeled 89P13.)
Rocket becomes incredibly close with the other animals being experimented on– a walrus named Teefs, a bunny called Floor, and his closest friend, an otter named Lylla. They plan to break free and fly away together, which unfortunately never happens.
In present day, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) still struggles with the knowledge that Gamora is alive out there somewhere in the galaxy, but she is not the variant who fell in love with him.
One day, he is broken out of a drunken spell when the highly anticipated Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) attacks Rocket and the rest of the Guardians on their temporary home planet Knowhere. Rocket is gravely injured, and we learn Adam was sent to capture and return him to the High Evolutionary.
Rocket has a kill-switch built into him that prevents medical packs from working, so after getting him in a stable comatose state, the Guardians set out to recover Rocket’s file that holds his only hope for survival.
Volume 3 follows the team on their journey to save Rocket, and audiences get an incredibly intimate look into the Guardians’ relationship as not only a team, but a family willing to do anything for each other.
Something that works greatly in this film’s favor is how high the stakes are– if the Guardians don’t make it to the Orgosphere where Rocket’s files are being stored within 48 hours, he’ll die.
It’s a time crunch that keeps up the pace for the entire two-and-a-half hour run time of Volume 3, and seeing how much every member of the team cares about Rocket (plus learning about everything he endured in his past) only makes it more crucial that they succeed.
The High Evolutionary is clearly the “big bad” here, but his motives go much deeper than wanting to “take over the galaxy” or go on a random killing spree. Similarly to Thanos, he seeks to create a “perfect” civilization with genetically modified creatures, but in order to reach that perfection, he kills innocent animals that were reduced to lab rats.
He hit home with the Guardians when they found out he tortured Rocket, making their fights much more meaningful. This one was personal.
In order to complete their mission, Nebula (Karen Gillian) enlists the help of Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), who now works for the Ravagers.
The Guardians of the Galaxy are complete again, even if Gamora isn’t exactly thrilled about it. Quill also tries to remind Gamora of their love for each other, but she stands firm in her statement that she will never love him like the other version of herself did.
It was of course hard to watch this, especially after Gamora declared she loved Quill “more than anything” in Infinity War. The film would’ve felt incomplete without Saldaña’s involvement so it was crucial that Gamora came back in some form, but it was undoubtedly not the way most fans would’ve liked.
That being said, Pratt and Saldaña still have chemistry on screen, even if it isn’t exactly “romantic.” The entire Guardians cast has clearly infused their performance in this film with the love and companionship they’ve found in each other the past 10 years working on this saga.
Standout performances came from Pom Klementieff and Dave Bautista as Mantis and Drax, an unlikely duo that has stolen the screen since they met in Volume 2. Drax’s brute force contrasts Mantis’s kindness and compassion, but by the end of Volume 3, Mantis commends Drax’s growth and how he was never truly born to be a “destroyer.”
Karen Gillan also delivered arguably her best performance as Nebula, who now views not only Rocket, but the rest of the Guardians as her family. She risks her life for them multiple times throughout their journey and has one of the most satisfying villain-turned-hero arcs in the MCU.
MCU newcomer Will Poulter worked with the little screen time he had as Adam Warlock, and was mostly utilized for comic relief. His role in the film seemed a bit anticlimactic after all the hype that surrounded it, but perhaps he’ll return in the future.
Since the entire cast has familial onscreen chemistry, the humor was impeccably timed to break up moments of tension. Whether it was bickering between Mantis and Drax, Quill dropping the first ever MCU f-bomb while teaching Nebula how to open a car door, or Adam Warlock growing attached to a furry space creature, the dialogue elicited true laughs from the audience.
Another aspect of the film that deeply connected with viewers was the soundtrack. Guardians films have always been famous for their needle drops, but Volume 3 absolutely nailed the inclusion of songs that lyrically fit within scenes.
Two standouts were, naturally, the fight scene to “No Sleep ‘Till Brooklyn” by the Beastie Boys and the final sequence of the film set to “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence and the Machine.
The “Dog Days Are Over” dance party was the perfect way to end the trilogy– it was almost reminiscent of the iconic dance-off between Quill and Ronan in the first film. At their core, the Guardians films have always been true fun. It felt right to end on a lighthearted note, and to see every character get the closure they deserve.
Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 was clearly filled with love– for the characters, the universe Gunn created in 2014, and for the fans that have followed their journey the past 9 years. This is exactly the type of film Marvel fans deserved right now.
Rating: 4/5 stars
