Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
NOTICE: The following review may contain minor spoilers. Reader’s discretion is advised.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the latest MCU film and the final installment to the hugely influential Guardians trilogy, at least for writer/director/future DC showrunner James Gunn, and man does he go out with a bang. Guardians 3 is a solid send off to the memorable ragtag group of heroes we’ve grown to love since 2014.
One thing I’ve always loved about these Guardians films is just how self contained they are; you don’t need to see every MCU film to understand what’s going on, newcomers can jump right into the first two Guardians films without any prior knowledge. This film is mostly on the same boat; while you don’t need to see the other MCU films that came before it post-Endgame, you’ll still need to have at least seen Avengers: Infinity War, Endgame, and the Guardians Christmas Special on Disney+ before this film as the Guardians go through some major plot developments from the events of those films.
This self-containment from the rest of the MCU allows for James Gunn to really go nuts with his vision, and go nuts he certainly does. This is easily one of the more violent and “adult” MCU films to come out as of late (as far as I know this is the only MCU film that uses the unspoken “one F-bomb” rule for PG-13 movies), and while that might be a turn off for some hardcore MCU fans I for one welcome a bit of edginess to break up the monotony of the same, stale Marvel formula that’s been present in the past MCU films.
Needless to say this film’s not entirely free from the Marvel formula. The iconic quippy dialogue that bled its way into the rest of the MCU is present here, and while it doesn’t feel as out of place here as it does in other MCU movies it still feels a little forced at times. The big baddie of the film, played with extreme hammy-ness by Chukwudi Iwuji, is about as memorable as the other MCU villains who like to scream a lot. There’s no grand foreshadowing or outside references to the rest of the MCU but the plot still feels pretty bloated with plot threads that go nowhere and an abundance of new characters introduced with not much to do, especially in the first half of the film.
The first half felt like a chore to get through not going to lie, but once we get to the second half however that’s where this film really shines. The action is both visceral and incredibly fun to watch, the soundtrack is jam-packed with so much personality, and the film combines the two to give us some of the most memorable scenes you’ll ever see in a MCU film. The characters are still just as memorable as before and each and every one of them gets a satisfying conclusion to their respective arcs. The performances are top notch as usual, the highlight being Bradley Cooper’s voice work as Rocket and Karen Gillian as Nebula. Gunn’s direction continues to be one of the most distinct among the MCU and he navigates the film towards one of the best conclusions to a franchise since Endgame.
Overall this was a satisfying conclusion to the Guardians storyline and a breath of fresh air in an ever-growing stagnant MCU. Though Gunn is officially done with the MCU from this point on, odds are this won’t be the last time we hear of the Guardians, at least a few of them, as the MCU continues to barrel towards another cosmic showdown to rival the Infinity Saga. Until then though I feel as if I got my fill of the MCU for now and don’t feel the need to see every film from this point on. Check it out and see for yourself.
Final Verdict: 7/10