In terms of release dates, Guardians of the Galaxy is the longest Marvel trilogy, with nearly nine years between the release of the original in 2014 and Vol. 3 this weekend. It's funny to think back about the skepticism around the first movie: "Marvel's lost their minds! Do they expect to make their money back on a sci-fi picture with no superheroes, no stars, and bookended by a walking tree and talking raccoon? Sell your stock!"
Obviously, Marvel's tenth movie went on to do all right, with the characters appearing in two Avengers movies plus their own Holiday Special. Having read and loved the source material I was never worried, but as the MCU gets bigger and almost prohibitively interconnected, there is a worry about diminishing returns.
But let me say this about that: I will need to see it again to be sure, but I think Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the best entry in the trilogy. It is also unquestionably the most emotionally impactful Marvel movie since Endgame.
I recognize nothing is more subjective than emotions, but the story is so empathetic and the characters are so emotionally grounded that I have a hard time finding another adventure film to really compare it to.
Despite an expansive and expanding cast of characters, everyone is given a chance to shine, even ones like former first mate Kraglin (Sean Gunn), space-dog Cosmo (Maria Bakalova). And all our favourites are given a chance to do something new, from Drax (Dave Bautista) providing legitimate insight to Mantis (Pom Klementieff) asserting herself beyond providing support to her teammates.
Most impressively, James Gunn does a fantastic job of establishing Zoe Saldana's alternate universe Gamora as a new and distinct character from the original she replaced in Endgame, and the relationship between her and Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) is handled deftly.
But the lynchpin of the story is Rocket (Bradley Cooper), whose origin story and links to the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) provide not only the plot but emotional hub for the rest of the yarn to revolve around. Cooper peels back the cynicism and displays tremendous vulnerability in Rocket's tragic, younger self.
Looking in the eyes of the animal subjects of the High Evolutionary's experiments reminded me of my own pets, but never felt excessively manipulative. Likewise, Ikuji's performance is less maniacal and more monomaniacal; someone so convinced of the legitimacy of his perspective that he will go to any lengths to pursue it - the fact that lives are lost along the way are not the goal, like Thanos, but an incidental consequence.
As a comic fan, I appreciated having Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) in the film (as teased by the cocoon in Vol. 2), even if his naive demeanor is very different from the composed and nearly omniscient character from the pen of Jim Starlin.
And James Gunn's dialogue has never been better; funny, poignant, and with only a handful of pop-culture references. Well, outside the soundtrack, which has now progressed to the 90s, courtesy of Star-Lord's Zune from Vol. 2.
But while the laughs are great, the real highlights are the increasingly personal moments of truth shared between characters. Some of these play up relationships established in the Holiday Special, so it helps to have seen that, but there are very few connections to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, if that is a concern. In fact, they do a great job distilling the complex time travel shenanigans into just what is needed for new viewers to follow along.
But if you have watched the previous movies and have been looking for something to shake off the dust of the Phase IV films, and familiar characters treated in new ways but with heart and respect and full appreciation of their background, Guardians Vol. 3 is a film that scratches a lot of itches, at least for this nerd.
And is certainly the best MCU film since Endgame.
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