Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 has a lot riding on its shoulders.
With the lukewarm reception to Phase 4 and the latest Antman movie, it’s clear that MCU fatigue has started to set in. Fans have been providing suggestions on what can be done to get the MCU back to it’s glory days. Some suggested slamming the brakes on the deluge of content that the MCU has been pumping out. Others suggested reducing the comedic tone of the movies (blasphemy!). There were some who suggested a return to smaller stakes instead of the world ending stakes that feel cheap nowadays.
It’s for that reason that a lot of pressure has been put on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. Fans have one single question….Well, two actually.
“Is it good?”
“Will it stage the MCU’s critical comeback?”
Well, if James Gunn heard those questions, he doesn’t seem to care. The guy wanted to make his final MCU movie an heartfelt affair with this favorite cast and he delivers. He also delivers something that I forgot existed in these movies.
After the events of Endgame, the Guardians have set up their base in Knowhere. (Apparently, there was a Holiday Special on Disney+ that explains how they got to that point. It’s not required viewing). Peter Quill is drinking away his sorrow over the death of Gamora. Of course, there is a Gamora from an alternate timeline that’s in their timeline. After an attack on their base leaves Rocket on death’s bed, the gang has to travel in search of the High Evolutionary (Chudwuki Iwuji) to save their friend.
One advantage that the Guardians of the Galaxy has over other MCU properties is that they’re fairly isolated from the MCU. Yes, these characters get involved in the larger MCU. But their individual movies have always been divorced from the main plot of the universe. No setting up future plot points, no new characters who are having a TV show in the works etc. Considering the past few MCU movies have been letdowns because of those, this feature is a god send for the Guardians.
I was slightly apprehensive of the movie’s runtime. At 2 hours and 30 minutes, Volume 3 can be a bit bloated, but it never feels like a drag. The movie runs at a pretty sprightly pace with the occasional break provided by the comedy and Rocket’s backstory. Mind you, the movie is your usual MCU affair. There is of course the usual MCU humor that this movie pioneered. There is of course, the final act that’s a big CGI fest (Though I will give this movie credit for having much better action sequences than the last few MCU movies). But Gunn injects so much heart into this movie that even this rote story works great.
Of course, what’s a Guardians movie without a killer soundtrack? Barring that Beastie Boys song (Why is “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” so overused?), the song choices are great.
You can tell that Gunn loves these weird outcasts and he went to town with the writing for them. The main focus being of course, Rocket Raccoon’s backstory and his connection with the villain. Now the writing can get a bit oversentimental at times, especially with Rocket’s backstory. A little subtlety in that area wouldn’t have hurt. But it doesn’t drag down the movie in any way. The main cast does a fine job, with Drax and Mantis being the comedic highlights.
I liked Chudwuki Iwuji’s role as Murn in DC’s Peacekeeper (also by James Gunn), so I wanted to see what he would do as the antagonist of the movie. The High Evolutionary is….fine, I suppose? He’s a mad scientist with a god complex. Iwuji lends madness and gravitas to what is otherwise a pretty rote villain. As MCU villains go, he’s better than Malekith, Ronan and the previous movie’s Ego, but not on the level of someone like Killmonger or Gorr.
The main issue with this movie is that it’s overstuffed with too many characters. Besides the Guardians and the High Evolutionary, you have Rocket’s friends in the past Lylla (Linda Cardellini), Teefs (Asim Chaudhary) and Floor (Mikaela Hoover). There’s also Kraglin (Sean Gunn) and Cosmo the space dog (Maria Bakalova), Guardians in training. To add to this, there’s also Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) and Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki), lackeys of the High Evolutionary who are trying to capture Rocket.
Gunn tries to provide a decent amount of screen time for all the characters, which lends to the bloated quality of the movie. I understand Adam Warlock is a big deal in the comics, and Will Poulter does a fine job. The thing is, he was a major part of the Infinity Gauntlet storyline. The MCU adapted that storyline without him in Infinity War and Endgame. Without that main purpose, Warlock’s just a naive Superman that acts as a convenient plot device in this movie. The movie could have removed him and gained a bit more focus on the main cast.
To answer those questions,
“Will this movie stage the MCU’s comeback?“. Not really. The Guardians have always been their own thing, so I don’t think this movie’s success or failure will reflect on the larger MCU.
“Is it good?“. Yes.
For the issues it has, there’s still something refreshing about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 that I’d easily recommend this movie. Something I’d had forgotten exists in these type of franchise movies.
An air of finality.
Of course, the MCU isn’t going to remove the Guardians of the Galaxy from its lineup just because James Gunn is moving away. There’ll probably be another movie starring the same or a different set of characters. They’ll probably be more integrated with the wider MCU.
But for Gunn, it’s his last movie with the property that propelled him to superstardom. For the stars of this movie, it’s their last movie under his direction. For some of the main cast, it is their last MCU movie. Gunn has definitely directed this movie in that mindset. As such, Volume 3 feels like a final celebratory swansong for both the cast and the director.
A bit clumsy, a bit serious, but all heart.