I will be the first one to admit that the Guardians films never hit me as much as others around me. Since the first Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) came out, I have seen and met many people who adored that film. And I never hated it, but I “just” liked it. And the same happened with the sequel from 2017, which I also like but do not love. Sure, I haven’t watched either of them since then, so I might feel different now, but I doubt it. And the reason for that is Vol.3 is the best Guardians film, and I loved… some scenes/pieces of it. But this film is one of those “the pieces are better than the overall picture”.
I will have to do something I usually avoid, especially with movies as new as this one, but I will have to go into full spoiler talk soon, as I can’t otherwise explain my issues with this film. As I alluded to, there were moments I thought this film was brilliant. Some scenes and characters worked for me, and I liked what the movie was doing. But the longer the film went on, the more I found myself frustrated with the writers wanting to make you feel some stakes and never committing to anything meaningful. Despite the fact “meaningful” no longer matters in the MCU, when your characters can simply come back from the dead, and all we get is a jokey explanation for it.
Before diving into the spoilers, I must say I have enjoyed the focus on Rocket, I liked what they did with his character, the things that were hinted at in the past paid off, and we finally saw his (very dark) past. I must command that decision, as this film might just be MCU’s darkest film to date. It’s not necessarily scary (even though I can imagine some scenes giving 10-year-olds nightmares), but most of Rocket’s past and the main storyline are darker than usual because it touches on real-life things (the most obvious example is the cruelty of animal testing). I liked that aspect and how this movie felt like one of the most “adult” MCU films to date. Hence I regret that I can’t just find the strength to reward this film with a higher rating for a few reasons.
Beware, SPOILERS are coming!
This might be an issue on my receiver; for example, I might have missed something in some other MCU film since Avengers: Endgame (2019), but how the fuck is Gamora alive? Yes, they say it quite clear she isn’t the same Gamora and something about her being from some alternate reality or something, but… The film really skips over that. It made me question whether I have missed some Marvel special explaining this or whether they loved Zoe Saldaña so much they had to bring her back. Look, you don’t have to convince me hard for Zoe’s comeback; I am a big fan of hers. But her death meant something in the Endgame and for Star Lord’s character (Chris Pratt) too; as seen in the beginning of this film. And yeah, I have read the official justification on IMDb, but… it doesn’t work for me. As much as I love Zoe and her portrayal of Gamora, I feel like not having her in this film would have had a more meaningful impact on this film, like there are actual stakes. That brings me to my biggest problem with this film.
“Stakes? What is this strange word; is it French? Don’t know it!” – says Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. As the film constantly hints at everybody being killed at some point (and I mean every major actor), and just when you think they are actually going through with it, they are back alive. The most egregious examples are Drax (Dave Bautista) and Star-Lord. Drax gets shot straight to his chest and back, collapses to the ground, and epically sad music starts playing; you think that’s it; there is no way he is recovering… Nah, get fucked! He’s fine on his feet (well being carried by Mantis, portrayed by Pom Klementieff), and it’s not addressed at all afterwards; he is just peachy for the rest of the film. The same with Star-Lord; he (yet again) freezes up in space, and it seems like there is no saving him until the almost literal deus-ex-machine (in the form of Will Poulter) saves him.
I understand that, to some degree, the same can be said about most MCU films, but here, especially with the story being centred on endings and new beginnings, it felt like the movie wanted to have it both ways. They want you to feel like this story is so different and anything can happen, but the moment they can be different than the rest of the MCU, they always chicken out, just so we could have the actors available for other movies or possibly one last Guardians film… Who knows. I don’t mind suspending my disbelief, especially if watching a comic book movie. However, if you brand yourself as the “edgy one”, like this crazy, quirky comic-book film where anything can happen, and you make it so close to having a few meaningful deaths and then always pull back at the very last second, it feels contradictory.
Which was a shame as I have enjoyed most of the film; as mentioned before, Rocket’s incredibly sad backstory was heart-breaking, and with his almost death and coming back alive, I was ok with it. Because we spent so much time with him, I didn’t feel cheated by that, and I am glad he is now the new leader of this brand new team of Guardians. I also enjoyed the villain (portrayed by Chukwudi Iwuji) despite him getting almost cartoony towards the end, but overall he definitely belongs to the conversation of most intriguing MCU villains. I also need to shout out Bautista and Pom Klementieff, as both of their characters serve mainly as comedic reliefs, but they still managed to find some scenes to shine and have an impact. I don’t think they get enough credit for their work, especially the comedy elements that could have turned annoying fast, and yet they never failed to at least make me smile, if not a full-on laugh.
It will be interesting to see whether we will ever get the “original” Guardians, as a few have left the team, but given all of them are still alive, I would not rule it out. And I am looking forward to seeing what this new team can do, but it will be weird without James Gunn. Hopefully, Marvel will take some notes and hire some other, not mainstream director(s), and give them more of a “free range” over the film. Even though they might not be 100% my cup of hot cocoa, I can’t deny the success this trilogy (well, trilogy and the Holiday Special (2022)) has had. And this one is definitely the wildest, most out-there film yet, and this is precisely what Marvel needs – something a bit more out there to break through the mould of averageness.
Overall, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the best Guardians film by far. It still has some issues, mainly not being as “daring” as the movie seems to think it is, but it is a good time with a bunch of unique characters that gel together well. That and the soundtrack is always spot-on. I would say, if you loved the previous two Guardians movies, this is an easy choice. If you are like me and still haven’t gotten the love for these unique weirdos, I would still recommend it, as the film has enough themes and well-shot action sequences to keep you entertained.
That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!
Until next time,
Luke