Director: James Gunn
Writers: James Gunn, Dan Abnett, and Andy Lanning
Stars: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista
Synopsis: Still reeling from the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill rallies his team to defend the universe and one of their own – a mission that could mean the end of the Guardians if not successful.
When it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU as most know it, an argument could be made that the original Guardians of the Galaxy is the most important of the entire series, not just for the ever-expanding franchise and universe, but for the creatives behind and in front of the camera. Before Guardians of the Galaxy, Chris Pratt was best known as a goofy television star who had done character work but never had his film breakout, Dave Bautista was a former pro wrestler just getting into film acting, and James Gunn was a relatively unknown director in the public eye. Since then, however, Pratt has become a bonafide action leading man, Bautista became one of the most exciting actors in the business, and Gunn is running the show for the DC Cinematic Universe.
It’s not as though this rise to stardom for these three, and more, was a given either. Guardians of the Galaxy was a risky project for Marvel; likely the riskiest thing the studio has done in its 15 years of producing media. A movie that had a human team up with the daughter of Thanos (the overarching main villain at the time), a naive and foolish muscular alien, a talking raccoon, and… a tree whose vocabulary is limited to, “I am Groot,” didn’t, on paper, look like a franchise that would eventually bring in over $1.5 billion in box office sales. Nevertheless, this risk that Marvel took reminded everyone, even early into the days of Marvel, what this Cinematic Universe was built on. Now, almost 10 years after the release of the original Guardians of the Galaxy, the newest iteration of this story, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, is a farewell to not only these heroes but a filmmaker as well, all of whom were always quietly the backbone of MCU.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 begins in the past, showing The High Evolutionary (frequent Gunn collaborator Chukwudi Iwuji) reaching to grab a young Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) before transitioning to the present day. In the present day, the Guardians have claimed Knowhere (the severed head of a celestial) as their new home and headquarters. The group is still coming to terms with the outcome of both wars against Thanos (Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame); no one is taking it harder than Peter Quill, a.k.a Star-Lord (Pratt), who spends most of his time drunk in a bar after losing the love of his life in Gamora (Zoe Saldana) only to get back a version that doesn’t love him back.
After getting a drunk Quill back to his bed, Rocket is attacked by an unknown figure, who we later discover is Sovereign Warrior Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), whose powers are unlike any the Guardians have ever seen. The Guardians, with help from other inhabitants of Knowhere, fight off Warlock forcing him to retreat back to his home planet. However, this isn’t until after Rocket is badly injured, and when trying to save his life, it is discovered there is a killswitch implanted on his heart that must be deactivated before they can operate. The Guardians team of Quill, Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Drax (Dave Bautista), Nebula (Karen Gillan), and Groot (Vin Diesel) must team up with Gamora, who is now a Ravager, to find the passcode, while also stopping the Sovereign and The High Evolutionary from getting to Rocket.
Marvel has been rightfully criticized for the look and feel of some of their recent films. For over 10 years, the studio had perfected a style that worked well enough storywise, but really stood out in box office gains. Less individuality has been brought to these movies, and movie after movie it seems as though there is no director’s vision, only Marvel’s. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, however, this couldn’t be further from the case. James Gunn’s final outing is so inherently him that he could have made a case for calling the movie “James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy.” All of Gunn’s idiosyncrasies that made him so popular are there – the jokes hit and the dynamic between the cast is as good as ever – but it is the extra step he took that truly made this one of the more unique MCU projects.
Serving as the sole writer on the film – a choice that had rarely been done in the MCU until lately – Gunn didn’t just infuse this movie with jokes and quips and an emotional storyline underneath, no, he brings the dark into light crafting one of the most harrowing origin stories in film history. The story of Rocket has been relatively unexplored within the vast Marvel universe and for good reason. Using memory and flashbacks, Gunn finally feels the need to tell Rocket’s story and, in doing so, accentuates the pain that the angsty raccoon has been carrying his entire life. There is a strong balance between emotion and explanation in Gunn’s script and there is never a branch into the territory of emotional manipulation as after two solo films and multiple other outings with these characters, their family dynamic feels earned. This kind of tonal balance between the humor and the dark themes is exactly why DC wanted the writer/director.
Just as his script pushed the boundaries of what we have come to know, his direction is raised to an even higher bar. Gunn goes full out behind the camera allowing cinematographer Henry Braham the freedom to capture some of these fight sequences in the wackiest and most exhilarating of ways. Mixed with some of the best visual effects work that has been seen from recent Marvel projects, the fights, no matter where they are and who they’re with, always look and feel real. More than just the fights themselves, the direction matches the script perfectly knowing when to have fun and when to get serious.
And when it does get serious, it is highlighted in the performances. All of the classic Guardians have their time to not only be the silly versions that we have seen for years but also show a side of the characters that haven’t been explored often. Zoe Saldana is great as always, and Karen Gillan, Dave Bautista, and Pom Klementieff all give their best performance as these characters. Meanwhile, Chris Pratt gives the performance of his career as someone who feels responsible for his best friend’s condition and is struggling with being in the presence of his past love. However, no performance stands out as much as Chukwudi Iwuji as The High Evolutionary. His character may not be one of the best villains in the universe, but Iwuji’s performance elevates the character into being the most menacing villain yet. Whether in the present or the past, his constant obsession with creating a perfect utopian society, and his ways of going about it, are enough to strike fear in the audience; but his outbursts and maniacal rage mixed with his moments of quiet paired with his threatening stature provide a true horror for who he is and what he is capable of.
No matter what else, the best part about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is that it provides something rarely seen in Marvel-related properties: a proper ending. A sprawling and emotional epic that is both a celebration of the time spent with these characters as well as an acceptance of a future without them. James Gunn’s final Marvel project is an emotional epic, easily the most grandiose the filmmaker has ever been, and DC fans should feel as though they are in good hands. Marvel will miss him, and this group will never be the same, but that’s okay, they will always be the Guardians of the frickin’ Galaxy.
