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Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and the rest of the Guardians unite to save Rocket after parts of his past resurface. They embark on a mission that could tear the group apart. REVIEW:

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 is a movie that, for a while there, looked like it would never get made. After the release of the second film, James Gunn’s career took a nosedive. While the first two films became super-sized successes and made Chris Pratt a star, his career as a writer-director went into a tailspin. Disney fired Gunn after some old Tweets surfaced. Had the cast not united to reinstate him, we may never have seen a fitting conclusion to this trilogy. Gunn is not only being reinstated by Disney, but he’s also headed to DC where he might just become a Kevin Feige figure in his own rights. It’s the only MCU entry that is completely independent of any other Marvel Universe work. You won’t find any references to Kang, the Avengers or even Kang himself. The only references are to the other two Guardians movies and, of course, Avengers: Infinity War

and Endgame, which essentially killed off Zoe Saldana’s Gamora, only to resurrect an alternate version of her. At the beginning of the movie, Quill is a self pitying wreck after the death “his” Gamora. The new Gamora (being mentored Sylvester Stallone’s Stacker) is a Ravager. Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock, who works for Chukwudi iwuji, the High Evolutionary who created Rocket, wants him back. They have to work together with her. This threat quickly shakes Quill from his stupor and Pratt is back to being a swashbuckling Star-Lord. Rocket and his furry pals undergo brutal surgeries in the movie that are not suitable for family entertainment. The movie is not for children. I heard many adults weeping in the screening that I attended. However all of this serves a reason as it gives the film an urgency that the others haven’t and makes The High Evolutionary the most evil villain in Marvel history. All Guardians are given equal screen time in this movie, and there is no defacto leader. The arcs of all the characters were strong, including Dave Bautista as the hulking yet gentle Drax, Pom Klimentieff as Mantis and Vin Diesel as Groot. Karen Gillan, who is now officially a member of Team Nebula, also had a strong storyline.

Like all the other films,

Guardians Of The Galaxy Volume 3

has perfect needle-drop tracks. However, now that Peter owns a Zune filled with music from 70s, 80s and 90s as well as 2000s the soundtrack opens up. You can expect to hear everything from Radiohead, The Flaming Lips to Springsteen, The The and Florence and the Machine.

If there’s anything I would like to point out, it is that Guardians, 3, at 150 minutes long, is a lot. A lengthy section on a different version of Earth also feels too episodic. Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock also has a relatively small part, mainly serving as a comedic foil outside of the opening act, although there are no doubt plans for him?

Overall, Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 is the best Marvel movie since

Endgame. Some of you may point to other (positive reviews) we’ve given recently Marvel movies and raise eyebrows. I gave Thor Love and Thunder an excellent review, but when you watch it again it falls apart. I hated Quantumania. However Guardians Of The Galaxy Volume 3 is a very entertaining addition, even though it’s not perfect. It works as a space-opera independent of the MCU. It’s impressive they gave Gunn the leeway to do this, as even

WakandaForever was saddled with a degree of Marvel world-building that felt tacked on to what was otherwise a solid stand-alone movie. So, is this the end of the Guardians of the Galaxy? I doubt it. James Gunn has been done with it for some time, but there is no definitive ending to the film. Someone could still make it work. Gunn’s passion and vigor will be hard to match. It feels like, outside of Ryan Coogler’s films, directors can no longer put their personal stamp on them, which is a pity, because Gunn’s passion and love for the characters make this movie really good. 8

Entertainment - Media News Watch originally published at Entertainment - Media News Watch