✯✯✯✯

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn’t exist.

All good things must come to an end, and here is the final entry in what might have consistently been the best series within the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. For me, these films have always been the most entertaining entries of the Marvel Cinematic Universe because they feel like singular entities within an interconnected franchise, all in part from James Gunn’s work as director and screenwriter. But of course he can’t stay bound to one franchise like this, as we’d seen him bounce from Marvel to DC with The Suicide Squad, so it was only about time that he give a crew that he loved one last go on the big screen. To say he delivers a beautiful send-off is one thing, but in a sea of superhero films that all serve a sort of homogeny, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is an absolute delight.

Following the events of Avengers: Endgame and Thor: Love and Thunder, the Guardians all find themselves within tight spots in their lives. Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) has become despondent after the death of his own Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), but gets called back into action after Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) becomes the target of forces connected to his own youth. In this film, we get our chance to see Rocket Raccoon’s origins before he became a part of the Guardians of the Galaxy, but perhaps the stakes are different as we’re seeing a race to save his own life compared to what we once saw in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film and onward. And I think that’s always been a big part of why these films appealed to me more than most MCU films: they embrace their own roots perfectly well, without going for the bombastic right away.

James Gunn has made it clear that his background came from writing films for the Troma production studio. But at the same time, he feels like a singular voice within the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the fact that his films don’t let exposition bog themselves down in order to connect with a bunch of other superhero films – although with this film following the last Avengers film things have definitely made it clear that the connection with a much larger universe is unavoidable. Still, it’s the way that everything has progressed over the course of time these films have come out that only makes the turn of events feel natural even within a self-contained series. It’s all out of a clear love for these characters as James Gunn expresses from the first frame to the last, and the energy is infectious.

Something that’d always bothered me within many recent PG-13-rated superhero movies comes from how they don’t feel like they’re pushing the limits of their rating far enough – and it’s been especially apparent in how Disney makes their movies. Which I think is another standard that James Gunn is aiming to push forth: especially in scenes that involve Rocket Raccoon’s past, as well as a theoretical alternative version of Earth as created by the film’s villain, the High Evolutionary (a highly entertaining and incredibly menacing performance from Chukwudi Iwuji, at that). Where it seemed like Sam Raimi was finding ways to teeter the around the limits of a PG-13, James Gunn actively goes for that route – and the end result is both some of the most distinctive imagery present in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and emotional beats that feel like they’re hitting all the really heavy notes perfectly.

But at the same time, I think that it’s just clear that James Gunn wants to know that he’s having as much fun behind the camera as he wants the audience to do so when watching a superhero movie. The movie might be the best-looking MCU film in general at that, with all the worlds feeling like they’re more vibrant than the last. Granted, these movies have never been afraid to show their influences from space operas and thus, being colourful should be more than enough to show how exciting these films can be – although Gunn’s growth from the first Guardians film all the way to the last has been especially impressive.

As James Gunn sends off a farewell to Marvel as he heads off to the world of DC, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ends with a bang. With many of these interconnected superhero films all feeling as if they’ve conformed to something of a homogenic look and formula to keep their supposed universe going forth, the irreverence that someone like James Gunn can bring to these films, given his Troma background, feels refreshing. At times, it’s also genuinely affecting, especially with knowing that Gunn’s period has come to an end, but he knew that people who’ve stuck with this crew for so long deserved a proper send-off. Knowing where Marvel has gone on since Thanos’s reign of terror has come to an end, I’d be hard-pressed to find another entry that’ll come close to topping Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Watch the trailer right here.

All images via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Directed by James Gunn
Screenplay by James Gunn, based on characters created by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Produced by Kevin Feige
Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Will Poulter, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Linda Cardellini, Elizabeth Debicki, Nathan Fillion, Sylvester Stallone
Release Date: May 5, 2023
Running Time: 150 minutes