Written by: James Gunn
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel
Rating: [4/5]
Saying goodbye to characters that have endeared themselves to audiences never comes as an easy task. We have gone on this journey with them, and we can only wish they receive the farewell they deserve. With the characters in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, we receive the final chapter of these beloved characters and unsurprisingly, this trilogy capper proves these films always served as the crown jewel of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Operating out of their headquarters, the crew are attacked by a sovereign warrior named Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) that gravely injures Rocket (Bradley Cooper). As the team tries to find the proper way to heal Rocket, we learn more about his past and the way he was tortured and experimented on by an alien cyborg known as High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji).
Going all the way back to 2014 and the release of Guardians of the Galaxy this rogue’s gallery of characters have always had my affection in the way they have gathered and bonded through the horrific life experiences that brought them together. It makes every journey they have gone on since then all the more powerful, and this third and final entry into their story does no different. This film creates yet another beautiful look at the connections these characters have and despite what may have happened to them in the past, they all deserve love.
While mostly in a state of recovery in the present timeline, this trilogy capper spends a significant amount of time with flashbacks to Rocket from a younger age. In the previous films, we have learned about Rocket’s troubled past where he endured horrifying experiments on him, which made him what he is in the present. This film made the bold choice of demonstrating exactly what the poor raccoon had to go through along with the other animals as the High Evolutionary sought to perfect other beings through testing on these animals. Now, it does not take a genius to draw the obvious parallels to what Rocket goes through to the horrific use of animals to test various cosmetic products in our world. Just like High Evolutionary, these companies create these vanity solutions at the expense of putting these animals through terrifying trials to prove its efficacy. James Gunn pulls no punches in demonstrating the horrors these animals face, and we experience the hope they have for a future for themselves that most likely will never arrive. It will undoubtedly activate the water works, but it makes sense for what the rest of the narrative seeks to communicate.
The other emotional storyline propelling forward the narrative comes from Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) trying to have Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) remember the love they had for each other in the previous life. Based on the events in Avengers: Endgame, this version of Gamora did not experience the affection of the one who died for Peter and the latter seeks to rekindle this, much to the protestation of the former. The moments with Quill and the remainder of the team seeks to serve as the counterbalance of comedy compared to the truly sad flashbacks of Rocket and his friends, which demonstrates what these films do best under the guidance of James Gunn. It can have deeply serious moments that get the chance to breath, but the film remains unafraid to bring a laugh at the expense of these characters. While Rocket’s storyline certainly carries much more of the quality, the balancing act undoubtedly comes together very well to create a cohesive storyline.
By the end this feature needed to leave these characters in a place where it felt right given everything they have gone through and even with the crew growing from the original five, James Gunn puts a tidy bow on everything. Each of these characters had their own arcs to follow, and it makes me glad that the team behind the feature made some difficult decisions of how this would all end, in addition to giving them the natural place their story would leave them. Each of these characters get their arc closed in a meaningful manner, and it demonstrates what makes these characters so special.
From their debut in 2014 to now, bringing together these Guardians served as Marvel’s biggest achievement, given they united these generally unknown characters and made us care for them more than any other characters in this universe. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 displayed once again what makes them so special, and why saying goodbye to them displays the end of an era for this franchise. With this film we receive everything one could want from these films and the love and care proves quite evident with the beautiful enduring message about love being possible no matter what one goes through earlier in their lives. A beautiful conclusion to a wondrous set of films.
Films with Josh 
