'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' is a satisfying (but safe) ending to a decade-long franchise
- Warning: There are minor spoilers ahead for "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."
- "Vol. 3" is a fitting end to director James Gunn's trilogy.
"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is a satisfying — but safe — conclusion to a trilogy that kicked off about a decade ago. But this is exactly what Marvel Studios needs right now after a string of mostly mediocre sequels over the past year.
The third installment catches up with the Guardians at an unspecified time after the events of 2019's "Avengers: Endgame."
While Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Kraglin (Sean Gunn), and Nebula (Karen Gillan) adjust to life on Knowhere, Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) has buried himself in booze.
Still reeling over the loss of Gamora in "Avengers: Infinity War," the Guardian leader can't move forward and accept that there's another alternate-timeline version of the woman he loves who's a stranger to him.
The group's thrust into action when an unexpected encounter with Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) — a character first teased at the end of 2017's "Vol. 2." to seek revenge on the Guardians — leaves Rocket's life endangered.
Moving back and forth between past and present to dive into Rocket's heartbreaking mysterious origin, Gunn delivers an emotional sendoff for his ragtag group of misfits that possesses the humor and heart of the first two movies.
Devoid of any real stakes, "Vol. 3" is not the best of the trilogy, but it's better than the last outing.
Chukwudi Iwuji delivers a brilliant villain
The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) — an extreme nightmare mix between the creator in "Edward Scissorhands" and Sid from "Toy Story" — is obsessed with genetically engineering the perfect utopian society.
His methods are madness though. He's one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's creepiest and most unsettling creations.
His complex relationship with Rocket, who he created, drives the story's emotional theme about respecting and loving yourself for who you are and finding purpose in the world.
The sequel could've been done without Warlock and Gamora
Flying in like a bat out of hell, Warlock is a big, beautiful, and strong Grade-A dum-dum. (Think Johnny Bravo.)
Though he adds levity to the threequel's darker tones, his addition wasn't necessary and was clearly added for potential future Marvel outings.
"Vol. 2" set Warlock up to be the sequel's main villain. So it's weird that's not really what happens here. Instead, the Sovereign's revenge takes a backseat in preference to the High Evolutionary.
Gamora's (Zoe Saldaña) presence also adds little to this movie and, if anything, becomes a slight annoyance.
Despite exploring the complexities of moving forward after a loss and imposing undesired expectations on a person who simply can't fulfill them, this Gamora's too unrecognizable and mean-spirited from the one fans have come to love.
While she adds some elements of humor to the film, it's clear Gamora didn't need to be here. Her character doesn't even want to be here. She reminds us nearly every time she's on-screen how she wants to leave the Guardians.
It makes sense now why Gunn almost killed her off in "Vol. 2." Marvel would've made a bigger statement if Gamora stayed dead after the events of "Avengers: Infinity War."
3 adorable new sidekicks are immediate standouts
A telekinetic space pup, Cosmo (Maria Bakalova), first introduced briefly in the first film, joins the Guardians' family as its newest member, vying desperately to be viewed as a very good dog.
Rocket's otter friend Lylla, voiced by Marvel alum Linda Cardellini, is a scene stealer who viewers don't spend enough time with.
And lastly, a cuddly alien pet, who Gunn revealed to be named Blurp on Twitter, is undeniably adorable and the creature's unexpected bond with one character helps solidify the pair as one to watch in the MCU's future.
'Vol. 3' is not a perfect conclusion, but it is a satisfying enough ending to the group's nearly decade-long journey
Filmed for IMAX, often taking advantage of the full screen, Gunn delivers in every action sequence. An extended hallway battle during the third act is the sequel's best use of the format.
Despite impressive visuals, Gunn's recent penchant to insert his wife, Jennifer Holland, in recent projects (she's also recently appeared in "The Suicide Squad" and "Peacemaker") becomes slightly distracting here in one otherwise-very-fun sequence where the Guardians get caught up in a high-stakes mission that goes awry.
But the most frustrating thing about "Vol. 3" is how much it feels like a cookie-cutter Disney flick by its end, neatly delivering a satisfying conclusion for each of its characters without raising any real stakes.
Many will leave theaters satisfied enough, but Marvel's recent need to set up potential spin-offs and sequels in each outing continues to jeopardize a good film from becoming great, something that's shown in the performance of its past few movies, including "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" and "Multiverse of Madness."
As Gunn's Marvel swan song, it seemed at times that he was deliberately trying to see what he could get away with inserting into "GotG: Vol. 3"
A few lines of dialogue feel written by a child: In a released clip, a character says they'll name themselves Floor because they're lying on a floor; In another uninspired line, Drax resorts to an unnecessary and unfunny poop joke that adds little to the scene.
The studio also let Gunn drop the first F-bomb in a Marvel project, despite trying to warn him against it.
There's no denying Gunn deserves a bit of free reign with his last "Guardians" movie. Back in 2014, critics believed it could be the first MCU flop. Instead, Gunn took one of Marvel's most obscure comics and turned a talking tree who spoke three words ("I am Groot") into a household name.
No other Marvel franchise has directly tied music so intricately to its plot that it becomes invaluable to the story. Nearly every needle drop works because Gunn hand-selected which songs to include.
It shouldn't be a surprise then that the ending leaves things open for another possible "Guardians" outing. But, let's be real. Whoever may take over the "Guardians" franchise has enormous shoes to fill if Gunn's no longer attached.
"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is in theaters on May 5. Stick around after the movie ends for two post-credits scenes.