Movie Review – Guardians Of The Galaxy: Volume 3

I’ve said elsewhere that I was a little late coming to the Guardians Of The Galaxy party. At first I wasn’t a fan but when a pre-Avengers: Endgame rewatch required seeing it again I was won over.  So when Volume Three was announced I was quite excited. Excited to the point of writing an anticipation piece about it. I’ve also spoken about the lovely time that was had when Jill was over here and we went to see Ant Man And The Wasp: Quantumania.  Sadly, for me, there were two high spots: getting to see it with Jilly and the Guardians Of The Galaxy: Vol.3 trailer. I remember thinking that there was more humour, heart, and creativity in the trailer than the film.

So, what do we have to look forward to in Guardians Of The Galaxy: Vol.3? It has been touted as the final part of a trilogy. That is always a worry when you have an ensemble cast; you always worry that a few of them might not make it to the end credits. Think they won’t do it? We’ve seen it plenty of times! Obviously, I’m not going to say who is still a living, breathing member of the Guardians at this stage; I don’t want to be accused of spoilerage! I will just say that every one of the Guardians will cause you to have a “heart in the mouth, is this it?” moment! 

We’ll All Fly Away Together…One Last Time

The main theme of the story revolves around Rocket; his background, his childhood, how he became Rocket, the people who made him what he is, and  how they can rescue him from their clutches. As with the other episodes there is humour, excitement, and good music.  There is also a lot of emotion. How much comes from knowing it is the last outing for the gang is hard to say. I mean, who didn’t shed a tear when groot was reduced to splinters in the first film? But, having heard this is the final part of the trilogy, does give it an edge. That guy chopping onions in the seat behind me didn’t help matters, either.

I’m torn between saying that it was a good decision to settle on a trilogy or whether they could have made more. They have made three consistently good films and it would be a shame to tarnish the legacy, but I also think that there are more stories that could be told. We know a bit of Peter Quill’s background, a tiny bit about Nebula and Gamora, and Volume Three tells us a lot of how Rocket became, well, Rocket. But where is Mantis’ story? Or Drax’s? Or even Cosmo’s!  And that’s just the back stories. I’m sure those talented scriptwriters could come up with loads of stories when they come back to work.

Don’t Forget Where We Came From

One thing which I really liked was the pacing. The story was spread out nicely; a dream or a flashback, a bit of character interaction, and then an action piece. The two and a half hours flew past! It was, by turns, touching, tickling, and thrilling. In some ways that made it easy to find Peetimes because the backstory and character pieces were quite easy to summarise and slip in a Peetime. The downside was that I like to get a final Peetime in before the big battle at the end. Trouble was that nearly the whole of the last hour was pretty non stop action! There were character parts but they got much shorter as the tempo increased.

I’ll not say much more because I desperately don’t want to give anything away and spoil it for everyone still to come. What I will say is that I was a bit apprehensive because, let’s face it, the MCU has been a bit hit or miss since Avengers: Endgame dropped. For every Spider-Man: No Way Home there was an Eternals. Which end of the spectrum has Guardians Of The Galaxy: Vol.3 landed on? Let me put it this way…I’m going back to see it again tomorrow!

Movie Grade: A+

Anything Extra
Yes, there are extra scenes during, or after, the end credits. Learn more.

Rating:	[PG-13] Intense Sequences of Violence | Action | Strong Language | Suggestive/Drug References | Thematic Elements
Release Date:	May 05, 2023
Starring:	Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista
Director:	James Gunn
Writer(s):	James Gunn, Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning
Genres:	Action | Adventure | Comedy | Superhero | MCU

Plot
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.