The heart and soul of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) are back in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and this time their mission is personal. When one of their own is in danger they must come together and overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles in order to keep the team together. With new threats, The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) and Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), hot on their tails, the end appears to be near. Can the frikin’ Guardians of the Galaxy save the world one more time, or has their run finally come to an end?
We’ve all fallen in love with these characters: Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Drax (Dave Bautista), and the others, and Writer-Director James Gunn tasked himself with creating the conclusion to their cinematic journey (at least collectively). What Gunn is able to accomplish from the opening seconds of the film in terms of emotion is simply beautiful. Viewers are incapable of relaxing, incapable of ever taking a breath–as they are forced to the edges of their seats, anticipating the next gut-wrenching moment. I was drawn near to tears on numerous occasions (and the only reason I didn’t cry is because I refused to do so in a public theater). Nebula (Karen Gillan), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), and even Adam Warlock have moments in which they tug at viewers’ heartstrings, where they continue to poke the emotional bear–and I’m not sure that emotions have been this prominent in the MCU since Avengers: Endgame.
There are aspects of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 that are difficult to dissect because as I watched for the first time I was enamored by what played out in front of me. Those aforementioned emotional moments are an example of this. I have to look back and reflect, because in the moment the critic in me took a break, and I felt like a little kid as I watched one of the greatest superhero spectacles of all time.
Anyone that has seen a film by Gunn knows that music is the driving force behind what he does. The world knows that music is the heart of these films, and that without them I’m not sure that these films have the same amount of luster. With that being said, Gunn used music to drive the film in an entirely different way in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. In the early going, in one of the more intense scenes of the entire film, music comes to a standstill, and Gunn approaches this differently–intensifying the scene and creating emotion like we haven’t seen in a long time in the MCU. The ability of this team to juxtapose the usual and create something unique to the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is impressive all on its own–but for it to be as powerful as it is, to be able to resonate so immensely with viewers is something that I don’t think that I’ve seen before and is even more impressive.
Comedy has been important to these characters, there’s no doubt about that–and I don’t think there’s ever been a complaint about the way that Gunn develops comedy in his films. But much like the music, Gunn shifts in this regard and he creates a film where comedy no longer feels like the driving force behind the dialogue. The dialogue is (with the exception of one single word) perfect. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 relies heavily on the words of our beloved heroes–and rarely is a word wasted. I fell in love with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 primarily as a result of the dialogue–as it is ultimately the catalyst for everything else. It felt like every word spoken strengthened the narrative more and more–building on the beauty that already existed.
I mention Gunn more than anything else in this review, and that’s intentional. Not a single person is questioning Pratt, Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Vin Diesel (Groot), or anyone else that has played a role in this franchise, but the fact of the matter is that Gunn is the genius behind all three of these films’ successes. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 may just be Gunn’s best film to date, and he’s further broken down the barriers between superhero cinema and the rest of the filmmaking world. With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 it’s time to start talking about the reality that James Gunn is one of the best writers and directors of not just this generation, but of all time. He takes themes and ideas that don’t often exist within superhero films to this capacity and amplifies them to infinity. This film is just the latest example of his genius–and there are most assuredly many brilliant projects in the future.
Gunn promised that not a second of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 would go to waste, and for the most part he’s right. From the opening seconds of the film the characters that we all love (and some new ones) continue to develop, strengthen their place in our hearts, and help to create a narrative that is not only a ton of fun but brilliantly intuitive and accessible. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 isn’t just the best of the trilogy, but it’s one of the best films in all of the MCU. Gunn does it again, creating something existentially enthralling and emotionally spectacular. These things extend themselves from beginning to end, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is already one of the best films of 2023.
Written & Directed by James Gunn.
Starring Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Chukwudi Iwuji, Bradley Cooper, Pom Klementieff, Karen Gillan, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Maria Bakalova, Sean Gunn, Will Poulter, Nico Santos, Miriam Shor, Linda Cardellini, Asim Chaudhury, Mikaela Hoover, Elizabeth Debicki, Judy Greer, Sylvester Stalone, Tara Strong, Michael Rosenbaum, Daniela Melchoir, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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