Director: James Gunn Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Will Poulter, Elizabeth Debicki, Maria Bakalova, and Sylvester Stallone Movie Length: 2 hours 30 minutes Dan's thoughts: I enjoyed the movie, although some of the scenes involving Rocket's origin/backstory were a bit tough to watch. If animal cruelty is a trigger for you, it may be best to bring some kleenex. That being said the origin story of Rocket's was well done, albeit sad.
As Darren review below mentions, there are some fanservice moments (and a well placed F-bomb, a first for an MCU movie). The fanservice moments were great as we get to see some of the lesser used characters of Gunn’s GotG trilogy.
In concluding the trilogy of this set of Guardians, Gunn’s script wrapped up a lot of storylines for the main characters while leaving it open for them to return in the future (maybe as part of the end to this chapter in the MCU). The new additions to the MCU including Will Poulter’s (Adam) Warlock, Chukwudi Iwuji as the big baddie of this movie, High Evolutionary both put on good performances, and I can’t wait to see what Warlock does once he gets more training with his powers.
Dan’s grade: A. A fitting end to one of the better trilogies in the MCU.
Darren’s thoughts: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been billed as the conclusion of the Guardians’ story. While I’m sure some of the characters will pop up in other Marvel Cinematic Universe films, Vol. 3 really does feel like a final chapter and a fitting end to the story.
It’s become popular to bemoan the declining quality of the Marvel movies (and a lot of the criticism is fair). I believe Guardians Vol. 3 is among the best of the recent (post Endgame) Marvel movies. Rocket’s backstory is the heart of the plot, but Vol. 3 excellently balances each of the established characters while managing to squeeze in some new ones. Vol. 3 is chock full of fanservice, but each character is given a ‘hero moment’ and a satisfying resolution to their story.
Those who have enjoyed the prior films and are invested in the characters will get more out of this film. I recommend watching the first two Guardians films (and their post credit scenes), Infinity War, Endgame, and if possible the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on Disney+ (not required but if you watch it, you will catch some references you will otherwise miss). If you haven’t seen these movies, you won’t appreciate the resolution of the characters’ arcs … and a lot of things will probably confuse you.
Here is my Through the Lens podcast review of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Darren’s Score: A. If you like Guardians of the Galaxy, I’m pretty confident you will enjoy this film.
