Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 and Monsters
One of the most popular series of movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. James Gunn has done something remarkable with these movies, taking relatively unknown characters belonging to an obscure team of adventurers, and putting them on the same level as Captain America and Thor.
The first Guardians of the Galaxy broke new ground in the MCU, not just because of the use of unfamiliar characters or even the intergalactic setting. It was that first installment of the trilogy that charted the light-hearted tone that would define some of the most recent MCU movies. The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 continues that trend with plenty of silliness and humour. However, Gunn subverts the humour of the franchise by pairing it with disturbing horror.
Rocket, one of the most beloved characters on the team, is an intelligent and militarily adept raccoon, with the running joke that he claims he is not a raccoon. This third installment of the franchise takes a deep dive into Rocket’s background and a monstrous background it is.
Rocket did indeed begin as an ordinary raccoon, one taken from earth along with several other animals. He, along with the other animals, were experimented on by a being known as the High Evolutionary. The High Evolutionary’s goal is to create perfection and he does not care how many beings are tortured or killed in the process. The High Evolutionary comes across as a super advanced and less sympathetic scientist like Dr. Frankenstein.
While Rocket looks rather cute as a talking raccoon, his friends Lylla the otter, Teefs the walrus, and Floor the rabbit are not so fortunate. Although Rocket has a monstrous side to him, his friends embody the concept of monstrosity much more explicitly. They are beings that would excite horror in anyone who encountered them. That is until they got to know them. This group of transformed animals formed a community marked by love and inner beauty. They dream of flying away in a rocket ship flown by Rocket, living a life of peace.
These animals contrast with the High Evolutionary who seems to be physically attractive but on the inside is a monster. He notices that Rocket is different, and it looks like Rocket has earned his favour and appreciation. The High evolutionary simply recognizes that there is a scientific breakthrough that can only be unlocked by removing Rocket’s brain. Rocket discovers this, as well as the plan to kill his friends, and he attempts to escape. The plan is only partially successful, in that Rocket’s friends are brutally murdered, and only Rocket escapes but not before helping the High Evolutionary to look on the outside as he does on the inside.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is filled with themes of subverting our understanding of monstrosity. At one point, some of the Guardians are trapped on the High Evolutionary’s ship and three immense monsters are unleashed on them. It looks like a hopeless situation, until Mantis, who has the power of empathy, communicates with them. Feeling understood, the creatures assist the Guardians in their attempt to escape and they are eventually welcomed with the rest of the refugees.
On that same ship, are numerous children, potential experiments for the High Evolutionary. The Guardians exert great effort to save the children and get them to the world of Knowhere. Once the children are safe, the Guardians assume their job is complete. However, Rocket discovers that there are also numerous animals, including other raccoons, still on the ship. Rocket challenges his teammates to look beyond appearance to see all the life forms as worthy of rescue.
It is common for filmmakers to appear in their own films, but not as main characters, and often in ways that challenge the audience to spot. James Gunn does this in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 by playing the character Lambshank. No one would recognize Gunn as Lambshank’s appearance is completely CGI. What is significant about this is that the creator of the Guardians of the Galaxy world (Gunn) plays the most monstrous looking character, one that causes even the compassionate Mantis to scream in horror. While looking monstrous, Lambshank is gentle and innocent, so much so that Mantis lies about her scream to protect his feelings. Is this an image of a god-figure becoming incarnate as that which looks monstrous in order to challenge us to see the real monsters in the world?
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 works as a science fiction and superhero movie with lots of action and fight scenes. It is about the good guys versus the bad guys, just as we would expect. But it is also something deeper. It taps into our assumptions about what is and what is not a monster. It reveals beauty in the monstrous and monstrosity in the beautiful. James Gunn has created in this conclusion to the trilogy a movie that succeeds on numerous levels.
