Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 – Review
When the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie came out, I was not sure what to expect. I was not familiar with the team or the characters and so I went into it with an open mind. I found it to be one of the freshest MCU movies at the time.
I was not overly fond with Vol. 2. It was okay but in general seemed to stumble in trying to recapture the magic of the first movie.
Now the third, and presumably (?) final movie in the trilogy has been released. How does Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 measure up?
This one was a bit different in focus. The first two were primarily about Peter Quill (Star-Lord). While he obviously still plays a central role, especially with his feelings about Gamora, who had died but a past version had come to the present.
However, this one really has a focus on Rocket Racoon. In the previous movies, he had been used primarily for comedic value, and usually to great effect. Yet in Vol. 3, there is much more fleshed out portrayal of Rocket. We get much more than an origin story, we get a vivid picture of why Rocket is who he is.
And this is why Vol. 3 is perhaps the best movie in the trilogy and the best MCU movie since the last Spider-Man movie.
This Guardians of the Galaxy movie has plenty of laughs, which is something they have become known for. But this is not a comedy. It has some of the most moving scenes in superhero/science fiction movies. I suspect more tears were shed in this movie than in most movies of a similar genre.
Vol. 3 really had it all. Plenty of action, funny jokes, tearful moments, inspiring heroism, and characters discovering who they really are.
I have often said that most superhero movies are only as good as their main villain. The High Evolutionary in this Guardians of the Galaxy movie was both powerful and disturbingly evil. This really helped to make the movie.
What about Adam Warlock? While I was never a huge Marvel comic book reader, and I did not collect Warlock, I did find the character to be somewhat intriguing. I have a soft spot for space heroes. It could be argued that Vol. 3 made him into a joke and there is some truth to that. But the ending also set him up for a new beginning. I hope this is not the last we have seen of Adam Warlock.
I really enjoyed Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3. If this is the last movie of the series, then they have ended on a high note. If you have been discouraged by the quality of the recent MCU movies, consider giving this one a tray.
