In their new home Knowhere, the giant robot head in space, the Guardians have made themselves comfortable and built a peaceful community with the residents. That changes when Rocket is badly injured by an enemy and the team must delve deep into the raccoon hero’s past to save him. They not only meet Rocket’s creator, the High Evolutionary, but also his countless accomplices who have put the death of the Guardians at the top of their to-do list.
Subtle isn’t exactly the word that goes through fans’ minds when they think of James Gunn films. And that doesn’t change with his last work for the MCU. But compared to downright hysterically silly movies like The Suicide Squad Gunn took a step back when he said goodbye to the Guardians and presents a film that is downright serious by its standards. Of course, there’s still plenty to laugh about, but the tone of the film is still quite different from its predecessors. And that is consistent, as the history of the characters brings some tragedy on board. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is still mourning the death of Gamora (Zoe Saldana), even though an earlier version of his lover still exists somewhere out there. Nebula (Karen Gillian) also struggles with an emotional chaos involving her sister and Star-Lord. And Rocket, the real hero of the new film, must confront the past he’s so stubbornly kept quiet about.
As he narrates, Gunn provides ample reasons not to like his departure from the MCU. More than ever, he’s cluttering up his film with rock and pop classics from the past few decades, almost giving it an MTV touch. And the amount of big baby animals with googly eyes and sad children would also be described as not very subtle, but that’s not Gunn’s thing either. Nevertheless, fans of the MCU in general and the Guardians in particular will hardly be able to resist the emotional pull that the director and writer unleashes here. Also precisely because Gunn uses his theatrical means so unrestrainedly and knows exactly which buttons to press to make it more difficult for the audience to defend themselves against tears.
But also because the director repeatedly breaks up the melancholic gravitas of his story with really funny moments and thus also entertains viewers who can escape the tragic part of the story really well. Whether it’s action sequences in extreme slow motion or wild bird chases, those who found the fun in the predecessors especially in such scenes will also find what they are looking for here. On the other hand, if you’ve never been able to make friends with the MCU, you’re guaranteed not to find a reason to do it now. Because if the charm of the MCU and especially that of James Gunn doesn’t catch on, watching Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 can also be an ordeal with his very direct style.
The film does have a few weak points. So is the great antagonist of the Guardians, the High-Evolutionary as a brilliant and, above all, intelligent scientist, he is neither particularly credible nor does he differ significantly from the great adversary of the entire Multiverse MCU section: Kang the Conqueror. Marvel is often said to have poor villains compared to the DC Universe. Anyone looking for proof of this can Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 cite as an example.
And Adam Warlock, eagerly awaited by the fans after his announcement at the end of the second part, is more of a foreign body in the film than a really necessary part of the characters, despite Will Poulter’s good acting performance. Still, James Gunn’s departure from Marvel is easily one of the best films since the grand finale of the first long story Avengers: Endgame. A worth seeing emotional roller coaster with a lot of lovable chaos humor, plenty of potential for tears and a worthy farewell to beloved heroes of the MCU.
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