Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

As James Gunn departs for pastures new he went all out to say farewell with this last ride feeling adventure. I can positively say he went out in style and left the franchise in a good space for the next person… now, step onto my ship and take a ride with me into this revi… I mean galaxy…

As always we follow our gang of misfits as they adapt to their new life of being the somewhat rockstars of the galaxy. They have actual roles of policing the galaxy from threats and life is good… in that department. Returning to our screens is the full team Star Lord, Drax, Gomorra, Rocket, Mantis, Groot and Kraglin. What this franchise has always done so well is managed the screen time for each character giving them space and room to develop their stories and characters. This time around we visit everyones favourite rodent’s origin story, Rocket Racoon. It’s a touching story with a lot of warmth however it may anger the RSPCA but I can confirm from a good source… NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THIS PRODUCTION. We explore the romance between Quill and multiverse Gomorra, Drax and Mantis friendship  which all provide a lot of comedy.

The movie is bright, vibrant, vigorous and animated.

They have a new awesome looking spaceship and finally comic accurate uniforms, well 5 films later *rolls eyes*. It’s a living breathing comic I’d say. Although still CGI heavy as expected there is a lot of practical effects. They go hard with the animal variations and it’s very very good. It’s easy on the eyes because CGI does get tiring. We get to see the F word used in a Marvel film that’s not R rated for the first time which was interesting.

The action this time round had a more serious tone. There is a cabin fight scene which was well shot and just gleaming with excellence. One of the franchises prominent tools has always been its music. It brightens and highlights the spirit of the scene. Again tapping into the retro space from 60s to 2000s, it’s an epic soundtrack. Marvel seems to applying a heavy focus on children in this new phase. Batista is very heart warming in these scenes.

GOTG v3 is littered with cameos. Big Sly returns as Stakar. Nathan Fillion does what he does best with a notable role. It won’t be a GOTG movie without Howard the Duck. As I watched through I was just waiting to see what role John Cena would be playing because it seemed like the whole Peacemaker/Suicide Squad cast was here. Chukwudi Iwuji as the main villain. It was a decent performance. Nothing great. Just your typical mad, obsessive scientist. Cameo appearances by Jennifer Holland and Daniela Melchior. James Gunn seems to build very close relationships with folks he works with, it’s nice to see. We get a full introduction to Cosmo voiced by Maria Bakalova. The original cast all return and deliver their top drawer sitcom drama comedy and this time around they pull out the acting chops with some very sentimental displays. Chris, Zoe, Bradley, Batista, give primer presentations. The casting is brilliant. Everyone brings some form of comedy to the table. Including characters that YOU DON’T want to. Marvel have gone again and taken a stone cold killing machine and made him into a hilarity. I like Will Poulter and I was excited for him for this role. However the direction they went destroyed the essence of the character and I can only hope it can be revived with the multiverse backup plan they have implemented. His introduction was generic with no depth or grand entrance especially given the way he was hinted at the end of the other movies. My expectations were very high.

All in all it was good send off for the group and also the director. The conclusion of this trilogy was done right for me. Each character declaring what their next plans and departing in a graceful manner. Continuing the theme of keeping the team open to new members which allows for different directions. Farewell James and good luck in your future projects.

Were you happy with the ending? Are you looking forward to the new team? Did you like this Adam Warlock? Was Rocket always your favourite guardian? React and comment below…