*Premise spoilers (which include spoilers from Infinity War and Endgame, if anyone still needs those warnings.)*
I was finally able to get out to this film, and not to be basic, but it’s pretty awesome. Over time, I’m sure I’ll notice more flaws, but as I left the theater in my respirator (pretend it was Star-Lord cosplay,) I was pretty pumped.
After an encounter with a superpowered Sovereign named Adam, Rocket is on the brink of death. To save him, the Guardians are forced to venture into the sphere of the High Evolutionary, the utopia-obsessed scientist who augmented Rocket to begin with. Their mission requires them to call on the time-displaced Gamora who was left behind after the events of Endgame, and Peter struggles to interact with a Variant of his former girlfriend who was never with him.
I liked Vol. 2, although I do still think it was a step down from the first movie. But this final installment is the most Guardians ever in all the right ways: big action, cool needle drops, wild humor, and honest emotions. Rocket’s backstory is every bit as waterworks-inducing as everyone feared from the first teaser, and I’ll fully admit that I cried multiple times over this CGI raccoon and his fellow experiments. By the time the crew meet the High Evolutionary, we the audience have already been primed for just what they’re getting themselves into, thanks to Rocket’s history with him.
The main cast has grown since the first film, but I think Vol. 3 does well balancing its ensemble. Everything centers around Rocket, of course, and there’s great material for him both in the flashbacks and in the present day, and Peter and Gamora are probably just below him in terms of focus. But everyone gets their moments, not just to shine or save the day, but to express themselves in whatever way they’re capable of. I’m particularly impressed at seeing Nebula here—she’s come so far during her time in the franchise, and it’s great to see her really stepping up as one of the leaders of the team. Drax and Mantis get more of their comedy duo-type stuff, but we also see demonstrations of why the Guardians need them, and now that Groot is fully grown again, we’re treated to some pretty cool action from him.
My main critique of the film is that it’s a little too conscious of the fact that it’s the final volume of the trilogy. I’m reminded of the feeling in the air as people went to the opening nights of Infinity War and Endgame, that fear of, “Everyone I love is going to die!” There’s maybe one or two emotional speeches too many, and there’s too much of a reaction any time someone gets injured, both from characters screaming and from slow-motion camera work/sad dramatic music. But on the whole, there’s just so much to love.
I don’t want to spend too much time on the returning cast, because I’ve talked about them all before and everyone is great here. I will single out Bradley Cooper, whose voice work as Rocket is simply fantastic. I also especially liked Karen Gillan and Chris Pratt’s performances—as I said, Nebula’s been on such a journey, with Gillan steering her every step of the way, and Pratt’s performance here reminded that I do genuinely like Peter.
Then there’s the new cast. Chukwudi Iwuji, who played Murn in James Gunn’s Peacemaker, is excellent as the cold, ruthless High Evolutionary, continually striving for better and better lifeforms with zero regard for what was created before. Will Poulter does a great job as Adam; he has a very different characterization than I was expecting, but it works really well for me, and I definitely think I prefer what they do with him compared to the more typical route they could have gone. And her role is fairly small, but I love Maria Bakalova voicing Cosmo the telepathic Russian space dog. Her scenes with Sean Gunn’s Kraglin never fail to make me smile. The film also includes brief appearances from Nathan Fillion, a returning Elizabeth Debecki, Miriam Shor (Yitzak!), Nico Santos, and Daniela Melchior (a.k.a. Ratcatcher 2 from The Suicide Squad.)
Warnings
Violence (including violence and cruel treatment towards animals,) language, drinking, disturbing images, and thematic elements.
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