Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Well folks, the Guardians of the Galaxy are back again for what I assume is their last outing together, though you never know with the big superhero franchises these days. But if this is in fact going to be the last movie in the Guardians story then it’s a lovely send off that tries very hard to tug at the heart strings.

They’ve come a long way since their first appearance in 2014 and now in 2023 the much loved Guardians of the Galaxy are back. Despite still reeling from the loss of Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) rallies his team to defend the universe once more. But this time they must protect one of their own and they embark on a dangerous mission that could mean the end of the Guardians if they fail.

It’s great to see the return of our favourite characters again, Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax (Dave Bautista), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Groot (Vin Diesel), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) and Nebula (Karen Gillan). Well whoever your favourite is, this is definitely Rocket’s movie. All the backstory into his character that had been hinted at in the previous movies is delved into for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and it’s a heart wrenching and emotional story that will have the audiences fully invested and maybe some of you in tears too. The rest of what’s going on is the typical destruction in space with the group bickering at each other constantly. Lots of wacky scenes in space, filled with endless jokes and accompanied by the signature soundtrack that the Guardians of the Galaxy movies are known for. And sure not all of the jokes will work for everyone but enough of them do to get away with it but maybe not to justify the runtime. Because it is dragged out in places and honestly, any time it switched back to the present timeline I was just waiting for it to go back to the flashbacks with Rocket.

You can make or break a superhero movie with the choice of villain, get it wrong and the entire storyline suffers. Some go for a villain that you can almost sympathise with, Magneto, Killmonger, but for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 they went down the route of pure unadulterated evil. Chukwudi Iwuji as the High Evolutionary is a villain so heinous and sadistic that absolutely everyone can get on board to hate his guts. He might be one of Marvel’s darkest villains yet and yes I know Thanos etc. but this guy might just be worse. It’s certainly got a much darker theme running throughout than expected.

The Guardians of the Galaxy movies have stood out from some other comic book movies because of their strong focus on the characters. Now with the third instalment it’s another heartwarming story that isn’t overly reliant on tie-ins with other movies or tv shows and it’s a nice change from some of the other formulaic comic-book movies. There is more depth to the story than I was originally expecting and it’s definitely a great example on how to make an emotional and funny superhero movie for all the fans.

The Guardians of the Galaxy movies are comedic and great fun to watch. The two sequels may not quite be up there with the first movie but together they’re a solid trilogy. Recommended for the Marvel fans and a must see for all those who love the Guardians of the Galaxy.

★★★☆☆