'Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3' Finishes On A High Note
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a breath of fresh air from the typical Marvel catalog. After the multiverse stumbled over itself with Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness, then crushed its momentum with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 doesn't bother trying to setup Kang's next boring Multiverse move, nor does it waste any time with the Avengers. Writer/Director James Gunn keeps all the story's motivation on the Guardians themselves, with less emphasis on multiverse building.
The plot of Vol. 3 has the feeling of an extended episode of a weekly television show. It's like hearing Thomas Kane Roberts from The Clone Wars saying, "This week, Rocket the Raccoon will face the demons of his past while his friends must race to rescue him." It doesn't require the audience to know much about its large character roster. It merely seeks a tale of identity centered around a CGI raccoon that is humorous and somewhat captivating. While Rocket's emotional arc acts as the film's A story, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) behaves as the movie's B story, where Pete tries to win over Gamora's (Zoe Saldana) heart all over again. Both tales are engaging beyond the mere villain of the week, who, in this case, isn't the prototypical apocalyptic threat.
The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) is a mad scientist who brings Rocket's existence into the forefront of the narrative. Despite his vast scientific knowledge of altering DNA, The High Evolutionary is a petulant brat who shouts when he doesn't get what he wants. Chukwudi Iwuji's scene-chewing villainry was enjoyable because you want to see this bad guy get his due.
Much of the humor in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 works since James Gunn has a unique taste for comedy similar to Joss Whedon's, yet still has its own voice. For a Marvel film, Guardians 3 gets a little racy. There's a noticeable F-bomb and unexpected body horror in the film that pushes the PG-13 envelope for a Disney flick.
The worlds in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 are impressive beyond the CGI puke of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Nowhere looks like the lower streets of Coruscant from Star Wars. It's urban, lit with neon lights, and filled with aliens. The film's second major locale, Counter-Earth, is a nod to the Twilight Zone episode Eye of the Beholder, where everything is similar to our planet except for how humans look.
Gunn is naturally funnier than the team of screenwriters at the helm of most Marvel franchises. What better example is there than HBO's Peacemaker? A show about someone who hypocritically kills to maintain peace. Only some people can write funny. It's a quality few can possess. Gunn is one of them. When there are imitators, you often run into that "Marvel humor" that people get annoyed by. Since Guardians of the Galaxy is so rooted in its banter, the jokes don't feel like they're being forced down the audience's throats.
By making comedy front and center, the absurdities of the fantasy genre draw attention to themselves. The Guardians of the Galaxy are exaggerated comic book characters who are treated as such but with an amount of sentiment for us to relate to them. Rocket rests at the heart's story as it's a tale about the little guy coming to terms with who and why he exists.
GOTGV3 doesn't feel like its length at two and a half hours as the film is crammed with action. One particular sequence that stands out is set to Beastie Boys, "No Sleep Til Brooklyn," as the Guardians have a single-shot angle following their actions in a crowded hallway full of space goons. To complement its slick action, Guardians 3 has an amount of heart I haven't seen in a Marvel movie in a long time.
There's enough to go off Rocket's existential crisis to trigger some heartstrings. Beyond being a comic book flick featuring fantastical settings, The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is about family. Who we fall in love with, how we accept ourselves for who we are, and what values and beliefs we carry. These are themes James Gunn implements into the story of Guardians 3, making it work as popcorn entertainment with sentimentality that doesn't feel overreaching or pretentious.
As James Gunn wraps all three volumes up in an episodic nature, there will be more movies for the Guardians of the Galaxy on the horizon; one's Mr. Gunn won't be present to do if working full time at DC. When we get more volumes for the Guardians, it may no longer peak my interest. It's best now to leave the Guardians where they happily belong. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Similar to seeing previews for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, it was better when Steven Spielberg closed the curtains on Indie's journey with The Last Crusade. If only it stayed that way. The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ends on more of a high note; it would be disappointing to see it taken down with further sequels. I'm looking at you, Thor: Love and Thunder.
