This review may contain spoilers!
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 is the third instalment in James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and the 32nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This film sees the Guardians go up against an antagonist from Rocket's past in order to save their furry friend's life. It's no secret I love superhero films and the Guardians have constantly been some of the best characters to come out of Marvel, especially when they're written and directed by James Gunn. This feels like a perfect end to their trilogy and a neat culmination of the last decade we've spent with this motley crew. This film sets the stakes high really early on while also introducing us to the personal struggles each of the team is going through. What I love about this feature is how it showcases the growth of these heroes; the Guardians work their way through problems faster, they're a little more mature and they really work like a team constantly. These films are all the best parts of the found family trope and this is a beautiful gift to the people who love this little cosmic family so much. It returns to form really well too; the heist is brilliant, the antagonist is really wild and the work done to make this a wholesome emotional end to everything is lovely. It's a sad movie, it's a joyous movie, I was near tears, I was in fits of laughter. Some sequels lose sight of their roots but the Guardians of the Galaxy have stayed true to theirs since the beginning and emerged all the better for it.
The way this film is shot really builds on the scale of the adventure, everything moves fast and also shows a great sense of space. Yet there are some beautiful and comedic examples of framing that just work really well and are a great example of why James Gunn has grown so prolific as a filmmaker and creative. The visual effects are some of the best coming out of Marvel, I really can't praise the variety of designs for the various aliens or alien creatures. Sequences like the High Evolutionary's ship vs Knowhere was really something impressive, closely followed by the multi-coloured spacesuit walk sequence. The score on offer here rips at the heartstrings in the best possible way, while the choices for the soundtrack mark this trilogy on being three for three on exemplary track selection and usage. Seriously, 'No Sleep Till Brooklyn' by the Beastie Boys gives us one of the best hallway fight sequences we've seen in a long time.
Chris Pratt, who played Peter Quill, has been leading these films exceptionally well throughout; you see the hurt he's been carrying for so long in this one alongside his self-sacrificing nature as a leader. Zoe Saldana, who played Gamora, is giving one of my favourite takes of the character; Saldana gets to present Gamora in a harsher meaner light this time around which surprises but lands. Dave Bautista, who played Drax, really is one of the funniest characters in the feature purely due to his delivery; Bautista always has a couple of scenes that pack an emotional punch too and this one is no different. Vin Diesel, who voiced Groot, really still manages to get that range across with just a few lines; one of his last big ones in the film warmed my heart completely. Bradley Cooper, who voiced Rocket, really gets to take on a guiding presence in this film which works rather well; Cooper presenting a Rocket who is tired of all the hurt and pain inflicted in the final act is something I particuarly loved. Karen Gillan, who played Nebula, still has that mean streak in her that makes her role such a hardened figure; yet I loved how Gillan has found the emotional centre with Nebula and lets it out a little more liberally. Sean Gunn, who played Kraglin, is a stubborn yet comedic role who still functions well in the team; the moment in this film in which he comes into his own honouring Yondu's legacy is actually quite powerful. Chukwudi Iwuji, who played The High Evolutionary, is the best antagonist we've ever had in a Guardians film; Iwuji can play his character arrogant and measured one moment and completely maniacal the next. Maria Bakalova, who voiced Cosmo the Spacedog, is such a light and cheerful character that I really enjoyed seeing in the mix of the main cast; Bakalova makes Cosmo both really funny and quite a cute supporting character. Nathan Fillion, who played Master Karja, is a minor antagonist that really steals the show; watching Fillion really ham it up as the cocky security guard chief is just plain grade A stuff.
However, the best performance came from Pom Klementieff, who played Mantis. This is a character who has done nothing but improve over the years in my eyes. I had a sneaking suspicion when I watched the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special last year that Klementieff was going to really shine bright in Vol. 3. And she does, she really does. Mantis is such a quirky, free-spirited character who seems tied to joy so strongly that she becomes a real light amongst some of the broodier team members. I loved how kind she was, Klementieff's great chemistry with everyone really shows in how genuine her scenes of caring for the others comes across. Mantis feels like the heart of this little family, she is the one who knows how they all feel and often reflects that back at them all. Klementieff really has developed from the character who joins up as the new addition in Vol. 2, I couldn't imagine cosmic Marvel without Mantis now.
My biggest gripe with the feature was that the flashback storyline really muddled the pacing quite a lot, especially the first three to four scenes of it. While the ultimate climax of this arc lands beautifully I can't help but feel the film interrupted itself quite a bvit by introducing us to a bunch of dumb CGI animals going in a very obvious narrative direction. Beyond this I felt some loose ends from prior films really could have been picked up better, the main one being Ayesha raising Adam Warlock. The Sovereign as antagonists really didn't connect as nicely here as it otherwise could've.
Elizabeth Debicki, who played Ayesha, is a returning minor character I really don't think we needed more of; Debicki feels underwhelmed by what's on offer here and it shows. Sylvester Stallone, who played Stakar Ogord, was so good in Vol. 2 but has nothing to do this time around; Stallone spouting sci-fi exposition is the last thing I wanted from his appearance in this film. Will Poulter, who played Adam Warlock, is quite a wimpy new addition to the core cast; Poulter played too much into the simple comedy coming out of Adam's introduction and never showed too much range. Linda Cardellini, Asim Chaudry and Mikaela Hoover, who voiced Lylla, Teefs and Floor respectively, gave some voice acting that I felt would have been better suited to a children's cartoon; the voices are som simplistic and dumbed down that it becomes hard to ever take their storyline seriously.
Guardians of the Galaxy has the best MCU trilogy to date and this is the best of them all. I would give Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 a 9.5/10.
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