Score: B-
Directed by James Gunn
Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Bradley Cooper
Running time: 150 minutes
Rated PG-13
Long Story Short: The third Guardians movie sees the team of lovable losers continue to try to protect the vast (and always wild) frontier in space. Unfortunately, Vol. 3 is closer in most ways to the disappointing Vol. 2 than to the incredibly creative and successful original movie. There are some interesting ideas and character developments, moreso at least than its predecessor. But while the action is impressive at times, it is simply too bloated, squeezing out or minimizing everything else. Worth a theater trip if you're a Marvel fan or need big blockbuster action; otherwise, wait for streaming.
The Guardians of the Galaxy have established a home on the strange celestial artifact, Knowhere - but the past will not let them go. Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, can't get past his "double" loss of Gamora (Saldana), killed by Thanos but then "returning" via a parallel universe. This new Gamora, however, neither knows nor likes Quill. Rocket is still haunted by the grotesque experiments performed upon him years ago. And Nebula still searches for her place on the team after having been Thanos's loyal servant. A sudden attack, however, puts Rocket's life in danger, and so the Guardians return to space to find a way to save him. Along the way, they encounter both old friends as well as a new adversary who hopes to rid the galaxy of its "imperfections" - misfits like the Guardians themselves.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is an entertaining blockbuster start to the summer, but like Vol. 2 before it, it does not live up to the original due to trading too much of its cleverness and character chemistry for the spectacle. I'll start with the good. There is an overabundance of action, yes, but admittedly it is pretty impressive for the most part. There are still a few neat ideas (like an organic space station), and the special effects are high-quality. The first action scene, with the god-like Warlock attacking the Guardians in Knowhere, is jarring for its suddenness and intensity (not to mention its consequences). The movie is also brimming with interesting ideas, and its underlying theme contrasting the villain's goal of creating a perfect sentient organism with the Guardians' core quality of being the "cast-off" heroes is appropriate. I liked that they continued Avengers: Endgame's Quill-Gamora dynamic, as he fights to win her back in vain. And most of all, I liked the backstory given to Rocket. We already knew the broad strokes of how he became a super-intelligent raccoon, but his character deserved this deeper dive into how it psychologically shaped him. Rocket befriended with several other similarly-victimized creatures during his captivity, all of them adorable despite their mutilations; it helps that they have super cute voices (especially Cardellini, sounding heavenly). Their introduction, as they console and embrace Rocket, the new guy, is the most touching of the movie.
Despite the not-insignificant bright spots, Guardians Vol. 3 ultimately wastes more potential than it fulfills due to its sprawling emphasis on the action. There are at least three large-scale set pieces, and each of them is unnecessarily drawn out, each more so than the next and representing weaknesses carried over from Vol. 2. The first, on the organic station, had good potential and a few nice quips - but also forces the humor just as much, and feigns high stakes and danger before wiping it all away in a flash. The second battle is on an "artificial" Earth (think the suburbs with anthropomorphized critters as neighbors). Mass, breathtaking damage and casualties ensue, which feels wrong for the Guardians tone and the toll is barely acknowledged (reminding me of Vol. 2's mass-murdering arrow). And the third, finale action scene is the longest of them all, between two gigantic space vessels and the dozens of characters within them. It is often incomprehensible - even for a Marvel movie nut like me - and moments of deus ex machina just pile up. Each of these three mega battle scenes have some good to offer - but they all simply go overboard and the weaknesses, at times just from shoddy writing, are too glaring. With so much time spent on these battles, there is also just not enough to devote to the intriguing themes and characters I previously described - despite the moving being 2.5 hours long. Especially with this being the likely end of the Guardians as we've known them, I'm disappointed that they decided to go out with more literal bangs than narrative/character ones. (I also didn't like the needle-drop soundtrack on this one nearly as much as the first two movies - but opinions on that will differ!)
***
Guardians Vol. 3 was a stuttering - though not awful - start to the summer movie season. It also is a startling second-straight disappointment from Marvel this year, following Ant-Man 3. I'm a bit nervous that, in trying to top the movies that culminated in Endgame, Marvel is going the conventional blockbuster direction of simply amping up the action and the special effects. I would much prefer less of that and more character and narrative development (which some recent Marvel movies have indeed done well). Two new Disney+ streaming series are coming soon, and I think November's The Marvels will be a big test for the franchise to see what direction - in tone and style - it wants to go. I also want to say that, following Guardians Vols. 2 and 3 and The Suicide Squad, I'm increasingly skeptical of James Gunn's talent. But he will now be the (or one of the main) driving forces behind DC's superhero films starting soon - good luck with that! Well, that's a lot of superhero talk, but there are plenty of fun-looking movies in other genres coming out in the next couple months. Stay tuned!
* By http://www.impawards.com/2023/guardians_of_the_galaxy_vol_three_ver2.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72394795
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