Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

 

With the temperatures continuing to rise we have the start of summer movie season in Marvel Studios much hyped and eagerly anticipated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.  The final film in James Gunn’s trilogy got my butt to my local theater ready for an emotional send off to much beloved characters. I’ve taken a little extra time mulling over my thoughts and feelings on this one, and it’s admittedly still a work in progress.  

Apologies for my unfocused ramble.

I love Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. They’re the perfect blend of action, humor, emotion, sentimentality, and drama so I saw no reason for Vol. 3 not to deliver the goods one more time.  For me, while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 delivers an entertaining and enjoyable movie experience it isn’t the slam-dunk I wanted, hoped for, or expected.  The balance just isn’t there?  I’m still trying to put my finger on it, but the film is just a bit off.

Rocket’s storyline is as deep, heartbreaking, and emotional as anticipated, doing justice to his character.  The High Evolutionary makes for a wonderfully awful villain that’s truly reprehensible, so yay!  Good bad guy.  Quill’s a bit hit and miss for me this time around as is, dare I say it? Gamora.  Nebula is solid.  Sadly, for me Mantis and Drax don’t evolve or bring anything new to the table until the end and their characters get cheated as does the audience.  Kraglin also falls into the category.  Worse of all are The Sovereign and Adam Warlock.  Neither pays off and definitely left me underwhelmed and disappointed.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 has a runtime of 2 hours and 30-minutes and while it doesn't feel too long, story wise it’s either too much. Things needed to be pared down and focused.  Or not long enough, expand the scope, give more time and development to the characters we’ve come to care about.  As is I find this one a bit frustrating.

The throwbacks, Easter eggs, and homages are great.  The humor is more hit and miss.  Pacing overall is good. Tonally things are a bit wonky, and the film just doesn’t flow as smoothly as its predecessors.  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is also more violent and dark than previous films, disturbingly so in places.  A bit of a heads up for folks taking their kids to this one.  

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is easily my least favorite film in the trilogy.  That being said, it’s still a fun watch, especially on the big screen.  While I don’t think Gunn stuck the landing on this, I do appreciate his bringing these characters and their adventures to life and thank him and all involved for their hard work and dedication.  Vol. 3 is largely a success and is a messy, but good ending to the trilogy.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 gets a 7 from me.

Oh, yeah.  Almost forgot.  There are 2 end credit scenes.

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