Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.3 review: A Perfect end to an amazing saga.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.3 review: A Perfect end to an amazing saga.

 Warning spoilers ahead, come back and read after you have watched the movie for yourself.

Rating: ★★★★★

Taking centre stage, Rocket the true leader of the guardians puts fans through an emotional journey showing an in depth look into his life from his younger years. 

 

I recently had the absolute pleasure of witnessing the highly anticipated third instalment of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, and I must say, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is and absolute triumph. From start to finish, this film immerses you in a thrilling, emotional, and cosmic adventure that surpasses all expectations.

Director James Gunn has once again crafted a masterful blend of action, humour and heart, staying true to the essence of what made the previous instalments so beloved.  He effortlessly weaves together a captivating storyline that expands the lore of the MCU while staying true to the core dynamics and personalities of our beloved team of misfits.  

The film explores deeper emotional depths than ever before, delving into the history of one of our most beloved characters, "Rocket Racoon".  Volume 3 shows us exactly how Rocket became who he is and what he was put through and the moments shown are incredibly emotional and create a genuine heartfelt connection with the character, I can safely say there wasn't a dry eye in the house.  At the start of the film Rocket gets severally injured by the new comer Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) a synthetic humanoid of devastating power (signified by a metal lozenge implanted in his forehead, only one of the many head-embedded gizmos that are a hallmark of the film’s design), and its up to the rest of the team to save their friend, after they find out he has a kill switch attached to his heart meaning if they try to help him he will die, Peter Quill ( Chris Pratt) decides the team should infiltrate the system’s creators, an intergalactic biotech company called Orgocorp, and steal the override code in order to save the life of Rocket however the only way the team can do this is by searching into his past to find the code.  During the time Rocket is unconscious we see him reliving his past and we're shown how he was made into this incredibly clever leader from what once was a normal racoon which is when we are also introduced to the Guardians real adversary in the fight to save Rocket, the arch-villain called the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) the creator of Rocket himself. 

Rockets flashbacks show us that The High Evolutionary plans on creating his own earth called counter earth, to create what he see's the perfect earth with so called perfect people, which is where Rocket comes into it, baby Rocket is in the cruel custody of the High Evolutionary, he experiments on animals including Rocket and three new characters  who are his friends—the rabbit Floor (voiced by Mikaela Hoover), the walrus Teefs (Asim Chaudhry), and the otter Lylla (Linda Cardellini)— he leaves them mutilated. (Much has been made of the ostensible darkness of the animal-abuse subplot; its darkness is mainly literal, with the lighting kept dim to make sure that nobody misses the point.)  The three new characters play a big role into who Rocket becomes, after all four of them spend years together locked up and being tested on the group plan on escaping and living happily together in a Rocket ship piloted by Rocket himself, however after some very emotional scenes Rocket loses all three of his friends leaving him all alone, this really explains why in past films Rocket has been so protective over his new family as he doesn't want to go through this pain again and it also explains why nebula and Rocket became so close during the snap spending five years together after again losing his whole new family. 

It is the addition of all these new characters that truly elevate the film to new heights.  The ensemble is further enriched by compelling newcomers, played by exceptional actors who seamlessly integrate into the Guardian's dynamic.  Their presence adds fresh new dynamics, humour and emotional resonance, further expanding the universe and leaving audiences cycling through all their emotions.

Guardians Vol 3. is undoubtfully one of the most emotional instalments in the MCU but it isn't without all the aspects of Guardians we are used to, we still get all the humour and amazing CGI destructive moments like we have in the previous instalments and not forgetting the perfectly curated soundtracks, and Vol. 3 takes this to a whole new level.  The music selection is outstanding, seamlessly blending with the narrative and enhancing the already electrifying action sequences.  The synergy between the visuals, music, and storytelling is a sheer delight for the senses and the film ends with a very suited dance with all the characters realising it's the last time they will all be together.  During the dance Groot says the words "I love you guys", I've seen some people say Groots learned some new words however I think it's actually supposed to mean that we as viewers are now part of their world and family and we actually can finally understand him just as they can.

In conclusion, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a resounding success that cements the franchise as a standout within the MCU.  It strikes a perfect balance between humour, heart and action all while pushing the boundaries of storytelling and character development.  James Gunn has once again proven his visionary talent and the result is a deeply satisfying, entertaining and emotionally resonant cinematic experience that leaves you eagerly anticipating what's next for this extraordinary group of heroes whether we are ever shown this with a future film or not, either way it was a perfect way to wrap their story up as a whole.