It’s finally here. The last good Marvel movie that we’re gonna get for a very long time. James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3 is almost that middle finger to Marvel for firing his a*s as he jumps ship to his new job overseeing the competition.
Our story opens in the celestial head of Knowhere—the new headquarters of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Our heroes are putting the finishing touches on their permanent planet home, and everyone appears to do fine…except for Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), who is a lost soul…a shell of the man he once was with Gamora’s (Zoe Saldana) and her return as a major “dick.”
Just as all of our feels are restored for the return of the Guardians, a singular figure, Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), infiltrates Knowhere with the task of kidnapping Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and returning him to his creator, the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji). The Guardians are able to defeat Warlock barely, but Rocket is in critical condition. Now Rocket has only several hours to live unless they unlock the security feature the High Evolutionary placed on Rocket’s heart, thus making it impossible to give him any medical attention.
Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
“The Guardians are able to defeat Warlock barely, but Rocket is in critical condition.”
Quill, Groot (Vin Diesel), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Drax (Dave Bautista), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), and Kraglin (Sean Gunn) head to the High Evolutionary’s corporate headquarters to steal the security code, knowing full well that the High Evolutionary is expecting them. We learn that the High Evolutionary has been experimenting on animals, like Rocket, hoping to create the perfect creature to populate planets as he serves as their god. Aiding the stealth mission for the code is Gamora, now one of the leaders of Quill’s old gang, the Ravagers.
So let’s break this down. Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3 is a great sendoff for our intrepid heroes. It should be no secret that this is the last film for the Guardians as it currently stands. I highly recommend this final chapter. So let’s start with the bad.
Running at two-and-a-half hours, this movie is dense. There’s a lot of story going on from genetic mutations, human trafficking, animal lab testing, and birthing new plants. Now add the original story of Adam Warlock and the origin story of Rocket; this is too much story, and it feels rushed from start to finish.
