‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ arrives amid speculation that superhero movies may be all played out with diminished box office for Marvel Studio features.
Director James Gunn’s farewell to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) serves as a trilogy capper to a series that started nine years earlier and whose second entry even from 2017 feels like a lifetime ago. The filmmaker himself is coming off the disappointing ‘Suicide Squad’ and even the Guardians felt a little played out in their Holiday Special that debuted on the streaming service Disney+ at Christmas.
So, it comes as no small relief that James plays to the strengths of this particular franchise like he always did. Despite Thanos getting his first real screen time in the original, the director has never really concerned himself with the wider trappings of the MCU, always focusing on these characters and their journey – a journey he now brings full circle. If the freshness and delight of the earlier pictures has given way to familiarity, the storyteller uses that familiarity to tug at the heartstrings.
Without giving too much away, the plot threads hanging over from previous entries are not really the focus of the story here. James is content to infer that those things may come to pass instead choosing to unpack the origin story of Rocket (Bradley Cooper) while reckoning with his maker the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji). With one of their own at risk, the team rallies together and each character is given a way to shine and grow in a satisfying send off.
The cast who has always ably skirted humour and drama here bring a healthy amount of pathos. None of the action scenes may become instant classics in the way that Yondu’s massacre to the sounds of Jay and the Americans did, but there are new offerings here of slow-motion choreography combined with, for example, The Beastie Boys. Audiences may be getting a little tired of whole planets blowing up, wistful for the smaller scale of a prison outbreak, yet the characters remain thankfully at the centre of set pieces. The humour of the series has been retained, complementing the story, and hitting you unexpectedly just after they lulled you with a sense of predictability. Humour, along with unexpected grossness, has always been ably wielded by the storyteller. Not knowing when the sentiment or laugh is going to be delivered makes it all the all more affecting.
It is a real joy to find oneself caring and moved by ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3’. Near the end, an orphan awkwardly joins a group hug – he is not part of the team, but he wants to belong, and it raises a smile because this is what has always been at the heart of these movies. This third film retains the humour and the edge that made the series well-known and the heart that made it special.
