Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

SHOWTIMES 6791350

Content Advisory: Animal cruelty or animal death

The Guardians of the Galaxy go on one final mission together in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The Guardians of the Galaxy have established their headquarters in the colony of Knowhere, where Peter Quill, aka Starlord (Chris Pratt), has entered a depressed funk due to the loss of Gamora (Zoe Saldana). However, Knowhere is suddenly attacked by Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), the superpowered son of the empress of the Sovereign, Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki). Rocket (Bradley Cooper) is left critically injured in the attack, and the Guardians discover a kill switch in Rocket’s cybernetic implants, preventing medical care. As a result, Starlord, Nebula (Karen Gillan), Drax (Dave Bautista), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), and Groot (Vin Diesel) fly off to locate The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), an authoritative scientist aspiring to create the perfect civilization.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Synopsis

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the trilogy’s concluding chapter, written and directed by James Gunn. The film catches up with the Guardians following the events of Avengers: Endgame and their brief appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder, where they have set up base in the colony of Knowhere and have added new members to their ranks, including former Ravager Kraglin Obfonteri (Sean Gunn) and telekinetic space dog Cosmo (Maria Bakalova). The Guardians go on a mission to save their member Rocket, who is significantly injured in an attack by Adam Warlock, who The High Evolutionary sent to retrieve Rocket, who was once the subject of The High Evolutionary’s experiments. Along the way on their mission to save Rocket, the Guardians are reunited with the past variant of Gamora, now working with the Ravagers led by Stakar Ogord (Sylvester Stallone), leading to much conflict and tension between her and Starlord.

My Thoughts on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a film that puts the character of Rocket, voiced by Bradley Cooper, front and centre. Despite the character being injured in the opening action sequence, the film is peppered with flashbacks to illustrate Rocket’s backstory as a test subject of The High Evolutionary and his friendship with fellow experimented-on animals such as the otter Lylla (Linda Cardellini), walrus Teefs (Asim Chaudhry), and rabbit Floor (Mikaela Hoover). The High Evolutionary’s ultimate goal with his experiments is to create the utopian planet of Counter-Earth made up of sentient animals.

As the trilogy’s final film, before James Gunn leaves the Marvel Cinematic Universe to lead the creation of a new DC universe, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 raises the stakes to the point where none of the characters are safe. While I don’t want to spoil the team’s ultimate fate, I will say that the film has a major sense of finality for this particular team. However, the obligatory credit scenes lay breadcrumbs for Guardians of the Galaxy to return in a different form one day.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 features the best villain of the trilogy with The High Evolutionary, played by Nigerian actor Chukwudi Iwuji, who previously worked with James Gunn on the HBO Max series Peacemaker. As a single-minded science obsessed with creating the perfect society, The High Evolutionary performs some horrific acts. Then there’s the film’s secondary antagonist Adam Warlock, whose nativity adds some comic relief to the film, including probably one of the most hilarious interrogation sight gags, which is right up James Gunn’s alley.

In hindsight, apart from their appearances in Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Thor: Love and Thunder, James Gunn has created the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy as films that, for the most part, can be watched independently from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With the trademark pop music soundtrack and resolutions for all the character’s plot threads, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a fitting end to the trilogy.

Purchase Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 from Amazon

Trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3