It’s time to face the music as “Guardians of The Galaxy Volume 3” is such an endearing, heartfelt, and emotionally fitting farewell to our favourite group of space misfits. Throughout I laughed and cried as director/writer James Gunn truly delivers a gripping finale with insane action, humour and an impactful story. The Guardians films have always had an emotional core and meaning to them from when it began back in 2014 with Volume 1 with the theme of finding your tribe even if they are a dysfunctional lot and Volume 2 with the themes of fatherhood and grieving parents even though Quill’s turned out to be an egotistical planet, however, “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3” navigates the wounds of a broken childhood as Rocket becomes the driving force for this final instalment that will honestly tug at the heartstrings.

In Marvel Studios “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” our beloved band of misfits are looking a bit different these days. Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.

The success of “Guardians Of The Galaxy” has been a major win for Marvel Studios especially within the MCU transforming a not well known IP into one of the most popular franchises in the world, Gunn has truly made us care so much about a ragtag team with a talking tree and Racoon. 2019’s Avengers Endgame offered us closure to the Infinity Saga and a proper farewell for the original Avengers, “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3” does the same for the original Guardians. After Endgame, The Guardians bought Knowhere from the Collector. Kraglin (Sean Gunn) has been training Cosmo the Spacedog (Maria Bakalova) whilst also practicing with Yondu’s whistling arrow. Nebula (Karen Gillan), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Groot (Vin Diesel), and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) now revealed to be Peter’s half-sister in the Holiday Special have all been carrying out renovations, whilst Peter (Chris Pratt) spends his days listening to music and drowning in his sorrows, still mourning the loss of Gamora. Who’s still alive thanks to the Avengers time-travel mission, however she’s not the woman he once loved.

It really is good to have friends

Gunn once again brings his trademark humour and signature style to the MCU with “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 which is very likely to be his last MCU movie. Despite featuring tons of fun, action, and comedy as previous movies have done, Volume 3 is the darkest and most emotional one yet. A lot of that comes from exploring Rocket’s painful past and backstory, which comes in the form of flashbacks. Our favourite rabbit and Trash Panda as he gets called has been at the forefront of the marketing. This may be one of the most heartbreaking origin stories in the MCU, it’s emotionally potent with cruelty on display. Gunn had been laying the groundwork for Rocket’s origins since the first Guardians of the Galaxy with his cybernetic implants and scars revealed in prison. He also shows exceptional knowledge and ability to escape captivity and for invention. However, Rocket struggles to trust others, including the Guardians in the first two films but with the High Evolutionary played brilliantly by Chukwudi Iwuji, complete with a god-complex this villain is a key part in Rocket’s past.

Pieces of his past have been revealed through clips including his friendships with three other High-Evolutionary experiments from Batch 89: Lyla, Floor, and Teefs. these hints of his past are tragic but also point to his larger arc throughout the Guardians trilogy. He’s never dealt with what happened to him but overtime has become a protector and caretaker for Groot, the other Guardians, and of course the Galaxy itself. Throughout Volume 3 we see many different shades of familial love and the lengths his family are willing to go for those who they hold dear as this time the stakes are a lot more personal for the Guardians: simply saving a friend. Rocket’s friendship with Nebula has grown not only because they were the only two Guardians left after Thano’s snap but also because they share a similar trauma in their pasts and can relate to one-another. Whilst Quill has been the hero on the surface, “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3” is showing that the true hero of the trilogy has always been Rocket.

Warlock Vs. Guardians

Alongside Rocket’s story, we also pick up threads from Avengers Endgame with Quill trying too get Saldana’s past-timeline Gamora to accept the Guardians as family, much like her counterpart once did. however all of this being much to her enraged dismay, giving her and Pratt moving and touching chemistry as Quill really wants her to be the Gamora she never became, the emotions truly bounce off each other. The pairing of Bautista’s Drax and Klementieff’s Mantis is such a breath of fresh air as both truly work well together since leading the Holiday special, the pair are hilarious and bring such warmth and love to this family as Mantis truly cares for her brother. Karen Gillan’s Nebula may be the standout for me, as her character has truly evolved throughout the MCU becoming an integral member of the Guardians she has more levity as she begins healing psychologically following the death of Thanos, who was the source of her abuse and torment, she’s a valued member of the family the Guardians have created whilst still retaining her seething deadpan, whilst on Knowhere Kraglin and Cosmo make a pretty great team.

Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) makes his cosmic debut in the MCU. His arrival was teased back in 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Poulter brings such gravitas and energy to the role. The main antagonist, The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), is perhaps one of the most despicable and twisted villains you will love to hate since Thanos. Having an antagonist that is directly connected to Rocket’s backstory makes the emotional gut-punches even stronger

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” is filled with banter, cosmic action-set pieces as the Guardians go on various space escapades that bring them closer to understanding the true malevolence of Rocket’s creation. The humour throughout derives from the ensemble performances and Gunn’s brilliant script that truly understands the characters dealing with Rocket’s narrative. The score by John Murphy is strong with familiar themes and it compliments another awesome mix of songs that feature throughout such as including Bruce Springsteen’s “Badlands” to the Replacements’ “I Will Dare,” Faith No More’s “We Care A Lot” and the Flaming Lips’ “Do You Realize??” alongside our favourite Guardians tunes from the first film.

Final Thoughts

Overall , “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3” is top-tier marvel and finishes the story that began in 2014, delivering well-earned closure for this family of misfits that we’ve grown to love over the years. The movie is ultimately a fun good time, however, it’s bittersweet to know that this could be the last time we’ll get this group of cast members and directors together. If anything, this is the best sendoff the Guardians could have ever had. The arcs that began over a decade ago get resolutions as Gunn truly understands what makes these characters tick better than any other creator in the MCU, With the filmmaker now heading off to spearhead the new DC studios, I have my full faith in Superman Legacy as “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3” is an emotional rollercoaster and a cosmic spectacle as writer-director James Gunn gives himself and this franchise a gripping, heartfelt, and stupendous swan song in the MCU. “I LOVE YOU GUYS”