Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Third time’s the best. Rocket's origin, along with an emotionally drained Star-Lord and Gunn's most confident direction yet, brings the Guardians of the Galaxy to adulthood. Well, almost. In the more serious moments, the atmosphere thickens more than ever, but then another joke or the thirtieth song comes along. This exuberant gang stays true to themselves with all the good (mostly), but sometimes some of the bad too. This time, however, I was the least short of perfection. (05/03/2023)

Marvel has managed to move me a few times, but it has never managed to do it so many times in one film. This is simply a triumph, and it's a joy to see what it looks like when a series is lovingly nurtured by a man who understands it – James Gunn. The farewell to the Guardians of the Galaxy is not quite flawless, I was a little bothered by the not-so-smooth transitions from comedy to drama, for example, but in the end it's such a beautiful film that I can't be mad at it, and not just because of the raccoon eyes. So thanks, from the very first film it's been a beautiful, always imaginative, stylish and memorable ride. What will happen next, we’ll see. (05/05/2023)

The first half of the Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3 looks like a compilation of jokes cut from a mediocre sitcom. The second half is just as uninteresting in terms of depth, but at least it has drive. The fatalism doesn't work and doesn't lead to anything decent. But surprisingly, I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. (05/03/2023)

As a farewell to James Gunn and the Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 3 is a workable film, but if I were to look at it with an objective eye as a "standalone" Marvel movie, I wouldn't be as excited as most of the film community. The action doesn't exactly bust your balls, and (apart from the final single-shot three minute scene in the corridor, which was excellent!!!) there’s almost nothing significant to remember, and even in terms of new characters it's a very odd affair. Adam Warlock as one of the strongest characters in the universe has about five minutes and he comes across as a regular civilian and certainly not a character around which the future world should be built. That was very disappointing as I was expecting an introduction to his abilities and a lure to his future action. On the other hand, it's worth picking up the great Draxx again and again, who (as the only one) adds fresh humour, with Dave Bautista literally enjoying the role. But the rest seems to have got lazy compared to the previous episodes in terms of humour, and actually plays too much on emotions and parting with the whole concept – maybe a bit more than it should. Good? Definitely yes. But as good and fateful as it was touted to be? Definitely not. Still, the new Guardians of the Galaxy takes away the "Marvel gold standard" in the form of a decent four-star rating, it's just that when you compare it to the first Marvel movies 10 years ago, it's just something vastly different... (05/08/2023)

The first third or so was barely a 3*, the situational jokes didn't work and the humour was a bit too pedestrian for Gunn (he was probably still winging it after the average Christmas special). But then it clicked. By going deeper with Rocket's flashbacks and showing his hardships, the story was given the emotional charge it needed, plus there's one more aspect that's important to me - how helpless animals somewhere are rescued, or an effort is made to rescue them, the film gets plus points with me. And the ending was poignant and chilling, and only served to prove that the most cohesive and interesting bunch in the entire MCU universe were the Guardians. It's been a pleasure, you lovable freaks. PS: Gunn's films are distinctive and have their own identity, which is why I like them so much. What a difference from the factory fare Marvel offered after Endgame, they can go bury themselves in shame. PPS: A message for parents: if you don’t want your kids to be traumatised, don’t take them to this film. It’s really not for little kids. (05/04/2023)