Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

3 Stars (out of 4)

Rocket Watch

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Although it probably isn't, James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 feels final. These days, if the money has anything to say about it, no character is ever gone for good, and these knuckleheads will surely be back in some form. But it still seems as if the stakes are high. Some of the team takes blows so severe that we flinch, genuinely worried that this could be the end. That's a neat trick that Gunn has played, but it doesn't always pay off. For one thing, Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) is back. We all saw her die in Avengers: Infinity War, and we felt that loss. And now, even though this new, rebooted Gamora has no memory of ever being a Guardian or loving Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), the impact of what we felt has been lessened.

Even so, Gunn kicks things off with an all-out attack by Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), which leaves Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) mortally wounded. A device implanted inside Rocket's body prevents the team from being able to save him, so they launch a mission to steal Rocket's file and find a kill-code. This leads to a battle with the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), a being that creates and wipes out whole societies of lab-made mutants. Gamora, who is now a Ravager, is sent along with the team, of course.

In flashback, we learn Rocket's heartbreaking origin story. He was an experimental subject created by the High Evolutionary, but one with his own ability to reason. Gunn turns Rocket into a sentimental character here, capable of tugging heartstrings. When we first see him, he's listening to Radiohead's "Creep" (the acoustic version, for a PG-13 rating), and glumly nodding along to it. Peter regularly refers to him as "my best friend," while Drax (Dave Bautista) corrects him, "second best friend." They are all the biggest misfits in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and we have come to love them as they now love each other.

Conversely, their bickering provides some huge laughs, like watching siblings argue violently over something utterly preposterous. Nebula (Karen Gillan) provides one end of the spectrum, capable of hard-edged accusatory rage, while Mantis (Pom Klementieff) provides the other end: attempts at kindness and understanding. Groot (Vin Diesel) — now grown back to adult size, but much thicker and more cartoonish than his original incarnation — occasionally fires off an "I am Groot" to put the others in their place.

And Gunn's visual style continues to expand, from the circular patterns of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 to — among other things — an unforgettably organic space station, surrounded by a squooshy, fleshy shell; it's icky enough to make you squirm. From the High Evolutionary's headquarters to a bizarre 1970s-style suburb, to young Rocket's dank cage, Gunn's compositions throughout are so awesome that they're exhilarating.

So that's three big things Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has going for it (visuals, laughs, the feels), but the movie's problem is that — despite, or perhaps because of, a 150-minute running time — it can't satisfactorily balance them. It feels more like mismatched chunks than a cohesive whole. Compare the film to the utterly delightful 42-minute The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special from just a few months ago, and it feels like an unwieldy juggernaut.

Gunn's filmic schooling came from the infamous Troma Entertainment, home of The Toxic Avenger, Class of Nuke 'Em High, etc. Gunn himself co-wrote the screenplay for the sex-and-gore-filled Shakespeare parody Tromeo & Juliet (1996), as well as working on other miscellaneous Troma projects. That outsider, rebellious quality sneaked into the scrappy original Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), and perhaps Gunn, now a wealthy, mainstream figure (and the new head of the DC Universe), is currently trying to wrestle with what all that means. The Holiday Special managed a couple of truly touching moments amongst its rambunctious action and comedy, and it felt right. As for Vol. 3, it will bring a smile to your face and perhaps a tear to your eye — and it is all-around lovable — but it needed a firmer hand.