There hasn’t been so much emotion in the MCU for a long time: why Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy 3” is so moving
Andreas Rivera
May 11, 2023 11:40 am
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7 min read
Guardians of the Galaxy 3 marks the big farewell to the beloved Chaos squad. You can find out why a visit to the cinema is worthwhile in our review.
With “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” on May 3, 2023, not only the long-awaited next Marvel blockbuster started in German cinemas. Director and screenwriter James Gunn says goodbye with his last Marvel film and the third part of the film series about the popular intergalactic crew marks a big farewell, because there will be no fourth sequel with the well-known troupe. Given the popularity of the first two films, as well as the Guardians as supporting characters in other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), expectations for this final film are correspondingly high.
Does the Guardians of the Galaxy have a worthy ending and does Part 3 break the Marvel curse of bad trilogy endings? The first reactions to “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” celebrate the new Marvel title as a great sci-fi film and emotional MCU farewell. We were also allowed to see the film before it was released in cinemas and in our spoiler-free review we tell you what we think of this ending for the Guardians of the Galaxy and why it is worth going to the cinema for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”.
As a longtime Guardians fan, I’ve been eagerly awaiting Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. At the same time, there was also the fear that the characters might not get the ending they deserved. This was mainly due to the fact that the Marvel projects from phase 4 could not really convince me and phase 5 with “Ant-Man 3” did not open as well as expected. But I trusted James Gunn to deliver again and was not disappointed. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has given me exactly what I was hoping for and still has a few surprises.
In my opinion, the “Guardians” films have always stood out from the rest of the MCU and scored particularly well with their focus on the characters of the likeable Chaos squad, which I’ve grown very fond of over the years. I didn’t (almost) care a little about the plot as long as I learned more about the Guardians and their dynamics with each other.
However, just like in the previous films, James Gunn manages to create the perfect mix of great music, cool action, a typically weird sense of humor and great emotions with great attention to detail. Part 3 sends us on one last great space adventure with the characters we have grown fond of, which entertained, fascinated and touched me far more than any other Marvel films and series in recent years. In fact, I would say that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the best Marvel movie since Avengers: Endgame, even if it doesn’t have the same scope for the MCU.
But I think that was always part of the charm of the Guardians movies; although they did play a role in the MCU, the films worked equally well on their own and in Vol. 3″ I feel like it’s about the story itself and not just the expansion of the Marvel franchise.
Just like part 1 and part 2, I will definitely be watching “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” a second, third, and possibly even fourth time, and I’m sure I’ll still enjoy the film just as much, if not more . Even if saying goodbye is difficult, the end of the trilogy is a worthy conclusion for the troupe. A visit to the cinema is a must for all Guardians fans!
We met Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff and James Gunn for an interview. What will you miss most about the Guardians and why Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
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When I left the theater after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, all I could think to myself was: James motherf***ing Gunn. After the Marvel fatigue threatened to set in, especially with “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”, the filmmaker reminded me again that this franchise can be a lot of fun and I wonder why not every title succeeds.
A large part of that might be down to screenwriter/director James Gunn, because I agree with Celina: I think Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the best MCU film since Avengers: Endgame. That may not mean much given the often poor quality of recent Marvel contributions, in my opinion, so let me elaborate:
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Like the previous “Guardians” films, the conclusion of the trilogy captivates with humorous absurdities, a rousing soundtrack, sometimes skilfully staged action, beautiful group dynamics – and more heart and emotions than ever before. Does that border on kitsch? Surely. Have I still had tears in my eyes more than once? But hello. Incidentally, “Endgame” also managed to do this in the MCU.
Despite all the positive aspects, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” cannot get rid of some of the franchise’s long-term illnesses. Some relationships and character developments seem a bit hasty due to the abundance of characters and the blockbuster wheel is not reinvented here. But I don’t need a revolution at all, I’m just glad that I had a lot of fun with an MCU title – and I’m now looking forward to “Superman: Legacy”. Because James Gunn is moving from Marvel to DC and will have a decisive influence on the fate of the DC Universe in the future. Among other things, he writes and directs the said “Superman” film and with his penchant for characters who search for their place and have their hearts (ultimately) in the right place, Gunn seems to be made for it. However, the MCU loses one of its best filmmakers…
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” can score in parts with some surprisingly emotional moments, a good soundtrack and targeted laughs. All in all, I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve seen it all several times in the MCU or in other movies. And unfortunately that’s also the main problem: Because Marvel hasn’t really had anything new to tell in recent years and instead only reproduces itself, which you then try to cover up with big effects and numerous punchlines.
That might still work for die-hard fans. It made me tired of Marvel a long time ago though. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” couldn’t change that either, although in direct comparison the film did better for me than recent MCU productions like “Thor: Love and Thunder” or “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”. From my point of view, however, the entire film universe has already been told with “Avengers: Endgame” and with the exception of the great concept of “WandaVision”, no story has stood out for me in phase 4 and also in the current phase 5, which is a continuation of the MCU beyond “Endgame” so far justified. And although “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” is actually supposed to be the end of a trilogy, the obligatory post-credit scenes of course once again indicate that it somehow has to go on, even if in the future maybe not all well-known Guardians will be featured in the MCU. But “The Show Must Go On”!
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James Gunn manages to make me grow even more fond of all the Guardians and really had to root for every scene for fear of losing this or that Guardian. I laughed a lot and cried at least as much and after all the rather average films after “Avengers: Endgame” finally felt like I was in good hands in the MCU again. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” is a wonderful conclusion to the trilogy and I can hardly imagine an even better farewell to James Gunn from the MCU.
The High Evolutionary is more of an average villain, also just added as a hate object to put a face to what happened to Rocket. I didn’t care about that for the film, because I preferred to focus my attention on the Guardians.
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