Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a dark but memorable finale for Marvel’s beloved weirdos

The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s overachieving B-team of weirdos and misfits bring their A-game one more time in a darker but deeply satisfying final mission. See review.

Zoe Saldana as Gamora and Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Picture: Jessica Miglio/Marvel

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (M)

Director: James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy)

Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper.

****

Third time ain’t a charm, but it is a keeper

Right here in Vol. 3 is where you will find the end of the line for the Guardians of the Galaxy gang.

Within the big league that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this endearing bunch have invariably been regarded as a B-team.

And yet, whether it be starring in their own movies, or by cameoing in those of their studio stablemates, the Guardians have always played an A-game.

They might be both funnier and weirder than anybody else in the MCU, but they are also the most relatable.

An impressive achievement for an esoteric line-up that includes a wisecracking raccoon, a diverse selection of intergalactic species, and a talking tree that says nothing but his own name (he is Groot).

While Vol. 3 is intended to be a triumphant victory lap for the Guardians, their third and final outing also delivers a bittersweet, heavy-hearted goodbye to the franchise’s many fans.

This it does by occasionally committing to a darker approach than the easier, breezier vibe that defined the first two movies. As we rejoin the Guardians, Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), has hit the bottle hard after the love of his life Gamora (Zoe Saldana) came back from the dead with no memory of their former relationship (see Avengers: Endgame for further details).

Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, and Dave Bautista as Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

It is only a surprise attack upon the Guardians HQ of Knowhere by a mysterious golden alien named Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) that jolts Peter from his sorrowful stupor.

The wily raccoon Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) was the target of the assault, and is left with injuries that will bring about certain death unless a medical solution is found elsewhere in the galaxy.

The urgency of the quest brings together the brightest, dimmest and strangest of the Guardians to save their dying buddy before it is too late.

With a sobered-up Peter leading from the front, the likes of the eccentric empath Mantis (Pom Klementieff), surly ex-assassin Nebula (Karen Gillan), simpleton strongman Drax (Dave Bautista) and the one and only Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) focus on the life-and-death situation at hand with surprising intensity and focus.

While Vol. 3 still makes plenty of room for the Guardians’ irresistible brand of rapid-fire banter (and, just as importantly, those precision soundtrack needle-drops), longtime fans of the franchise will definitely pick up the bleaker, near-existential signals being transmitted here.

The emergence of a new villain known only as The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) serves as the trigger for many of Vol. 3’s darker moments. It was this ruthlessly unethical genetic engineer who came up with the mutation that resulted in Rocket’s high intelligence and crafty intuition.

Zoe Saldana returns as a different version of Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Many a flashback in Vol. 3 hearkens back to the horrors Rocket endured at the hands of this madman, and a sizeable proportion of these scenes rank among the most confronting filmed for a Marvel production.

Parents with children of an impressionable age should think twice about letting them see the movie, as much of this material (along with a noticeable uptick in violence levels) is definitely traumatising stuff.

However, for those who have stayed the distance with the Guardians from the get-go, this last chapter in the saga hits just the right notes of celebration and commiseration to be deemed a truly memorable and apt finale.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is in cinemas now

Originally published as Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a dark but memorable finale for Marvel’s beloved weirdos