It’s funny to look back on the history of the Guardians of the Galaxy in cinema. When the project was first announced, few people had any idea who the characters were outside of comic readers, and now they are a household name. The franchise story parallels its writer and director. When James Gunn was tapped to direct the franchise, not a lot of people knew who he was either.
He’s done some stuff, sure. Much of Gunn’s work was very, very, very weird and that’s probably me being kind, especially if we’re talking about Super, but he understood what he wanted from his story & it’s clear he goes after that in every film. Scooby Doo might have even been good for his career since it taught him how to work with CGI.
Now we look at James Gunn and we don’t just see a tremendously funny writer & comic fan, we see a guy who persevered. We see a guy who came back from a huge mistake twice, and the second time was even worse and he hasn’t even reoffended. It was a second punishment for a crime he’d already confessed to and given a confession for in the past.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 is a perfect way to wrap up the franchise. Everyone got their time to shine in this film and it was the better for it. Without spoilers, the film finds a good way to tell many different stories that all reach a satisfying ending. The film also sets up new characters, but mostly focuses on wrapping up the old stories.
If I had to rank these films, I would probably put this one at the bottom. That said, it’s not because this one was bad. Chukwudi Iwuji plays one of the most horrific villains the MCU and he delivered one hell of a performance in that role. The High Evolutionary isn’t everyone’s favorite villain, but Gunn knows how to use these characters better than anyone at Marvel.
The music might not have been as good as some of the other films, but still held its own even if it didn’t have any memorable moments attached to music save for maybe ‘No Sleep Til Brooklyn’ by the Beastie Boys. The film’s music is mostly there to provide aesthetic rather than tell the story like it did in Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, but I loved it all the same.
BSO Rating: 8/10
