Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3 - Review

Rating: 5 out of 5

THE Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has struggled to hit the heights of its Endgame era since Iron Man paid the ultimate sacrifice to reset Thanos’ big finger click. So, it’s refreshing to find that the franchise still has the ability to deliver when it gets everything right.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3 was supposed to have arrived a lot earlier but faced an uncertain future when its creator James Gunn was fired by Disney over some of his historical tweets (unearthed, ironically, in the wake of his criticism of Donald Trump, during his first term).

Gunn was subsequently poached by rival comic book filmmaker DC in the hope he could sprinkle some of the MCU fairy dust over the DCU. But having been lured back to complete the trilogy he so successfully launched, Gunn has delivered a thrilling and highly emotional crowd pleaser that recaptures the glory of the brilliant original.

As ever, Gunn does it on his own terms, steadfastly refusing to take the obvious or easy path. Volume 3 of Guardians of the Galaxy primarily focuses on Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), and his traumatic back story.

In his youth, Rocket fell into the hands of the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), a mad scientist with a God complex who believes in creating a perfect society - which he first attempts to create in a sinister animal-testing laboratory.

Rocket escapes to eventually meet Groot and become a Guardian - but not without cost, including the loss of friends and separation from his soul-mate, Lylla (Linda Cardellini), a kind-hearted otter, who helped him discover his self-worth. Much of this story unfolds after the High Evolutionary attempts to recapture Rocket by sending Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) to reclaim him, seriously injuring him in the process.

Hence, while Rocket revisits his past while comatose and clinging to life, his colleagues - led as ever by Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), still pining for his lost love Gamorrah (Zoe Saldana) - race through the Galaxy trying to find the means to save him.

The ensuing adventure ticks all the boxes that Guardians fans have come to expect, while demonstrating once again Gunn’s uncanny ability to make you care for the oddest of characters (if anything, the Guardians films are a love letter to outsiders and the marginalised… never more so than here).

There’s the usual fun bickering between the principals, several outlandish set pieces and some superb soundtrack choices (ranging from The Flaming Lips’ profound Do You Realize? to The Beastie Boys’ suitably kick-ass No Sleep Til Brooklyn).

But above all else, there’s genuine heart and soul - this is a film about love (both lost and nurtured), which tugs at the heart-strings almost from the get-go without ever feeling forced.

Believe me, if once you’d told me I’d be in tears watching the story of a wise-cracking CGI raccoon (let alone a monosyllabic talking tree), I may well have raised a disbelieving eyebrow. But Rocket’s story here is a real heart-breaker - the depth of emotion unsparing in its ability to confront some big issues concerning trauma, identity and even darker things such as eugenics and vivisection. There’s a touch of both Frankenstein and The Island of Dr Moreau in Iwuji’s maniacal performance.

But the bond that exists between the central characters is also there to be celebrated - their dysfunctional dynamic married to an unshakeable loyalty that sees them prepared to risk everything to save each other. You genuinely do root for them - and you love them for every single quirk or error in judgement. But therein lies another of Gunn's strengths: finding the flaws as well as the heroism and the humanity in his characters.

To Gunn’s credit, he also imbues his film with a heightened sense of peril, meaning that a happy ending is by no means guaranteed for every character (something that is fast becoming a hallmark of the MCU). And even for those that do survive the mayhem, that ending can best be described as bittersweet.

Gunn, as writer, never loses sight of his character’s journeys and the trauma they have faced along the way. Hence, for all the absurdist comedy and laugh out loud moments, there’s also depth to each one of his principal players, which is evident in just how carefully plotted and perfectly woven together this film is.

It's a towering achievement and a fitting finale for the Guardians in its current, Gunn-driven guise. It may well break your heart in places; but it'll also deliver some genuine thrills. It is the MCU at its very best as well as a film that allows its core characters to leave on the highest of highs.