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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: Spoiler-free Review

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Humans crave connection. Evidently - every species does. We seek it out, regardless of whether we want to or not. Even if the connections we have aren't perfect; because we aren't looking for perfection, we are just looking to give love and care, just as much as we are seeking to be loved and cared for. Our bonds are what support us as we find our own meaning in life. The Guardians exemplify that as a plucky found family, and that theme is evident throughout Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), highlighting imperfection and love in every interaction. James Gunn's stylized and humorous direction juxtapose with an otherwise gruesome and dark plot to give us a fitting, and deserving final chapter in the Guardians trilogy. 

Gunn returns to write and direct Vol. 3, making the Guardians trilogy the most consistently produced Marvel Cinematic Universe film line, and it is very apparent in the products we receive. Gunn has a very good grasp on adaptation films, with some of the first coming to mind being the live action Scooby-Doo (2002) its sequel Monster's Unleashed (2004), and he does best when in both the writer's and director's seat. There is a very distinct cohesion between the humorous dialogue, and the exaggerated camera angles that is especially effective during the action. Gunn's style and vision is perfectly executed because he had a hand in the writing, which is something I have criticized other Marvel works for. This is exactly why it is important to be intentional when appointing crew; everyone in production needs to be on the same page. 

I really loved the story Gunn wrote for the third volume. While I think it is not a new idea, it was exactly where the Guardians needed to go to grow and learn more about themselves and face some hard truths as well. This story is exceptionally human, and thats what makes it so enjoyable. The story center's around Rocket the Raccoon's (played by Bradley Cooper) origin, and the film flips between flashback and present time. Rocket has been one of the biggest mysteries of the Guardians, and his story is finally here - and it truly did deserve an entire film, not just a scene. This story feels darker than typical MCU, and shows us just how Rocket came to be so gruff yet deeply loving. There were so many scenes where I found myself emotional, whether that be sad, angry, happy, amused, shocked - there was not an empty moment. Some of the dialogue was goofier than my taste, but it was not out of character for the style of the movie. 

One of my favorite things about the film, was just how accurately the cast portrays a family. Or at least, how annoying and frustrating family can be. Part of this is the writing by Gunn, the characters often yelling at each other about their annoyances and frustrations, but it is effective because everyone in the cast is able to channel this type of rage that comes with no fear of crossing a line. Because, in family, there is no line. Peter Quill (played by Chris Pratt) returns as Star-Lord but takes a step back in the story, still serving as a leader, but being more part of an ensamble with an emphasis on Rocket, Nebula (played by Karen Gillan), Mantis (played by Pom Klementieff), and Drax (played by Dave Bautista). Zoe Saldana does return as Gamora, but she bids farewell to the character and she recently announced she will no longer be playing her and has no intention to renew a contract. I really enjoyed seeing Nebula, Mantis and Drax together, and I hope to see them together again, however I am not sure of the future since much of the cast has now finished their contracts as well. Klementieff is a stand out for me, her ability to transform from a more gentle-natured person to one that harbors a ton of rage, is not only hilarious to me, but she does it in a very effective way. I also really enjoyed Will Poulter as Adam Warlock; Poulter plays an awkward bully really well, and his charm fits Gunn's style well. 

Now the music is always a treat in the Guardians films. The soundtrack often consists of 1970s-2000s music, and there is good reason for this. The music is mostly diegetic - a film term that means the music presented to us, the audience, is actually what the characters are hearing too. Since the music mostly comes from Peter's Zune MP3 player, the only music loaded on it are from those eras. This is a fun bit of consistency that is appreciated and makes the story more relatable - as far as a story about aliens and space travel can be. John Murphy composes the film's score, and I think he did well but also I found not much to note about it. I mostly recognized reprises from past films' scores, but otherwise I have no strong opinion on it. 

I really enjoyed the cinematography by Henry Braham, who is quickly becoming Gunn's favorite for his comic book endeavours. He returns from being the master of photography for Vol. 2 (2017) as well as The Suicide Squad (2021) which were both written and directed by Gunn. I hope to see them continue to work together as Gunn moves on to do more comic book adaptions with the DC Extended Universe. Braham's style compliments the juxtaposition of colorful and dynamic comic book pages to otherwise dark and graphic stories, making the films he works on visually appealing to comic book fans, and audiences who want something different. I especially delighted in some of the use of fisheye and other exaggerated lens and angles.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 does a great job of honoring the characters that made it memorable, giving each person a full circle story line, while weaving the characterisations in an engaging story that is, again, relevant to our characters. Gunn explains he explicitly wrote the films with the intentions of a third film being the last, so it makes sense that the characters end in a way that completes their stories, and in good comic book fashion, leaves room for the unknown. There is possibility for the future, but for now I'll relish in the fact we got to see baby Rocket...and he was so cute!

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