Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – Movie Review

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: Directed by James Gunn

SYNOPSIS: Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.

My love for the Marvel Cinematic Universe is fading. Of course I love the characters and the stories, but the recent string of quantity over quality has started to leave a sour taste in my mouth. With that being said, the interest in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 never went away. Promised to be the emotional finale for both the guardians core that we know and also for James Gunn and some of the core actors as well. The excitement was so high that it landed as number 4 on my most anticipated list of the year.

I loved this film. There’s no ifs ands or buts about it, I liked what I saw. A lot of this has to do with the writing. If you wanted to end off this story, the writing would have to be airtight and thankfully it is. There’s no connections to the outside MCU, no wild cameos and the conclusion doesn’t shatter the greater universe. You needed a completely self contained story to be able to do these characters justice. Focusing on Rocket was a brilliant idea, bringing all of the emotion necessary. A beautiful story of the family you choose to be with. I was also a fan of how they handled the High Evolutionary as a villain. He wasn’t a top-tier villain, but he was interesting enough to keep me compelled.

James Gunn is the mastermind of this story and these characters. Without him we would have never come to love this band of misfits. The passion from Gunn is at an all time high here. You can feel it in every single detail. Every moment of emotion and every song in the soundtrack. This is what happens when Marvel gives creatives the freedom to express themselves and follow their vision. Kudos to Feige and the rest of the higher ups for allowing that. With that vision and creativity, I would also attribute that to the visual effects being so stunning as well. The details are minuscule but important and the effort put in was real. It really worked.

FINAL: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the perfect conclusion to the beloved trilogy with a group of characters that will be dearly missed. The passion from James Gunn is seeping through every single ounce and detail of this project. I love the performances, the direction, the heart and the emotion. A beautiful story of family, redemption and moving forward. I really fell in love with the film and believe that it’s one of the best films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Avengers: Endgame. If your love for the MCU has started to fade, give this one a shot at the very least, I don’t think you will regret it. 

Point Breakdown:

15 for Writing: 14

15 for Performances: 14

10 for Entertainment: 10

10 for Direction: 9

10 for Emotions: 10

5 for Cinematography: 4

5 for Score: 5

5 for Pacing: 5

15 for Technical: 14

5 for Rewatchability: 5

5 for Automatic: 5

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: 95/100

Jack Lautaret is a Banana Meter approved film critic, Host of the Jack Lautaret YouTube Channel and writer for Music City Drive-In. He is a member of the Online Film and Television Association. Twitter: @JackLautaret