Gunn’s fantastic farewell to his Guardians

Everyone knows I’m an unabashed Marvel Universe fan; even the films that get roasted, I still enjoy. So the ones that really stand out, like the newest Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, tend to blow me away. And this is arguably Marvel’s most-loved film since 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. Fittingly, it is also the last film to be written and directed by James Gunn for the MCU, as he leaves to head up the upcoming reboot of the DC Universe.

In the beginning of the film, the Guardians have settled in to their new HQ, the space village of Nowhere. Peter Quill is still missing his universe’s version of Gamora, who died (what is now) many films ago, but the rest of the crew is settling in when Nowhere is attacked by Adam, a Sovereign with immense power. Adam seems to be targeting Rocket, and almost gets him before he is finally put down by Nebula, though Adam flees before they can capture or kill him. Rocket is near death after the ordeal, and in a coma, but when the team tries to put him in a med bay, an internal kill switch prevents healing. The Guardians have to hunt down the scientist who created Rocket for the passcode to get past the kill-switch to heal their friend before he dies.

After teaming up with the alternate Gamora, who never had a relationship with Peter Quill in her old Universe, the Guardians head out. Their journey will take them to a new dastardly villain named the High Evolutionary, a man who is hellbent on creating a utopian society, but he’ll experiment on anyone and anything to create the perfect being for his goal. He wants Rocket because Rocket is the one experiment that displayed a higher level of intelligence than his other tests. The movie has great villains (more than one!), great humor (but not overkill), and surprisingly, a lot of heart. It definitely gives the feel that this is the final adventure for this team, that has been together on film for nearly a decade. In addition to the director leaving, several of the actors have gone on record that they are finished with their roles, but at least a couple may show up in a future film, so that’s something to look forward to. I loved this movie. It’s one of those longer movies (2 1/2 hours) that didn’t feel long at all, and honestly went by quickly. I was all in from the very opening scenes and got caught up in the highs and lows with our heroes. An excellent send off for the original Guardians. ★★★★★