In theaters now
In a race against the clock, The Guardians of the Galaxy come up against Rocket Raccoon’s creator after he tries to “reacquire” his creation and ends up gravely injuring Rocket instead.
At least I THINK that is the story? Honestly, the filmmakers threw everything, including Michaelangelo, in this film. There is a subplot following Rocket’s (Bradley Cooper) formative years. One that deals with the new Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and the same old Quill (Chris Pratt). There is one dealing with the Guardians as a whole…
But I just can’t be all mad at them. Walking in the team knew this was going to be the last GOTG film and they wanted to give us everything. So they did?
Don’t worry, there is a lot of story but there is even more action and the jokes are on point. Director James Gunn loves a good fight and it shows. He punches us in the gut with frenetic energy and then lets us linger over the most amazing slow-motion shots. Then, before we can inhale, we are belly laughing so hard we snort our drink. Truthfully, I am so happy he took us along for his overstuffed and overblown farewell to this franchise, because he did it with so much love.
The actors are solid, as usual. I love that Nebula (Karen Gillan) stops chewing scenery and starts developing a personality. I love the interplay (as always) with Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff). And I love that we begin to see who all of these people really are. They aren’t just heroes, they are siblings, fathers, lovers, defenders, explorers…they all have other aspects besides just being a Guardian.
What I didn’t love was the desperate need for an editor. Yeah, I am happy we got to see everyone doing everything and then some, but Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 was over two hours long! Sadly, after a while it felt like it. Granted, those moments of “get on with it” were bookended with OMG moments, but they were still there.
If you are looking for some Marvel-ous fun, wicked laughs, and just a plain good time…AND you have 2+ hours to spare…this is your film.
