Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

"There is no God. That's why I stepped in." I have to admit, this is one of THE best lines ever spoken by a supervillain - it concisely captures their whole reason for being. (Seems like that would have been a perfect thing for Thanos to say.) Oddly though, for once there's no real backstory for the High Evolutionary, as there usually is for Marvel villains, but that might have been just too much material. Quite appropriately, all the attention is really on our scruffy, argumentative, and lovable heros, the Guardians.

I liked that all of them, this time around, get their well deserved fair share of screen time, and if doing that means sitting through a pretty long movie, then fine. Mantis and Nebula in particular are better characters than they were before, Quill and Gamora and Drax are as good as ever, and the choice to make Rocket and his very extended backstory the mainspring of the plot was clever -- and by the end, it carried real weight. Rocket is now elevated to a tragic, substantial figure at practically the same level as Spider-Man, and that's saying a lot.

The whole Guardians series owes director James Gunn bigtime, and it's a shame to see him move on (but I'm looking forward to seeing what he'll be able to do over at DC). He set in motion a group of characters that really worked, and this 3rd instalment builds very effectively on top of its predecessors. Going in to the theater I knew what I expected out of them, but we got more than that. That's a big compliment.

At the same time, what was done with Warlock and High Evolutionary was kind of odd, in the end. I was disappointed that Warlock especially was kind of trivialized. He's capable of becoming a major character if they would just follow the path set out in the original comics. That one criticism aside, this is still one of the MCU's best and we can thank them for letting James Gunn do what he had in mind.

The ending to the guardians of the galaxy movies didn't miss action, comedy or romance. The way it played with the soundtrack was on another level. You'll notice it's filming techniques are up to date and the cgi had nothing to complain about, no goofy ahh MODOC cgi (quantumania) or scenes that looked like they were filmed on a blank green screen, it truely was a work of cinema and lacked nothing in this way. Although it was your typical villain from the past coming back for revenge, this story was probably the saddest marvel project to date and hit harder than I was expecting.

Watch this in the biggest screen you can, completely worth it.

This. This is what I've wanted. Yeah some of the jokes are a bit too silly and the tone is a bit confusing at times. But the end result for me is probably the most heartfelt emotional reaction from me to a comic book movie since Endgame. It's not a perfect film, I am conflicted with what the did with Adam Warlock. And the main villain is a little hammy. But the personal relationship between the guardians and where they take them is dark, heartbreaking, and also beautiful. This is also the best performance from Chris Pratt probably his entire time playing this character. But the person who steals the show is Rocket. I don't know how but they need to change the rules degree voice acting performances can be nominated for Oscars because it was incredible. This is the most emotionally satisfying experience I've had with the MCU in a very long time. And every critic who is saying that the movie is too schmaltzy or sappy... doesn't understand how much these characters not only mean to people but also James Gunn. This isn't just a final chapter of a story, it's a goodbye to a set of characters and films that changed the landscape of not only the tone and vibe of superhero movies but also changed the fact that weird unknown characters who have strange stories can be highlighted in these films.

Up to this point, there has been one trilogy in the MCU that has been excellent from start to finish. It's time to add another one to that list. "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is a more than fitting conclusion to the narrative of these characters. James Gunn (writer/director) took his time creating connections and depth to each of the individual story-arcs.

While recent films in the MCU have felt like "filler episodes" whose purpose is solely to set up a future entry in the franchise, this film stands on its own. The story is isolated, which gives the illusion of finality. In more ways than one, "Guardians 3" is a unique entry in an otherwise convoluted extended film universe.

The filmmakers were not afraid to take their time telling this story, which caused the film to drag at times. Though it felt lengthy at 2 hours and 30 minutes, I do not know what they could have cut out. In typical superhero movie fashion, the climactic battle had plenty of explosions to go around.

Between the villains and the bickering within the Guardians, there was an excessive amount of yelling in this movie. A headache was imminent, as much of the third act was screaming match after screaming match. While these scenes were emotionally heavy, the yelling distracted a bit from the strong acting.

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is one of the better entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since "Avengers: Endgame". Though more chaotic than the other two films in the trilogy, it is a beautiful conclusion to the Guardians' story. Boasting stellar set pieces, an excellent soundtrack and perfect chemistry between cast members, this is a film that I am eager to re-watch.

Best Character: Drax Best Quote: "She is to us." Best Scene: Infiltrating Orgocorp Best Piece of Score: "I Love You Guys"

A near perfect end to an incredible Marvel trilogy.

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is one of the best Marvel movies ever produced, and on par if not succeeding the first installment. (I personally didn't think number 2 was good at all)

The humour is brilliant, the storyline perfectly paced, each character gets their time on screen, the world building was wonderful, the action fantastic, and the CGI far better than some of the more recent Marvel additions. As always, the music was excellent.

This entry focuses heavily on our beloved Rocket, and being the final piece of the Guardians Galaxy trilogy, pulls a lot of character arcs almost full circle.

Our bad guy, an actor I'm unfamilar with, was the perfect villain, and from a quick search on imdb he is finally being recognised and is cast in a number of popular TV shows. This is also a tear jerker of a movie, so don't be surprised if you find yourself weeping throughout several points of the film.

You won't be dissapointed with this final addition to the Guardians, but you may feel a little sad that it has now come to an end.