Over the years, Marvel Studios has put its trust in a number of directors to take over its major properties. However, with whom that confidence is most perceived is with James Gunn. Since the filmmaker entered this project called the cinematographic universe in 2014, he knew how to infuse with irreverence and lightness that interconnected story that, by then, barely consisted of nine films. Almost a decade later, that seal that captivated millions of viewers is still present in the film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, in which the most eclectic group in comic book cinema comes together for one last wacky, sad, self-conscious and, yes, crowd-pleasing battle, but which never divests of its familiar essence. It’s everything you liked about the first deliveries raised to the tenth power.
But this is not cause for alarm. While in other Marvel productions the oversaturation and bombast are repetitive – which is why there have been endless discussions about when they should stop creating audiovisual projects – it is just the weirdness presented in the previous appearances of the Guardians that allows the narrative to unfold. get away with inserting so much spectacle. It is perhaps the first time that excess is organically integrated with other aspects of the story to give the required emotional weight.
During the months leading up to the film’s release and during its promotion phase, the studio and the director emphasized the fact that this installment would focus on Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and his past. Indeed, that promise is kept, but revealing what happens would mean ruining several surprises. However, one thing that can be said is that it is precisely the mercenary raccoon’s past that will lead the team to face its most complex and frightening villain: the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), who is responsible for several of the threats that the group faces, including the arrival of the naive and powerful Adam Warlock (Will Poulter).
Thus, the stars must go through several points in space before reaching the location where everything ends. And although this resource has already been seen, the way it is structured here is very imaginative. Told skilfully interspersed flashbacks and snippets of the present, we never get lost, as the script (written by Gunn) is stripped of everything that doesn’t need to be mentioned, and Fred Raskin’s editing is fairly consistent.
Ever since the beloved misfits made their film debut, the tone of their adventures has been that of a space opera. No more. But there is a rule of this subgenre that was deliberately not followed. Space operas commonly begin with an introductory chapter where the conflict is introduced. Then an intermediate chapter that is usually extremely dark and where the heroes and heroines see everything lost. And a last one where the action picks up for good. Not here. The movie Guardians of the Galaxy 3 It’s the darkest in the entire MCU. She is even, at times, not afraid to cover everything with a very large veil of pessimism and restlessness.
This time, thanks to something and someone that unites them all, each member of the group has the opportunity to face their own demons and explore aspects of their personality that were buried. With this, we have Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) reconnect with his earthly roots; the Gamora of the past (Zoe Saldana) –who returned after the events of end game (2018)– little by little he adapts to a new family; Drax (Dave Bautista) finds the more human side of him; Nebula (Karen Gillan) discovers the benefits of teamwork; Mantis (Pom Klementieff) breaks away from Ego’s shadow, giving new purpose to his abilities, and Groot (voice of Vin Diesel), on the brink of significant loss, manages to channel his kaiju interior toward an important cause. The stakes are higher and the affection of the performers and the director towards their characters is more evident than ever.
But you didn’t think everything would be grey, did you? This third part also has upbeat and joyous moments, thanks to stunning photography by Henry Braham, with a brilliant color palette, and a very strange production design by Beth Mickle. In fact, it shares many elements with the first Star Wars (1977). It has overtones of fantasy and science fiction works in the purest style of the most representative books by Jules Verne or the best television series produced by Irving Allen. This is something that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania attempted to make with questionable results and terrible visual effects. However, here the attention to detail is impressive.
The fast and direct dialogues and the absurd humor play a very important role in the creation of these fanciful and cheeky atmospheres. Because when it’s time to get serious, the characters—especially Iwuji’s deranged High Evolutionary—don’t think twice about turning somber. Although that does not prevent them from doing the expected nonsense.
As if this were not enough, there is the usually compliant soundtrack that always accompanies these tapes. Once again, the musical selection is a winning point and accentuates the always summery feeling of the franchise, an issue that becomes clear when songs like “Crazy On You”, from Heart, “Creep“, by Radiohead, “In the Meantime”, from Spacehog or “Dog Days Are Overby Florence + The Machine.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 It is a genuine explosion of feelings and sensations. An almost perfect farewell, although perhaps a bit cruel and long for many people. It is a product emanating from the unrestricted mind of its creator, who respected his creation until the end. For their last dance, the cool friends give it their all. This is how they show once again that we can get the most out of what makes us different. In shaping this compendium of his greatest hits, Gunn seems to have remembered the words Quill said a few years ago. As he was deciding whether to make a devastating or a funny feature, he probably thought, “I’ll do a little bit of both.”
Jose Roberto Landaverde I love writing, listening, reading and commenting on everything related to cinema. I love music and am a fan of The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac and Paramore. My favorite movies are Rocky and Back to the Future and obviously one day I’ll climb the Philly Steps and drive a DeLorean. Faithful believer that cinema is the best teleportation machine, and also that on the big screen we can all see ourselves represented.