And there they are again! Probably the most chaotic squad in the universe returns in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Our review will show you whether the wait was worth it. But before that, we want to briefly introduce you to the story and characters.
THE BRIEF STORY & CHARACTERS OF GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3
ROCKET THE RACOON (BRADLEY COOPER)
Actually, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 could also be described as a “Rocket the Racoon” spin-off. Because, right from the start, we dive deep into the past of the cheeky warrior with his bushy tail and big heart. We learn how he became who he is “today”.
We also get to know his old friends Teefs, Floor, and especially Lylla, with whom – unlike in the comics – Rocket develops a very close bond. Closely, on the emotional level.
But also close, since the friends are kept in cages in an animal testing facility. In the dark dungeon, they dream together of the sky and freedom.
STAR-LORD A.K.A. PETER QUILL (CHRIS PRATT)
After losing his beloved Gamora, Peter struggles with life. When Rocket is critically injured by Adam Warlock, Peter can’t help but do whatever it takes to save his friend’s life. So, he goes with the Guardians of the Galaxy again on a mission that not only once gets completely out of hand and threatens to fail.
GAMORA (ZOE SALDAÑA)
That and Peter’s attempts to flirt bother Gamora a lot. Because of course, she is part of the party again.
However, in the version brought to this universe and time by her adoptive sister Nebula through time travel in Avengers: Endgame.
Previously, the “old” Gamora had been killed by Thanos. Therefore, the fighter no longer has a relationship with Peter. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, she is the leader of the Ravagers alongside Stakar Ogord (Silvester Stallone). It is only thanks to Nebula that she helps the group.
I am text block. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
NEBULA (KAREN GILLAN)
Since the big battle in Endgame, Nebula has taken on more and more responsibility for the squad, especially after Peter sank into self-pity. Nebula gets along particularly well with Rocket, whom she, unfortunately, cannot protect from the powerful Adam Warlock. So, she pulls out all the stops to save her friend’s life.
Aside from recruiting her sister Gamora and her body upgrades, Nebula’s skills as fighter and pilot are what she uses to bail out her friends in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
MANTIS (POM KLEMENTIEFF)
Of course, Mantis is still one of those friends. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, she uses her superpower of being able to manipulate the minds of other beings by touch to make even the wildest of creatures docile.
She has also become more self-confident. So, she stands up for her friends more than ever, even occasionally standing up for protection from the mighty Drax.
DRAX (DAVE BAUTISTA)
We won’t reveal whether the naïve giant always likes that. Drax is the only one who has stayed the same. Although not quite. Because, even if that hardly seems possible from the outside, the giant in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 literally surpasses himself. In this way, he also learns to take responsibility. Not only for his friends but for the weaker ones who need his help.
GROOT (VIN DIESEL)
Groot has also grown a lot. Literally. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the tree-like humanoid surprises us with new abilities until the very end, be it flying or… No, more will not be revealed yet. But you can expect a lot.
KRAGLIN OBFONTERI (SEAN GUNN)
Yondu Udonta’s former second-in-commander is still trying to follow in the footsteps of the former leader of the Ravagers. Kraglin also tries to control Yondu’s Yaka Arrow, which he took after his death. Unfortunately, he still has difficulties with handling it. Therefore, he is jealous of his dog.
COSMO THE SPACEDOG (MARIA BAKALOVA)
Having previously made only brief appearances, Cosmo now takes on a proverbial leading role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Because after the Soviets once sent the dog into space, she developed hypothetical psychic abilities with which she can move and control even very large objects. Despite her strength and ability to speak through a transcoder collar, Cosmo is very sensitive and desires affection.
HIGH EVOLUTIONARY (CHUKWUDI IWUJI)
Cosmo doesn’t need to hope for affection from this narcissistic, sociopathic Counter-Earth scientist. Because in his delusion of creating perfect hybrid creatures and thus a completely new society, the powerful villain walks over corpses, especially those of animals, but also those of humans. It’s hard to stop him because he seems invincible. Rocket, in particular, is not on good terms with him, nor with Adam Warlock.
ADAM WARLOCK (WILL POULTER) AND AYESHA (ELIZABETH DEBICKI)
This artificial being was created by the leader of the Sovereign, Ayesha. We know this golden-skinned humanoid race from the prequel. And in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the golden High Priestess is still angry at Rocket and his friends.
Ok, she has every reason to, after all, in the second part, Rocket stole some of her precious batteries to sell. Still, Ayesha overdoes her anger when she sends the Sovereign’s youngest member, Adam Warlock, on a hunt to destroy the Guardians. Adam has superpowers reminiscent of Captain Marvel. Still, they don’t quite match those of High Evolutionary.
URA (DANIELA MELCHIOR)
Ura becomes a hostage of Gamora. Stunning Daniela Melchior portrays the Krylorian servant of the High Evolutionary. You can especially look forward to the elevator scene with Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan, Zoë Saldaña, and Daniela! The beautiful Portuguese stunned us two years ago with her performance as Ratcatcher 2 in Suicide Squad. While her character only makes a brief appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, we hope to see her much more often.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 REVIEW
To be honest, I went to the cinema to watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 with mixed feelings. After all, the start of Marvel’s so-called Phase Five with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania completely failed. As an Ant-Man fan from the very beginning, I was very disappointed with the third part of the franchise, on all levels.
Therefore, I was afraid that the new adventure of the Guardians, who I also really like, might disappoint me as well. It’s not necessarily an advantage to produce big blockbusters faster and faster, which then must outperform their predecessors.
But after the first scenes of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, I was relieved to see that James Gunn has stayed true to his style. Thank God. Moreover, in the 3rd part, he and everyone involved surpassed themselves.
The characters are drawn even more strongly. Especially Nebula and Mantis show new, very strong sides. While one appears much warmer and deeper, the other appears more self-confident and multi-faceted. To achieve this, Gamora and Peter step back a bit in their roles. Not too much, just the right amount.
HUMOR & SCORE
The humor in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 also remains at the level of its predecessors, as does the soundtrack.
EMOTIONS VS: PERFECTIONISM
What is new is the enormous dose of emotion that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 unleashes. Moreover, these emotions run very deep. And they touch deeply. Because the actual picture that the film draws metaphorically reflects our society critically.
High Evolutionary’s pursuit of perfection is symbolic of what we see in the media every day. False perfectionism, which makes the people who live it out just as sick as those who are shown it in droves every day.
THE RELATION TO REALITY
Even worse are the animal experiments, which have decreased but have not been completely abolished by a long shot. The experiments High Evolutionary performs on the animals are heartbreaking. This feeling is reinforced by the enchanting loveliness exuded by these disfigured creatures. When they dream of the sky in a cage and replace their lab numbers with names, I can’t imagine your eyes staying dry. At least I couldn’t hold back the tears. Why should I?
Director and writer James Gunn and producer Kevin Feige go even further. Because while Cosmo was a male in the comics, in the film it’s a female dog. This is a tribute to Laika, a husky-terrier mix who was launched into orbit by the Soviets in October 1957 as a live test subject. This was done with the knowledge that the dog would burn up in the stratosphere on the way back.
A GOOD BALANCE
The friendship between the animals and especially the relationship between Rocket and Lylla is just heartwarming. I was concerned that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 would feature over-the-top, endless action sequences. The trailers suggest so.
On the other hand, I experienced a warm-hearted film, with an incredible amount of emotion, a positive message (greetings from Disney), lots of fun, and an ending that makes me really curious to see how it goes on.
Without wanting spoilers, but even films like Ghost, Love-Story, and Titanic could not show such an intimate relationship between two individuals as arises between Rocket and Leylla in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It’s hard to imagine anyone not being deeply touched by the two of them. At least I was and still am. Just like that, this is the end.
RATING
Therefore, I give a big wow and 8 points, with a strong tendency to 9, because I’m completely thrilled! While this is the end of this team, which is also an emotional issue for fans, I hope the story of Star-Lord, Rocket, Groot, Mantis, and the others will continue.
Text: Marco Kokkot | VALEUR MEDIA
Pictures: Marvel Studios 2023. All Rights Reserved.
