The Guardians are saying goodbye to the Galaxy in Volume 3, a swansong for the wacky group who has been a staple within the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the best part of a decade. A handful of group outings, team-ups and side appearances later and the concluding instalment in their trilogy closes out their time in the franchise - but is this a final chapter worthy of our time?
When the life of one of their own hangs in the balance, the Guardians mount a mission that could spell the end for both the group as they know it and the wider universe. Despite the behind-the-scenes drama that almost spelt the end of his involvement, James Gunn does return as writer and director, alongside his cast featuring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff and Vin Diesel.
If there was fear of an indifference growing within and towards the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is, thankfully, not at all impacted by it. A strong finale that bolstered what has turned out to be one of the franchises' most consistent trilogies, Vol. 3's last hurrah is one imbued with emotion, feeling and sentiment, closing the chapter in a way that remains honest to the band of misfits it has nurtured over almost ten years.
James Gunn's playful idiosyncrasies continue to serve the story well, a colourful series of universes and set pieces executed with stronger, sharper visual effects than more recent MCU titles have been. Each location we visit is presented with excitement and wonder, with characters mostly rendered with unique personalities and alongside a soundtrack that further supports the clear vision Gunn has for each of the films in the trilogy, charting its course well through the music it selects. If the comedy is sometimes a little misplaced, the constant need for a punchline occasionally undoing the poignancy of a moment, it has almost become par for the course of these rough-around-the-edges Guardians movies - not everything works but a lot of it sure does.
Placing Rocket at the heart of Vol 3 may have been a leftfield decision but an ultimately fruitful one, allowing the film's thematic content and character development to shine. Perhaps the mission-based story is a somewhat rote template to use, a means to an end so the madcap shenanigans can unfold. But, as a vessel for some of the most devastating themes the MCU has pondered, including a genuinely heartbreaking exploration of animal abuse, it in turn results in some of the most harrowing scenes a modern blockbuster has offered us in some time. Handled with care and concern, Gunn's work has already maintained a sincerity in the face of the surrounding lighthearted goofiness, elevating its quality and resonating deeper than many of its counterparts.
Our cast is back in fine form, maintaining the giddy team dynamic that has propelled the series from the start. Vol 3's most valuable players include Zoe Saldana, who benefits from playing Gamora through a different pair of eyes given the continued fallout from Avengers: Infinity War and its sequel; Karen Gillan as Nebula, whose character arc continues to be one of the most compelling on Marvel's roster; and Dave Bautista, who continues to surprise with the depth he brings to a character initially drawn purely as comedic fodder. It's worth mentioning what a superb job Bradley Cooper does in bringing Rocket's anguish and trauma to the screen through his voice performance, while Chukwudi Iwuji's work as High Evolutionary is inspired, representing the overall series' strongest antagonists since Thanos.
While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 does not entirely spell the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's current rough patch - and nor does it guarantee we will ever entirely recover from it - it does close out this particular trilogy on fine form, a worthy swansong for one of the more unusual sets of characters the genre has seen. There will be a Guardians-shaped (and a James Gunn-shaped) hole in the fabric of this cinematic universe - but closing out with such emotional richness and a sense of finality makes it an easier goodbye to make.