My Review of Guardians of the Galaxy volume 3 · 8:39pm Dec 3rd, 2023
Rating Scale:
12/10—a complete masterpiece; flawless and outstanding
11/10—Excellent, near-perfect film
10/10—the standard rating; awesome film with a couple of flaws
9/10—a wonderful film with several flaws
8/10–a great film with numerous flaws but not enough to ruin it
7/10—a fun and entertaining movie; not great but still enjoyable
6/10—a slightly above average film; it is something I might watch again
5/10—mediocre movie; not awful but not great either
4/10—a below average film; it could have been much better
3/10—a bad film; poorly written and poorly executed
2/10—a very bad movie; the few good things in the movie overshadowed by the bad things
1/10—a terrible movie; a total waste of time
0/10—a worthless piece of abomination; should have never been made
Greetings, everyone. This is Mr. J back with another movie review for the day. This afternoon, I will be reviewing "Guardians of the Galaxy volume 3", released earlier this year. Before watching this movie, I had very little hope left; after watching that piss-awful "Ant-Man 3" movie, I was on the verge of giving up on the MCU. But then I've heard so much praise for this movie--calling it the best MCU movie of 2023 or one of the best films they put out. I had to hold it with a grain of salt and see for myself if it lived up to the hype. After watching this movie on Disney+, I can confidently say...that the praise is justified. As Gordon Ramsay would say, "Finally, some good fucking food!"
This movie is about the origins of Rocket and how he came to be. The High Evolutionary sends his lackey to capture Rocket and bring him back to himself; but during the process, Warlock ends up mortally wounding him before he gets defeated in combat. Therefore, Peter Quill and the gang must work quickly to save Rocket's life before it's too late. Meanwhile, Peter is having difficulties of his own as a new Gamora joins them and remembers nothing of the relationship he had with her other self. Will he move on and find his peace?
I gotta say that I love the boldness this film has for its own storyline. Finally, we have an MCU movie that doesn't mess around and keeps itself consistent! The way it treated its characters was both respectful and amazing at the same time. It took some risks and managed to write everyone's character arcs perfectly. And I liked the fact that we now know and understand who Rocket is as a person and where he came from.
Speaking of which, the vast majority of his scenes were so heartbreaking and emotional. We see how he made his first friends in their cages and how they got their unique names. Floor, Teefs, and Lylla were genuinely wholesome characeters, and I truly hoped to see them in future projects. But imagine my reaction when that hope was dashed to pieces--my heart stopped at that moment. When the High Evolutionary killed Lylla, I was shocked and appalled. I never expected to see such a sweet character be killed off so cruelly and to witness Teefs and Floor share the same fate.
As for the High Evolutionary, he is by far the most evil and delusional villain I've ever watched in this franchise. He was so vindictive and self-righteous as he believed that everything he did was for the "greater good". But his actions proved that he's nothing more than a psychopath who reveled in animal cruelty and genocide. I hated him so much that it made me so satisfied in watching his face get ripped apart by an enraged Rocket and seeing him get his ass beaten by our heroes at the end. He makes Thanos look like a saint in comparison the more you think about it!
I am very happy that, for the first time in a long while, this movie balances its serious tone and its comedic side. Not once did it ever try to ruin any of its scenes with the main characters with jokes, but at the same time, it doesn't ever try in being too edgy or dark just for the sake of it. See, Disney, this is how you make an MCU movie. We need more movies like this from now on although I fear they may get too carried away with the money in their pockets and thus get back to the same old, useless formula. But fortunately, this tells me that they have what it takes to make a great movie. They need to stick with it.
As much as I love this adventurous storyline, it isn't without at least a few flaws. There were still some jokes that felt forced and unfunny such as the whole running gag of that dog begging Kraglin to take back his mean remark of her being a bad dog. Seriously, that was so annoying and cringe from the beginning to the end. Plus, there were some characters that were either useless or just dumb...such as Adam Warlock. Come on, who the heck cares about this guy? He's barely in the movie that much, and he was only badass during his first appearance. Then throughout the rest of the movie, he was no longer important. Why not just kill him off?
These are my only issues with the movie, and they're thankfully pretty minor. But I believe that one of the best parts of the film was the whole reimaged dynamic between Peter and Gamora. Even though it was sad seeing a Gamora who doesn't remember everything that happened (especially knowing that her previous version of her died in Infinity War) and thus shares no romantic feelings for him, I was still glad that they didn't try have Peter reconnect his relationship with her. To me, it shows that he's finally learned to move on and accept that the Gamora he knew is forever gone and appreciating the new memories he's made with this Gamora throughout the film.
The way the movie utilized its themes of trauma, family, heartbreak, and emotional maturity was brilliant, in my opinion. It made me care for everyone, hold on to the edge of my seat, and actually cry during its gut-wrenching moments.
Overall, "Guardians of the Galaxy 3" is awesome and well-written in almost every way possible. I rate it a solid 10/10! I love the acting, the storyline, the returning characters, and the message it conveyed. So long as you stick to the people who love you and protect you, you've got nothing to be afraid of. And as long as you remember who you are, you'll never forget your call of duty. Also, I still consider the second volume to be my personal favorite out of the three, but this is a close second.
Peace,
Of all the MCU movies that were released this year, and ones I haven’t seen since “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, this one is definitely among the many I’m interested in checking out. I’m deeply glad that it proved to be an improvement for you over the 3rd Ant-Man film, that’s for sure.
Still sad though about Peter's love life like that.
But I do somewhat agree with your "moving on" message.
I hope he becomes a member of the MCU’s incarnation of the Masters of Evil or Cabal in the future!
Would you have preferred if Adam Warlock appeared in a non-Guardians of the Galaxy Marvel installment instead? Also, the reason why he’s like that is because he was released too early and his mental cognitive is still around a 5-10-year-old.
5757877
It doesn't matter what movie he's in, I just don't like him.
That is still no excuse in making him such a wasted character.
Wow, I never thought I would've hated a Guardians of the Galaxy villain more than I did with Ego, then The High Evolutionary showed up in this movie and changed all that. I seriously wanted Rocket to put a bullet through his head for all the pain and suffering The High Evolutionary had ever caused him.