On May 3rd, 2023, the final installment of Guardians of the Galaxy was released in theaters. People reserved their seats, bought their snacks, and prepared to see how the Guardians would conclude their epic trilogy. I was not in that first wave of moviegoers. Nor the second. I didn’t watch the Guardians of the Galaxy 3 until just last week.
So here I am, almost an entire year later, writing my thoughts about the film.
It was awesome!
Summary
Episode 3 begins with the crew still reeling from the loss of Gamora. But amid their despair and recovering from the aftermath of Thanos, Rocket is attacked by a powerful outsider. Now, Peter Quill, A.K.A Starlord, must rally his team to defend the universe and protect one of their own. To do this, they must explore Rocket’s origins, a topic the lovable trash panda has not spoken of in any detail. If the mission is not completely successful, it could possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.
Favorite Parts
There are several great moments throughout the film, but what I enjoyed about Guardians of the Galaxy 3 was the character moments throughout the story. As this franchise is about building the relationships between the characters, my favorite parts of the film have more to do with the character relationships and themes within the story rather than the story itself.
Drax and Mantis: Be Yourself
I have thoroughly enjoyed the simplicity and childlike nature of both Drax and Mantis. From the beginning, Drax–a hardened warrior with strength and power unequal to others–is an honest character. He says what he thinks without metaphor or flowery language. Mantis, on the other hand, is an empath and is all about emotion.
This duo has often been shown as almost a weakness for the Guardians. Their actions tend to lead the team into more trouble than it seems worth. But there’s a moment in the third act where Mantis, Drax, and Nebula find themselves on the High Evolutionary’s ship as it launches into space. The trio thinks that Groot and Peter are dead. In anger, Nebula lashes out at Drax.
It’s here that Mantis talks about how even though Drax seems to make mistake after mistake, his lower intelligence allows him to bring humor and light to a team that doesn’t seem to have a lot of either.
Drax and Mantis can be themselves–flawed, simple, and singularly focused–and still be superheroes.
Quill and Gamora and Adam Warlock: Second Chances
Throughout the movie, Quill tries to remind Gamora about the past they once had. It reeks of desperation and shows shamelessly the sadness that Peter has endured since he lost his love. Of course, this is a different Gamora. This is not the same woman that Peter fell in love with. So all of his attempts at woo or reminiscence are for not. But throughout the film, Gomara sees the family that the Guardians have become and she seems to long for that. She longs to be connected to the family this Gamora never had.
In the end, Peter and Gamora share a moment. Gamora lets her guard down and says to Peter, “I bet we were fun,” to which he responds “You have no idea.” I love this moment because it gives Peter a bit of closer before he embarks on his journey. But it also gives the audience, or at least those of us hopeless romantics, a feeling that they may end up together.
Additionally, Adam Warlock has been pain the Guardians’ side throughout the film. But after he rescues Peter in the final moments of the film, Rocket tells him that everyone deserves a second chance.
I love this message more than I can express in words on this post.
Rocket Racoon: The Past Can’t Hurt You
This movie is more or less an origin story for Rocket. It shows what he’s gone through to become the member of the Guardians we know at the start of the film. It shows his pain and struggle. But all of the backstory that we see Rocket go through–the trials, the experiments, the suffering–it all leads to where we saw Rocket Raccoon at the beginning of the trilogy. Smart, capable, and with the family he thought he lost.
Life is challenging and will knock us down. It will hurt us. But, like Rocket, we don’t have to let our past control our future. Yes, the past can hurt, but we can either let it consume us, or we can use it to grow into the character we are meant to be.
The Future of Guardians of the Galaxy
The story ends with two after-credit scenes. Each gives viewers a glimpse of what is in store for the Guardians’ crew.
Rocket Raccoon and the Guardians
The first cut scene during the credits shows Rocket Racoon leading a “new” team of Guardians–Rocket, Groot, Kraglin, Adam Warlock, Cosmo, and Phyla–wait to protect townspeople from an invading force of hyena-rabbits. I’m not sure exactly what this clip leads to, as I am not a reader of the GOTG comics. It can have a bigger meaning or just be a cool nod to the team under Rocket’s leadership.
But it shows that the Guardians will continue, either in a future film, television show or simply in our hearts.
Starlord will Return
The final post-credit scene shows Peter Quill’s Star-Lord eating cereal with his grandfather. The two are talking about cutting a neighbor’s grass and the local mundanity of life on Earth. It’s a pleasant moment for the former leader of the Guardians as he just sits and enjoys breakfast with one of his only remaining biological family members.
The scene fades to white with the words “The Legendary Star-Lord will Return.” It doesn’t say when or how. Will Chris Pratt get a stand-alone movie? Maybe one where Peter Quill and Gamora reunite? I’d love to see an action-packed reenactment of some ’80s or ’90s rom-com where the two finally get back together and fall in love. Maybe You’ve Got Mail or While You Were Sleeping, but in space.
With the studios under the Disney banner in a state of flux at the moment, it will be interesting to see how Marvel makes good on the promise delivered and carries the Guardians of the Galaxy into the next era.
Final Rating
Like many fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the MCU, I’ve grown numb to new shows and new movies. I have no problem with the release schedule. My greatest issue with the state of the MCU is that the stories are not interesting and the characters are not compelling. The actors usually do a fine job and the visual effects are typically above reproach.
But Guardians of the Galaxy 3 was not just a fun movie: Guardians 3 is a movie with heart. We have a character that we’ve grown to love injured in the opening moments of the film. If he’s not saved in a certain amount of time, we could lose him.
The stakes of this movie felt real. There were moments when I thought one or more characters were going to die.
Bringing the alternate Gamora back into the story allowed the characters to express their emotions naturally. This is a movie I will watch again.
I give Guardians of the Galaxy 3 an 8 trash pandas out of 10 trash pandas.
Conclusion
You can watch Guardians of the Galaxy 3 on Disney+ or rent/buy it on Amazon or other devices. If you are more akin to the Ravagers, make sure you use a VPN: Disney looks down on space piracy!
Leave a comment and let me know what you think of Guardians of the Galaxy 3 in the section below.
I am a man-child in my early 30s who is looking to explore the nerdy side of life. I am a former English teacher, a current copywriter, and a future who-knows-what. I love movies, literature, video games, TV, and music.
Apr 4 2024
Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Review
Why did it take me so long to see this movie?!
On May 3rd, 2023, the final installment of Guardians of the Galaxy was released in theaters. People reserved their seats, bought their snacks, and prepared to see how the Guardians would conclude their epic trilogy. I was not in that first wave of moviegoers. Nor the second. I didn’t watch the Guardians of the Galaxy 3 until just last week.
So here I am, almost an entire year later, writing my thoughts about the film.
It was awesome!
Summary
Episode 3 begins with the crew still reeling from the loss of Gamora. But amid their despair and recovering from the aftermath of Thanos, Rocket is attacked by a powerful outsider. Now, Peter Quill, A.K.A Starlord, must rally his team to defend the universe and protect one of their own. To do this, they must explore Rocket’s origins, a topic the lovable trash panda has not spoken of in any detail. If the mission is not completely successful, it could possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.
Favorite Parts
There are several great moments throughout the film, but what I enjoyed about Guardians of the Galaxy 3 was the character moments throughout the story. As this franchise is about building the relationships between the characters, my favorite parts of the film have more to do with the character relationships and themes within the story rather than the story itself.
Drax and Mantis: Be Yourself
I have thoroughly enjoyed the simplicity and childlike nature of both Drax and Mantis. From the beginning, Drax–a hardened warrior with strength and power unequal to others–is an honest character. He says what he thinks without metaphor or flowery language. Mantis, on the other hand, is an empath and is all about emotion.
This duo has often been shown as almost a weakness for the Guardians. Their actions tend to lead the team into more trouble than it seems worth. But there’s a moment in the third act where Mantis, Drax, and Nebula find themselves on the High Evolutionary’s ship as it launches into space. The trio thinks that Groot and Peter are dead. In anger, Nebula lashes out at Drax.
It’s here that Mantis talks about how even though Drax seems to make mistake after mistake, his lower intelligence allows him to bring humor and light to a team that doesn’t seem to have a lot of either.
Drax and Mantis can be themselves–flawed, simple, and singularly focused–and still be superheroes.
Quill and Gamora and Adam Warlock: Second Chances
Throughout the movie, Quill tries to remind Gamora about the past they once had. It reeks of desperation and shows shamelessly the sadness that Peter has endured since he lost his love. Of course, this is a different Gamora. This is not the same woman that Peter fell in love with. So all of his attempts at woo or reminiscence are for not. But throughout the film, Gomara sees the family that the Guardians have become and she seems to long for that. She longs to be connected to the family this Gamora never had.
In the end, Peter and Gamora share a moment. Gamora lets her guard down and says to Peter, “I bet we were fun,” to which he responds “You have no idea.” I love this moment because it gives Peter a bit of closer before he embarks on his journey. But it also gives the audience, or at least those of us hopeless romantics, a feeling that they may end up together.
Additionally, Adam Warlock has been pain the Guardians’ side throughout the film. But after he rescues Peter in the final moments of the film, Rocket tells him that everyone deserves a second chance.
I love this message more than I can express in words on this post.
Rocket Racoon: The Past Can’t Hurt You
This movie is more or less an origin story for Rocket. It shows what he’s gone through to become the member of the Guardians we know at the start of the film. It shows his pain and struggle. But all of the backstory that we see Rocket go through–the trials, the experiments, the suffering–it all leads to where we saw Rocket Raccoon at the beginning of the trilogy. Smart, capable, and with the family he thought he lost.
Life is challenging and will knock us down. It will hurt us. But, like Rocket, we don’t have to let our past control our future. Yes, the past can hurt, but we can either let it consume us, or we can use it to grow into the character we are meant to be.
The Future of Guardians of the Galaxy
The story ends with two after-credit scenes. Each gives viewers a glimpse of what is in store for the Guardians’ crew.
Rocket Raccoon and the Guardians
The first cut scene during the credits shows Rocket Racoon leading a “new” team of Guardians–Rocket, Groot, Kraglin, Adam Warlock, Cosmo, and Phyla–wait to protect townspeople from an invading force of hyena-rabbits. I’m not sure exactly what this clip leads to, as I am not a reader of the GOTG comics. It can have a bigger meaning or just be a cool nod to the team under Rocket’s leadership.
But it shows that the Guardians will continue, either in a future film, television show or simply in our hearts.
Starlord will Return
The final post-credit scene shows Peter Quill’s Star-Lord eating cereal with his grandfather. The two are talking about cutting a neighbor’s grass and the local mundanity of life on Earth. It’s a pleasant moment for the former leader of the Guardians as he just sits and enjoys breakfast with one of his only remaining biological family members.
The scene fades to white with the words “The Legendary Star-Lord will Return.” It doesn’t say when or how. Will Chris Pratt get a stand-alone movie? Maybe one where Peter Quill and Gamora reunite? I’d love to see an action-packed reenactment of some ’80s or ’90s rom-com where the two finally get back together and fall in love. Maybe You’ve Got Mail or While You Were Sleeping, but in space.
With the studios under the Disney banner in a state of flux at the moment, it will be interesting to see how Marvel makes good on the promise delivered and carries the Guardians of the Galaxy into the next era.
Final Rating
Like many fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the MCU, I’ve grown numb to new shows and new movies. I have no problem with the release schedule. My greatest issue with the state of the MCU is that the stories are not interesting and the characters are not compelling. The actors usually do a fine job and the visual effects are typically above reproach.
But Guardians of the Galaxy 3 was not just a fun movie: Guardians 3 is a movie with heart. We have a character that we’ve grown to love injured in the opening moments of the film. If he’s not saved in a certain amount of time, we could lose him.
The stakes of this movie felt real. There were moments when I thought one or more characters were going to die.
Bringing the alternate Gamora back into the story allowed the characters to express their emotions naturally. This is a movie I will watch again.
I give Guardians of the Galaxy 3 an 8 trash pandas out of 10 trash pandas.
Conclusion
You can watch Guardians of the Galaxy 3 on Disney+ or rent/buy it on Amazon or other devices. If you are more akin to the Ravagers, make sure you use a VPN: Disney looks down on space piracy!
Leave a comment and let me know what you think of Guardians of the Galaxy 3 in the section below.
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By Thaddaeus Brodrick • Movies • 0 • Tags: guardians of the galaxy 3, guardians of the galaxy 3 review, Marvel Movies, MCU