IR Film Review: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 [Marvel/Disney]
The concept of evolution and circular motion is an interesting motif but also the context of loss and how it creates impact. At certain points in its multi-film progression, "Guardians" has been able to create these feelings in certain moments but it sometimes ebbs and flows. With "Vol. 3" there is an interesting throughline but the ultimately the heartstrings that originally might have been there, don't tug as hard as they might have. The moment of loss in "Infinity War" with Pratt and Tom Holland as their respective heroes really gave a sense of weight that doesn't quite balance here. James Gunn here pushes some pretty bold swings and tries for some of that existential angst but none of it really comes up to par to when Groot was about to be lost in the first Volume. The mix tape element has taken on its own life but its nostalgia is one of expectation which might give a less little less than it used to.
Rocket is both the focal point here and the point that pushes it away. The sense of scale is there along with the same Hitchhiker's Guide approach. The Gamora context is understood and the way Quill reacts is well stated but it was a specific choice that was made as was the way Mantis, Drax and Nebula act. It is not as if they are going through the motions but the wide swing comedy (that was even in Vol. 2) seems a little strained here. That is not to say the film is not enjoyable but its progression is a little clunky though the reasoning is sound and textured to the mythology. The use of Adam Warlock, though expected, is a bit wasted. With alot of the mythological elements of the film series, there seems to be some chances not taken (while others were), especially when anything was possible. The context of sacrifice is what made "Endgame" and "Infinity War" undeniable at some points. Tragedy befits a sense of acceptance despite anything else. Rocket's origins are discussed and it really gives the heart of the film a beat but in a way it becomes too esoteric.
This entry should have been more heart wrenching with more humor to back it up. It is there but many times it feels like it is just trying to fill in the blanks. There is some great needle drops as always including one big battle sequence (though it has a different energy than say the beginning of Vol. 2) as well as a drop onto a planet of sorts. But there is not as much of a sense of time which would have helped, even if it meant a flashback. One of the more beautiful elements of the Guardians myth was in the Groot TV series where a young Groot is playing on the ship and making a mess of things and Rocket comes in and is involved in the shenangians. You see time pass and that sense of loss. Nobody is injured but there is a sense of pride and hurt in that that comes through. You see that once here, in the Rocket origin sequence, but that sense of hurt and thereby redemption is a little more fleeting than it should have been in this entry. B-
By Tim Wassberg
