Writer/director James Gunn gives this loveable found-family of misfits the heartfelt and entertaining send-off they deserve. Packed full of spectacle and emotion, this is a great way to close off a decade of intergalactic adventures.

Premise: While Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is still struggling to come to terms with the death of Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), a megalomaniac with a connection to Rocket’s (Bradley Cooper) past, sends Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) to attack the Guardians’ HQ on Knowhere. In the aftermath, the Guardians set off on a quest to save one of their own.

Review:

The main strength of the first Guardians of the Galaxy film wasn’t its amazing CGI or galaxy-spanning spectacle, it was the loveable bunch of misfits at its centre. When the original Groot (Vin Diesel) sacrificed himself to save the others and uttered the line “We are Groot”, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was still a lot of fun, but the introduction of several new characters, and the splitting up of the original team for much of the runtime, meant that it perhaps lacked some of the camaraderie that made the first film so much fun.

The good news is that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is entirely built around the bonds between the main characters, and the love and affection that unites the band of emotionally damaged former-loners is palpable through the screen. Without getting into spoilers (for those of you who want to avoid any specific details before seeing the film), the plot this time is entirely driven by the characters’ relationships, as the Guardians embark on a personal mission to save one of their own after a devastating attack on their home.

“…much more of a true ensemble film…”

Five films in (if you count Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, as well as the three Guardians movies), the cast know their characters inside and out, and are able to bring a decade’s worth of development to each glance and nod they exchange. Whereas Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) was unquestionably the lead of the previous two Guardians movies, Vol. 3 is arguably much more of a true ensemble film. At the start of the film, Peter is still mourning the death of Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), but the events of the film force him to pull himself together in order to avoid the loss of another loved one. Chris Pratt brings layers to his performance as Peter in this film, and he has some genuinely moving scenes with his half-sister Mantis (played by the always excellent Pom Klementieff) – who forces him to face some home truths – and with Zoe Saldaña, who is playing the 2014-version of Gamora.

Zoe Saldaña has a particularly difficult job, making the 2014-version of Gamora feel like a different character from the “original” Gamora who died in Infinity War, but somehow, she manages it. The fact that this version of Gamora doesn’t feel like a carbon copy of the “original” character not only means that the story in Vol. 3 doesn’t necessarily unfold in the ways you would expect, but it also doesn’t cheapen the death of “our” Gamora in Infinity War.

“…the most impressive character arc over the five films has been Nebula’s…”

After having been largely relegated to a comic relief role in Vol. 2, Dave Bautista gets a bit more to do as Drax in this film, with an increased focus on his role as the heart and joy of the team, rather than just on his comedic talents. The “core” team are supported by returning characters like Kraglin (played by Sean Gunn), as well as new characters like Cosmo the Spacedog (voiced by Maria Bakalova to great comic effect).

But for me, the most impressive character arc over the five films has been Nebula’s, and once again, Karen Gillan is superb playing the character who hides her emotional vulnerability behind a mask of anger and distain, but who actually has a deeper need for love than any of the other characters after suffering a life of torture and isolation. This film also touches on the kindred spirit that’s always been there between Nebula and Rocket (Bradley Cooper) due to their previous experiences of abuse, and Vol. 3 finally takes a headfirst deep dive into Rocket’s full backstory.

“…the High Evolutionary is a truly disturbing villain…”

That backstory is centred around the self-titled High Evolutionary, played with maniacal glee by Chukwudi Iwuji. Unlike Marvel villains with an understandable (if skewed) moral viewpoint, the High Evolutionary is a true zealot – a megalomaniac who believes he was to control the creation and evolution of species, and of entire worlds, in order to achieve “perfection”. As a ruthless and amoral eugenicist, the High Evolutionary is a truly disturbing villain, and Vol. 3 feels in places like it pushes the horror boundaries of its 12A rating. That, coupled with a single (humorous) deployment of an F-bomb, mean this is a Marvel film that may not be suitable for younger fans.

The other main new antagonist is Adam Warlock, the artificial being played by Will Poulter and created by Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki), the High Priestess of the Sovereign people, at the end of Vol. 2. Adam Warlock is a being of incredible power, but the naïve mind of an innocent child, and Will Poulter balances these conflicting sides of his character very well.

“…a bittersweet farewell to the characters we have grown to love over the last decade…”

James Gunn also balances the various tonal elements of Vol. 3 expertly, avoiding some of the tonally jarring moments that arguably effected Vol. 2 in places. Overall, this film has a more serious, almost melancholy, tone, which is appropriate given the seriousness of the themes it deals with, and the fact that this is a bittersweet farewell to the characters we have grown to love over the last decade. This tone is also reflected in the film’s soundtrack, which for the most part lacks the more upbeat, joyous tracks of the previous films, opening the movie instead with a subdued, acoustic version of Radiohead’s 90s anthem Creep.

That’s not to say that Vol. 3 isn’t funny – it is incredibly funny in places. There were countless lines and moments that made me laugh out loud – it’s just that the humour is primarily character and dialogue based rather than situational, which is unsurprising given the film’s plot. James Gunn also delivers some truly original sci-fi visuals, with everything from the High Evolutionary’s failed experiments to an organically grown space-station thrown into the mix.

“…plenty to enjoy in this emotional rollercoaster of a swansong…”

As with any trilogy, the concluding chapter is not a great place to start if you’ve never seen the other films – and similarly, if you didn’t like either of the earlier Guardians films, then this may not change your mind. And objectively, you could argue that there are some pacing issues in the middle of this film, just as there were in Vol. 2. But Vol. 3’s main strength isn’t its amazing CGI or galaxy-spanning spectacle, it’s the loveable bunch of misfits at its centre, and the culmination of their emotional character arcs. And if you have any affection at all for Peter, Rocket, Gamora, Drax, Nebula, Mantis and Groot, you should find plenty to enjoy in this emotional rollercoaster of a swansong.

And make sure you stay for the mid-credit and the post-credit scene…