by Hayden Mears
James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy did what many thought impossible. Not only did it fold D-list Marvel characters into a continuity that never really needed them, but it did so in a way that felt seamless and made us scream for more. Instead of asking, “What was that?” we cried, “Finally! Where have these A-holes been?!” A talking raccoon? A Vin Diesel-voiced tree man with a hilariously restrictive vocabulary? Why do these things work so well?!
Fast forward almost a decade. Gunn has just released his big-hearted trilogy-capper, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The MCU’s big bad, Thanos, has come and gone. Every corner of the universe is still reeling from the devastation he brought. Gunn has always revelled in the fact that the Guardians’ adventures don’t have to have any bearing on Earth, the Avengers, etc. He can create hilarious standalone adventures that care more about characters and moments than continuity. After watching Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it occurs to us that there may be too much revelling. Gunn’s swan song is indulgent to a fault and unwilling to let jokes die. It’s excessive in every way its predecessors were, but this time the excess feels contrived and tiresome. Glimpses of Gunn’s brilliance shine through occasionally, but as a cohesive whole? It’s a marked step-down.
At 2½ hours, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is exhausting. Yes, it looks and sounds phenomenal. And sure, there are some fantastic character beats that will go down as some of Gunn’s most inspired writing. The movie belongs to Rocket Raccoon (Sean Gunn/Bradley Cooper), and it’s at its best when it remembers that.
The bottom line? Gunn’s swan song is a big, messy, sporadically absorbing odyssey that effortlessly ranks among the MCU’s most original – and uneven – entries. The characters are lovably one-note. The plot is uncomplicated. It’s a reasonably good time at the movies, but it needs to be the last one.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 is in UK cinemas from May 3rd.
