SPOILERS for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
The concept of destiny, divine purpose, and the choice to accept or rebel against it are all major factors in life. We often exist in a world where choices are laid out for us without us even knowing it. When we do become aware, the change is striking, our beliefs are shattering, and the world we come to live in changes with every moment and it is up to us to choose our path, for better or for worse.
The Guardians of the Galaxy movies have always been about imperfect beings proving they are more than the sum of their parts. It’s been about broken people overcoming their brokenness and learning to be more than anyone ever expected. And this was mostly shown through the relationships of Star Lord (Chris Pratt) until this third installment when the tone shifts to the one member who hasn’t been so open about his past, Rocket (Bradley Cooper).
Rocket is, on paper, absurd at best. He’s an anthropomorphic raccoon, who talks like an Italian gangster, carries a lethal number of firearms at any given time, and is the smartest member of this band of misfits by a mile. But he’s got a lot of power through the way he’s been portrayed, from having been forced to witness the death of his friends, namely Groot (Vin Diesel) in the first Guardians of the Galaxy and then again in Avengers: Infinity War. He’s been mocked for his appearance, torn apart for his arrogance, and ultimately pushed to his breaking point over and over again while never being seen for just how valuable he really is. And then Vol. 3 takes that and adds a background worse than anything to the overall result.
The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) is a monster. He is the worst aspects of human history, blown up to a cosmic scale and then given powers beyond our understanding. His quest, to perfect existence and build perfect species of beings speaks to Nazi ideas and horrors of eugenics that should leave us shaking when we think of certain parts of our own history being equally horrifying, and to see his unapologetic resolve, he belief that he is not just a genius but a god amongst creatures, speaks to the worst horrors of our past. And yet, he’s flawed, he lacks his own perfection, and he shows jealousy, desire for control, and a lack of compassion that makes him to be just as realistic as villains of our own history.
And what this says is that even those who create and enhance life lack true power. They struggle in their own purposes and yet demand we become something they believe to be perfect. Our parents, our elders, our mentors, they all have a path they expect us to follow. They think they know what is best for us, even though those same things put barriers and struggles on their own lives. And they tell us to succeed until we do and then it’s not pride they share, but resentment. They don’t revel in our gifts but show jealousy, hate, pain. While this is not true of all people, there are more than a significant number of young people, who lose their potential for greatness before they even discover it.
What makes the Guardians of the Galaxy so special is not that they are perfect ideals of people and they know it. They are flawed, broken, destroyed people, beings who have suffered loss, fear, heartbreak, horrors beyond anything we can imagine, and yet, when they come together, when they find each other, they realize they are more capable and able than anyone can imagine. And then, when the brutal and barbaric creators come back to them, demanding they return to the roles they broke out of, they refuse, they improve, they become something more than anyone can imagine, especially those who made them.
The lesson this movie speaks is so powerful. We are not defined by other people’s decisions of who we should be. Like Star Lord and Groot we are not our past selves’ beliefs about what we are. Like Gamora (Zoe Saldana) we are not our former relationships versions of ourselves, like Drax we are not our failures of ourselves, and like Rocket, Nebula, Mantis, and so many others, we are not our parents, leaders, bosses, or anyone else’s expectations of ourselves. We define us, we define who we can become. Who we were made to be, is not who we are.
Just a quick refresher of my MCU ranking criteria.
Cast and Performances
Story and Plot
Best Fight/Action Scene
Rewatchability
Cleverest Easter Egg
Each film will be judged solely by me and then placed against all the other films. And rated on a scale of 10 for each category with a total possible score of 50.
So, here is the quick breakdown of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3:
Cast and Performances: Everyone is bringing their best to these roles. Pratt, Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff and especially Bradley Cooper are bringing the highest stakes to these characters and it works. Iwuji takes the High Evolutionary to levels beyond expectation and makes him a villain we both understand as someone we can see, and yet see as someone larger than life. There are a lot of pieces and some roles get pushed aside, but the overall result is fantastic and memorable performances. (9/10)
Story and Plot: I think this plot is really strong, it says a lot about what is and isn’t worth saving in the world, and shows how we place our own value on certain things above others, but the overall plot has a lot of pieces to put into place. It’s not without its flaws but it does have a strong and complete story when the dust settles.. (8/10)
Best Fight/Action Scene: Hallway oner set to “No Sleep Til Brooklyn” is a masterpiece in showing off the Guardians doing what they do best. It’s got humor, talent, supremely clever camera work, and an overall reminder that James Gunn knowns how to show these characters in ways that make them work at all levels. (10/10)
Rewatchability: I have so much I’m excited to see again. I know there are things I missed and pieces I have to check out again because it’s a lot to take in. I spent the whole credits role just reflecting and wanting to instantly watch my favorite moments again. It was fantastic. (10/10)
Best Easter Egg: There weren’t a ton of major easter eggs in this one. Gunn references his own work a lot in it, and the cameos by some of his previous collaborators (Nathan Fillion, Jennifer Holland, Daniela Melchior) were are really fun. But the focus was less on the fan service and more on the story at hand and I think that was the best choice overall (6/10)
Total Score: 43/50
Current Ranking:
The Avengers
Spider-man: No Way Home
Avengers: Endgame
Black Panther
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Black Widow
Spider-man: Homecoming
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Avengers: Infinity War
Guardians of the Galaxy
Captain America: The First Avenger
Iron Man
Captain Marvel
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness
Thor: Ragnarok
Spider-man: Far From Home
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Captain America: Civil War
Ant-Man
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Thor: Love and Thunder
Thor
Iron Man 3
The Eternals
The Incredible Hulk
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Doctor Strange
Thor: The Dark World
Iron Man 2
This was a masterful end to a trilogy that only got better with each entry. I cannot wait to see what Gunn does with the DC Universe now that his focus is there and I cannot wait to keep following the MCU for more and more updates.
So until then, as I always say, thanks for taking the time to get Ploominated!
Ploominate 