Director: James Gunn
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Chukwudi Iwuji, Dave Bautista
Year: 2023
GOTG3 was a sendoff, pure and simple, and it might mark the last MCU movie I will be watching. I’ve successfully stopped watching the Disney live action remakes, because they are horrible, we all barely made it through the new Star Wars films and shows with our taste levels intact, and now we’ve reached a whole new phase of Marvel movies, with new heroes and infinite universes, and I think it’s time to just say “I’m done.” This is as good an ending as we’re going to get, it’s just time to hang up the hat, and to remember how good these films have been & they places they took us, because it was one hell of a ride.
The Guardians are now stationed in Knowhere, and have settled down to a pretty nice life, though Peter still mourns the loss of Gamora, which was not helped by her return from another timeline because that’s just not her, not really. But he’s gonna have to put that grief aside, because Rocket is attacked, badly injured, and needs the Guardians’ help. They will have to search out his maker and learn about his past if they want to save his life, as they embark upon one last mission to save a friend, yes, but to also learn their own upcoming paths.
The first GOTG is the best the MCU has ever done, hands down. The second, GOTG2, was too silly, too on the nose, trying way too hard, but still pretty awesome. The third, I am sad to say, has only nostalgia to rely on, as everyone, every character, and every plot choice has taken a major step back away from the cool kookiness we used to know; it’s now just kinda dumb. The addition of Mantis & Nebula to the gang is abysmal; they simply suck, and a final farewell plot can only take the movie so far, before other schtuff has to step up, and it just didn’t. Rocket’s backstory is cool, so sad, that will stick with me, but literally nothing else will, as the filmmakers have fallen into their own puddle of self-congratulation and box office success, which isn’t where enjoyable films are typically found. I’m done with the MCU, this movie was a fun goodbye but nothing more, and the rest recently have been so much worse; it’s time to stop.
My rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆