Guardians of the Galaxy:volume 3
“Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3”
The Guardians films have been my favorite of all the MCU films since their arrival in 2014 for multiple reasons. First of which is that they are helmed by fellow Missouri native James Gunn and give multiple references to my home state in each volume that has hit the big screen. The fact that Gunn did a masterful job of weaving in the soundtrack directly into the plot of the films and as a means of storytelling and progression is brilliant. Being a huge music fan as well as a movie fan these films just hit me right in my soft spots. All the while they deal with massive shifts in their characters’ evolution and in each film all the Guardians undergo some form of self-awakening.
This third chapter in Gunn’s MCU space opera focuses on my favorite Guardian Rocket. We in a very heartbreaking way learn all about our favorite smart ass genius Racoon’s origins and just how he came to be. Gunn handles this with flashback scenes, some of which are very hard to handle for anyone who is squeamish to harm coming to animals. I’m here to tell you though that these scenes are essential to explaining just why our favorite talking racoon is so averse to forming attachments to others, yet at the same time explaining why he so fiercely fights for the ones he has let into his small circle. We also finally get the introduction of Adam Warlock and the High Evolutionary into the MCU the latter of which is played by Chukwudi Iwuji who does an amazing job of giving an MCU villain true menace and evil in his portrayal of the character. Warlock is played by Will Poulter who brings a great sense of levity and childlike charm to the character. Of course, the rest of the actors do an amazing job of bringing the Guardians to life.
The one thing that I look most forward to in these films is the way Gunn weaves the music into his storytelling. Gunn in all three volumes does a masterful job of placing just the right song in just the right place in each film. In previous volumes the music is used to primarily motivate whereas in this one they are most definitely used to convey the emotions that a particular character is feeling or dealing with at the time. Gunn’s use of making the music such an important part of his storytelling and not just well-placed background noise to fill dead air is such an amazing way to help tell a story. Anyone from the 80’s or 90’s that has made a mixed tape for someone knows just how personal a thing that can be and that’s just what the Guardians franchise is for Gunn, a very personal love letter to these characters whom he loves, the music that has shaped him throughout his life and the fans. Bravo Mr. Gunn. I look forward to your DCEU films and will sorely miss the touch you have brought to the MCU. Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 is now playing in theaters.
*This movie review was originally published in The Current River Observer as the River Reels article written by Jeffrey Riggs
