“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” Movie Review by Rafy Mediavilla (@Rmediavilla) #GuardiansOfTheGalaxy
In Marvel Studios “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” our beloved band of misfits are looking a bit different these days. Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.
For a DC Comics fan such as myself, I rarely seem to look forward to any Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie that does not revolve around Ironman, Spider-Man with the other two exceptions being: one being Ant-Man, and the other one being Guardians of the Galaxy. My love for Ant-Man as mentioned in all of my reviews is tied to a personal wishful thinking tough that I related too much with the character and the story. My love for Guardians of the Galaxy is tied to James Gunn’s masterful story and my love for nostalgia and music. With Vol 3, Gunn manages to grab a hold of another topic I am very positive about, and that one is animal abuse.
It is safe to say, or maybe in my book, that next to the most recent Spider-Man trilogy, and Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy is second best trilogy from the whole MCU as it stands right now. And I dare to say that Vol 3 is my favorite film from the whole trilogy. It’s well-balanced between the comedic spots and the heart-wrenching dramatic moments that will surely have you full out in tears. Meaning fair warning if you are an animal lover, and are all about animal rights advocating, please bring Kleenex with you and enjoy this emotional rollercoaster ride.
The Rocket Arc of this film has to be what stands out the most from the whole story. Gunn’s masterful storytelling gives up a deep inside look at who Rocket is, and why he is the way he is. From diving into the power of friendship, and loss to touching upon subjects of animal abuse, animal cruelty, and animals also being used as science experiments. What Gunn did with how Rocket’s story came about was just near-perfect storytelling. Every single time a scene where we saw more of Rocket’s tragic backstory, you would see me sobbing or just balling out crying my eyes outs. Even at the very end of the film the Noah’s Arc symbolism behind what Gunn did to put an end to Rocket Arc was just perfect.
Another performance that stood out to me was Dave Bautista as Drax. Bautista a Drax has been a revelation since the first film and while Gunn always relied on Drax to bring some comedic relief for Vol 3, Gunn added another layer to Drax’s already loved persona, by letting us see the emotional side of him. And if that didn’t know already what the then Pro Wrestler turn actor Dave Bautista is capable of acting-wise, the world better recognize his acting skills just by this performance alone.
The last stand-out performance came in the form of Chukwudi Iwuji as the movie’s main antagonist The High Evolutionary. My god did I hate his character, even in the comedic spots with Starlord and Groot, I just hated what he stood for, and what he did to Rocket and his friends. Iwuji did a masterful job of projecting a character that everyone will hate in this movie.
Ultimately “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3” is a gem in my book, the tone of the story stayed the same, and the nostalgic music is always fun to hear, but it was the emotional take on Rocket’s backstory that will leave everyone in tears but with a smile on their head by the end credits.
