This delayed conclusion to another Marvel franchise is more forlorn than fresh as directed and co-written by new DC Studios bigwig James Gunn with sweeping indulgence and a certain affinity in a similar vein to Avengers: Endgame.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 stars Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana and the voices of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel as monosyllabic Groot and has the gargantuan ambition and production of such a lucrative tentpole enterprise.
An insouciant, free-wheeling variant on Stars Wars has lost its charm and genuine wit with a ragtag ensemble the made the original a surprise smash. Not that fans won’t mind the interplay and huge action-packed set-pieces with rival villains which are far from the most coherent in the series as it finally gravitates to uplift complete with group hugging.
Nevertheless, this episode with its end-credits teasers) is a rescue mission that assembles the motley group after an attack on the snide machine-gun wielding raccoon (sometimes referred to as the badger) Rocket (Cooper). An unnerving pervasiveness is around for a while due to Rocket’s troubling condition. The result of ‘gold man’ Adam Warlock played by Will Poulter and really his superior known as the High Evolutionary (filled with sadistic menace by Chukwudi lwuji) as a background comes to the fore that may recall Toy Story 3 through an experiment 89P13. The depiction of animals and children is imminent ominous to say the least.
Pratt’s Peter Quill or ‘Star Lord’ is consumed by the ‘loss’ of his green-skinned Gamora (Saldana) who’s in another version because of father Thanos from Avengers Infinity War given his inebriated state (think a little of Thor from Endgame) Bautista is too one-note far from his edgier aplomb ad Diesel has lost the dynamic deadpan appeal of Groot.
Iwuji implants the Evolutionary with high spittle-emitting toxicity. Elizabeth Debicki (Tenet) and Maria Bakalova (The Father) as canine retriever Cosmo, as well as Pom Klementieff’s sweet-natured antenna girl Mantis are subordinate figures of what may easily be construed as elongated bombast Vol 3 continues the decline of its predecessor which had fine turns by Klementieff and Michael Rooker with a bit of nostalgic spirit at the conclusion that is a bit off given the current timeline of the MCU after the more disastrous Quantumania. For the corporate behemoth that doesn’t go as footloose and fancy free as it once did (about a decade ago) the new phase and courses are already charted (as ‘The Marvels’ are eyed later this year).