REVIEW: "Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3"

Genre: Comedy; Drama; Action; Sci-fi.

Director: James Gunn

Writer: James Gunn

Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Will Poulter, Sean Gunn & Chukwudi Iwuji

James Gunn is back in full power for the MCU and he does bring the Guardians of the Galaxy movie with most heart when compared with the previous installments. It does respect the typical MCU formula, but it adds an extra spice thanks to spot-on comedy moments and a small reflexion on loss, grief and getting back what was once lost. The entire cast delivers (as in previous movies), but the spotlight goes to Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) this time, with Zoe Saldana shinning brighter in some scenes.

First of all, Guardians takes place after the many events of the MCU and while one could expect it to focus on Peter Quill's internal dramas, it takes on a fresh new direction and explores Rocket's past while giving the audience a lesson about what true friendship really means. It is also a statement about animal cruelty for scientific testing and it reaches the highest emotional points when exploring this specific material. This installment's villain - High Evolutionary - might not be the most interesting one, but the exploitation of his ideas on the narrative have a much deeper meaning than most of the MCU villains (with Thanos being the exception). I don't want to give away the plot, but the Guardians of the Galaxy go on an adventure to save Rocket and they have to uncover his sad and cruel past in order to do so.

Technically, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 features the best visual effects work from the group of heroes installments - it's a massive/extravaganza CGI festival full of detail - which elevates some eye-popping production design. The spaceships, the world-building, Rocket & Groot... a visual feast when combined with great makeup and hair works (a department that always impressed in the Guardians' movies). In terms of sound editing and (specially) mixing, it also delivers beautifully, providing an immersive experience in the intergalactic semi-epic adventure.

Still, there are some characters with plenty of potential that were introduced but were kept underused during the whole movie: Adam Warlock (played by Will Poulter), Ura (played by Daniela Melchior) and Ayesha (portrayed by Elizabeth Debicki). All three are introduced in narrative and all three show a great promise in terms of character development and potential impact in the plot, but none of them really achieve relevance besides Warlock. BUT... I have to praise Gunn for not falling into the genre's usual clichès specially for [SPOILER] not going for a standard happy ending [END OF SPOILER].

And then, there's the great tunes we are used to. "Dog Days Are Over" is going to play on your head for days, for sure.

In the end, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is an upgrade from the previous installment and it stands way above the bar of the most recent MCU movies post-Avengers: Endgame events. A fun cinematic experience for non-MCU fans and a must-see for the faithful fans!

RATING: 7,5 / 10

OSCAR POTENTIAL CATEGORIES

Best Visual Effects
Best Makeup & Hair
Best Sound

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