When a creative venture that has lasted years and has scaled the heady heights of popularity and culture reaches its peak, it is almost impossible to halt its downfall.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has peaked – we all know it and are getting increasingly bored with what it has to offer. That said, if there was any corner of this cinematic universe that could stay the franchise’s slow and public execution, it should be that bunch of A-Holes known as the Guardians of the Galaxy.
The third and final Guardians movie – at least with James Gunn in the director’s chair – was a critical and commercial success (the 4th highest grossing movie of 2023). But you wouldn’t know that, because of the messy failures of both Ant-Man and Captain Marvel movies with the lowest critics rating and the lowest box office of the MCU respectfully, burying this rare franchise gem. Star-lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, Groot, Mantis and Nebula are good at saving the galaxy but saving the franchise that made them may be a step to far.
It’s tempting to look at Vol. 3 as its own standalone adventure in the MCU; there are no crossovers with other properties (probably because James Gunn would soon leave for DC), and the movie is all the better for it. Guardians has always been a bright and eclectic part of the MCU that works with its own house style that differentiates it from other MCU movies.
Yet what Vol 3 does best is to show the glaring mistakes on many post-Endgame movies. The first is simple – Gunn still has a story to tell: Rocket’s. We are given his tragic backstory as he fights for his life while his found family fight for him. Thor and Ant-Man felt empty in their outings, an air of “why are we still here, are you not bored yet?” hanging in each movie.
Guardians has narrative momentum thanks to how they were left after Endgame. Peter is a depressed drunk, Nebula is leading the team, Gamora is not our Gamora, and the rest feel like they are walking a tightrope over yet another psychological abyss. No snazzy musical sequences to open this one – instead we have Thom Yorke an acoustic guitar, as he sneers through Creep. It’s through the peril of Rocket, the most volatile and sometimes most unlikeable of the bunch that gets them in action. Which brings me to the High Evolutionary.
The Best Villain Corner
Guardians has never been great with big bads. They have a cavalcade of fun henchmen and bit players (TASERFACE!) but Ronan and Echo are not the most memorable. The High Evolutionary is a mad scientist bent on creating the perfect society and the perfect beings to populate it while he rules over all. He created Rocket, as shown in scenes that had me very upset, especially when I realised that Rocket’s first word was “hurts”. He is a megalomaniac in the worst way, but he is also Vol 3’s shitty dad quota, following Echo in Vol 2 and Thanos in the original.
I’m not an all-out James Gunn fan – he wows me as much as he annoys me – but I have to admit, he has a special talent for dressing up emotional stories with sugar to make the pill go down. Nowhere is that more apparent than when Rocket solves a problem that has stumped the High Evolutionary and stalled his plans. Instead of being proud of Rocket, like most dads would be (like I am when my cat figures out how to open the bedroom door), he is disgusted that a failed experiment showed itself to be smarter than him. It’s always the hubris that gets these idiots. Gunn is a big fan of nurture over nature, but what if those that nurture you believe that they are gods?
The Crucial Love Story
Let’s get to it: Peter and Gamora don’t get back together. That’s a good thing, even if it is a direct result of creative choices (Gamora’s death in Infinity War) that Gunn had no say in. Instead of trying to rehash these two, Vol. 3 uses its status as a finale to bring home the very point of all of these movies. If nurture can put you in a bad place, and make you do bad things, it can also help you become better. All of these characters were kind of villains but now, because of their love and faith in each other, they save the damn galaxy.
In the first Guardians article I wrote, I spoke about Peter being willing to die for his tape player, his last gift from his mother. Here, he is willing to die for his MP3 player, a symbol and a practical sign of his bond with the others. What’s even better is that he is rescued by Adam Warlock, thanks to his and the guardians’ (especially Groot) example, even though he has been trying to kill them for the whole movie.
Guardians both works better than and feels separate to current MCU offerings, because it’s ending a story that still feels vital rather that trying to kickstart a new chapter. It’s a brilliant conclusion to a trilogy of the only heroes in the MCU who could be this messy and this entertaining.
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By Kevin Boyle
(header image via Space.com)
No But Listen 