Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 review: An unfulfilling final ride

We have reached the finale of James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. Will Gunn close out the chapter on a high note? Or will it fall short of expectations? Below I will share my review and let you know.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 follows Peter, who is still reeling from the loss of Gamora and must rally the troops to defend the universe to save one of their own. The film stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, and Dave Bautista.

As I walked into film, I had high hopes that Gunn would close out the trilogy by making it one of the best trilogies in comic book history. The first two films are near perfect, and I hold them in high regard in my MCU rankings, with both being in my top 10.

The story is based on the foundation of where Rocket came from and how he became the creature he is today. He was the product of an experiment to conform a world to what The High Evolutionary wanted. However, he had to break out after discovering that he and his fellow animal friends were bound to die. Since his breakout, The High Evolutionary has been hunting for Rocket and finally found him.

Let me get the good out of the way first by saying that everything that makes the Guardians movies great was fantastic in this. From the incredible soundtrack (including Bradley Cooper singing) to Dave Bautista stealing our hearts as Drax to some awesome fight sequences (set to the tunes of the Beastie Boys). Fans of this franchise will be thrilled with all of that.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 leaves you wishing you got more

This movie is a complete mess that struggles with its tone shifts that usually are home runs for Gunn. I wanted to feel the emotional heaviness of this being the franchise’s final film. Instead, I felt nothing and walked away from this movie, wholly underwhelmed. I understand what Gunn was trying to do with the movie, but he didn’t connect the dots in closing this chapter for good.

Overall, I didn’t hate the movie as there is much to like about the film. It checks all the boxes from the other Guardians films, but for it being the finale, I wanted so much more and even wanted to feel the emotional weight of the door being closed. It’s easily the weakest of the trilogy, but I believe audiences will enjoy this one nonetheless.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters on May 5, 2023.