Unleashing the Misfit Heroes: A Review of James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

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James Gunn, the director of "Guardians of the Galaxy," has a unique ability to balance corporate needs with his personal vision, and his latest film "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is no exception. While it suffers from some of the typical issues of modern superhero movies, such as a bloated runtime and too many characters, it still stands out for its creativity and humor. Gunn loves his outcast characters, and he pulls them apart and smashes them back together to create new creations.

The film begins with Rocket Raccoon, voiced by Bradley Cooper, listening to Radiohead's "Creep." Rocket sees himself as a weirdo, but the movie teaches him that he is special. The story starts with an attack by the golden-hued Adam Warlock, who pummels everything in sight with strength that would impress Superman. Rocket takes the worst beating and hovers near death for most of the movie, putting the film on two tracks: a flashback to Rocket's origin story and the present-day tale of the Guardians trying to save him.

The mission leads them to the High Evolutionary, a mad scientist who created Rocket all those years ago. Of course, the Guardians bring their own baggage on their quest. Peter, played by Chris Pratt, is emotionally unstable over what happened with Gamora, who was killed by Thanos but has returned as an alternate timeline version of the character who doesn't remember her time with the Guardians. Gamora gets involved with the Rocket mission, but the love story between her and Star-Lord doesn't drive the narrative like the first two films.

The rest of the Guardians team has gotten too big for one movie to hold. Dave Bautista as Drax has little to do, and Karen Gillan as Nebula lacks actual development. Mantis, played by Pom Klementieff, is back for comic relief, and Groot, voiced by Vin Diesel, does his thing, but the film is overcrowded.

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is most appealing when it defies a "product over art" aesthetic by being clunky and weird. It's thrilling to see Gunn push through some genuinely unsettling creature designs, or settings that feel like they're taking place in actual physical spaces instead of bland CGI. There's a version of "Vol. 3" that's even more chaotic and personal—the final act especially feels like it's knocking off prerequisites on an MCU checklist—but every time this blockbuster felt like it was edging more towards content than art, it won me back.

The film is at its best when it's less refined, with small choices made by Gunn and the ensemble cast. Pratt has been phoning in some of his lead film roles lately, but he's always clicked best on-screen as Peter Quill. Saldaña returns to the basics of a warrior like Gamora, convincing us she could carry a movie like this alone. But, most of all, this is Rocket's film, a story of how he overcomes trauma to be the hero he was always meant to be.

While the villain is a bit underwritten, something interesting unfolds on a thematic level beyond the basic hero/villain narrative. Without spoiling all the details of Rocket's origin, his arc shifted when he solved a problem in the High Evolutionary's experiments on his own, sending the villain off into a spiral of insecurity and sociopathology. In a sense, this is a story of a vengeful God, someone who creates life and then destroys it when he feels threatened.

Overall, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is a solid addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, thanks to James Gunn's unique vision and the strong performances by the ensemble cast.