Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 Farewell Tour
There is a constant hype surrounding the movie industry, which often leads to disappointment. It is a sad but true fact that studios care more about getting butts in seats than providing a quality memory. I have often proclaimed the first GotG to be one of my top 5 Marvel movies all-time. My mind is unchanged after 10+ years and hours of enjoyment and a few that were not so enjoyable. Looking at you, She-Hulk. Although it hurts my Marvel-loving heart to say goodbye to the Milano/Benatar/Bowie crew, I’ll tell you Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 was well worth it.
Gunn’s shot
I think it’s vastly acknowledged that James Gunn is the MAN when it comes to the fights in tights genre. He took a low-level D-lister like Peacemaker and turned him into a can’t-wait-for-the-next-episode character. That was actually a widely held concern prior to the first GotG release. We long-time followers of Marvel comics recognized them, and were like, ‘uh, you sure about this? There are probably a ton of other characters that we would rather see before the Guardians get their turn’. I have mad respect for Gunn taking this shot.
Emotional growth
I was equally surprised and delighted with the evolution of every one of the characters in this movie. Every iteration of the Guardians we’ve seen has not only been entertaining in its own right, but has served to advance the relationships between team members and audience alike. This includes the GotG Holiday Special. I watched all of them in the run up to Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3. Now I’m waking up with ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ by Rainbow (epic version) playing in my head. And the Old 97’s song ‘I Don’t Know What Christmas Is’ now added to my Christmas song playlist.
My point is this: we have all been emotionally invested in this team from the opening credits of day one. Each new piece of Guardian’s lore has been an addition, never gratuitous. Each one added a needed piece to the puzzle, and now the puzzle is (for the moment) complete. James Gunn created a magnificent goodbye, rich in its own quirky ethos. I am sad to see it end but oh so grateful for the ride.
We all know that James Gunn has become the Feige of the DCU, and he has decided to go fairly scorched earth there. While I am 100% a no-go on replacing Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel, how can we not trust that this mad genius knows what he is doing? I am giving him wide latitude and the benefit of the doubt, albeit begrudgingly on the Big Red Boy scout concern.
More of what we love
I expected a lot of the usual chaotic banter that this group is famous for going in, and wasn’t disappointed. Especially cool was the addition of Cosmo the Space Dog and am annoying my wife with my pitiful attempts to develop a Russian accent when speaking for our dogs. 
There is the familiar ‘will they/wont they’ of Peter and Gamora. We love the irreverent, gruffness of our favorite talking ‘raboon’, whose origins play a major part in this story. I think that Drax and Mantis have a sort of ‘Step-Brothers’ vibe to them that is endearing and innocent. And most noticable is the emotional growth of Nebula, who has matured from a psychopathic sibling consumed with jealousy, insecurity and barely supressed rage. Over three GotG feature films, two Avengers movies and one Holiday Special, she has become a stable (somewhat) force for practicle good. Think Professor McGonagall in blueface.
Even so, growth almost always comes by way of pain, and Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 is no different. There is a lot of soul-searching in this movie, which is somewhat uncharted territory. Make no mistake, this is the darkest of the Guardians movies, so don’t be surprised when you get a little teary-eyed. Unless you are a cyborg, it’s going to happen. At the opposite end of the emotional spectrum, we are treated to the most despicable, loathesome villain that the MCU has ever given us. Even Thanos, evil as his actions were, contained at least a spark of humanity. The High Evolutionary is…well…you just need to experience him. That’s all I will tell you.
Was it ‘the best Marvel movie since Endgame’? It was, but that’s not a high bar at all, since Marvel has not been immune to whatever is going on in the house of mouse right now. Don’t let that nasty business put you off. Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 is a total must-see, and I am giving it 4.75 out of 5. There was absolutely zero disappointment between the buildup and the actual event. I’m seeing it a second time this weekend along with my awesome wife (who almost never watches a movie twice). You aren’t going to find higher praise than that, I promise. Get there early, get the best seat. Get your corn and maybe an extra napkin. Just sayin’.
Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 inspired t-shirt coming soon to www.barredlands.com
You can listen to the most epic movie soundtrack compilation of all time on the official Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 site here:
Bonus: the Old 97’s song is an earworm waiting to happen. You’ve been warned…