Everyone Deserves A Second Chance: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Rodent. Vermin. Hamster. Trash Panda. Triangle-faced Monkey. Fox. Rat. Crabby Puppy. Rabbit. Build-a-Bear. Ratchet. Squirrel. Hedgehog. Rocket. Raccoon.
Over the course of James Gunn’s trilogy featuring our favorite intergalactic space family, their de facto weapons master has been subjected to a wide range of monikers from heroes and villains alike. But it isn’t until Vol. 3 that we get to learn his origin and his name. Subject 89P13. Created at Orgocorp as part of the 89th batch of the High Evolutionary’s quest to create the perfect animals in human form, without any of the ills and vices of the mortal form. 89P13 ends up perfecting the formula for Batch 90 and discovers all preceding batches—including his friends in 89—would be incinerated. He devices a plan to set them free, but is caught by the High Evol, escaping in a fight after permanently marring the High Evol’s face. Years later, the High Evol has near-perfected his creations but seeks 89P13’s brain to complete the missing inventive gene in his creatures.
In what I would describe as a fitting end to the guardians’ trilogy, James Gunn proves himself as — at the very least — one of the two best Marvel Cinematic Universe filmmakers in a story that is beautiful, whole, thrilling, and emotional. He ends the arc for each of his already well-crafted characters, while leaving room for the story to continue; an open ending is always a difficult one to tackle but he accomplishes this ambiguity so well. Our story which started with an orphan, grew to a group of ravagers, prisoners, orphans, failed experiments, and thieves. All given another chance to be something more. The perfect three-volume tale from a band of misfits to the Guardians of the Galaxy.
The soundtrack is easily the best in any Marvel film not named Black Panther. Every song choice is so apt, while still paying homage to the series theme of the Awesome Mix. And the final song, Dog Days Are Over, is probably my favorite needle drop in a comic book movie.
Critics hastily termed it a top five MCU movie, but after sitting through the 150 minutes of sheer brilliance, void of forced humor, pointless cameos, incoherent plot lines, and nonsensical villains, it becomes clear that you can’t name five movies in Kevin Feige’s multi-billion dollar empire that are better than Vol. 3 by all metrics. This is the most “human” we have gotten to see most of the characters notably Rocket, Nebula, Drax, Mantis, and Groot, with the former two having some of the most complete arcs in the universe.
And as for our villain with a godlike complex, Chukwudi Iwuji the actor that you are. High Evolutionary not being a unanimous top three villain just proves to the level of villainy the MCU has evolved to lately. Thanos, Namor and Ultron remain my top three, but Iwuji taps into those who have come before him in realizing that at the very foundation of any CBM is the yin-yang balance between a hero and a villain; a good story simply does not exist without the other being at their very best.
Be not as you are, but as you should be.
I have oftentimes stated that James Gunn is such a huge comic book fan, and it’s most apparent in this. His style is more light-hearted, animated, humorous, and that shines through in every sequence of Vol. 3. He’s made films for both Marvel and DC, but I am fairly confident that this will be remembered as the James Gunn film. Needless to say, but the DC Extended Universe is in the safest possible hands, and I am now very excited for that space.
