“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” lands among the stars

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” is a worthy finale to the“Guardians of the Galaxy” (GOTG) trilogy with its unique focus, perfectly timed sarcastic humor and soundtrack filled with classics from the late 1900s to today. While the disfigured creatures may be considered disturbing and the antagonist repetitive, they both play a necessary role throughout the movie.

This film starts with a memory from Rocket (Bradley Cooper), showing the start of the experiments that turned him into what he is now. In the present, Rocket gets attacked and gravely injured in a capture attempt from his creator, the High Evolutionary. Throughout the Guardians’ effort to save Rocket, we learn about Rocket’s past: the experiments done to him and other animals and his relationship with the other experimental animals, along with the High Evolutionary’s motive to create the “perfect species.”

This film stands out against the others in the trilogy as the focus of the movie is on Rocket’s past instead of Peter “Starlord” Quill’s (Chris Pratt). The flashbacks to his past provide a strong approach to developing Rocket’s character, revealing the origins of some of his traits and creating multiple engaging and moving storylines.

The antagonists in many Marvel movies, like Thanos in the Avengers movies or Red Skull in “Captain America: The First Avenger,” can get repetitive and predictable. Similar to the High Evolutionary’s goals, Red Skull wanted to create the perfect human and Thanos aimed to perfectly balance the universe. 

Even though the many mutilated and disfigured creatures — results of the High Evolutionary’s experimenting — can be off-putting, they play a crucial aspect in highlighting the serious parts of the plot. With some of the creature’s uncanny human-like features and the gruesomely attached machinery of others, the animals show the physical product of the High Evolutionary’s corrupt objective and emphasize the cruelty of it.

Just like all the other GOTG films, the soundtrack is excellent. The movie starts off with Radiohead’s 90’s classic “Creep,” a different tone to the upbeat songs starting off Vol. 1 and 2. Still, the soundtrack sticks to its trademark quality, filled with hits from the 80’s and 90’s and even featuring newer songs to show how the Guardians are moving forward.

While directors say we won’t be getting any more of the original Guardians together, I’m still excited to see how each character will play into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.