Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 (English) Review 3.5/5 & Review Rating

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 is the story of a group of friends coming together for an important cause. After the events of AVENGERS: ENDGAME [2019], the Guardians are settled in Knowhere. Peter Quill aka Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) is heartbroken over losing Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) and has turned into an alcoholic. One day, Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) infiltrates Knowhere and suddenly attacks Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper). He attempts to kidnap him but fails after Peter, Drax The Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) attack Adam and force him to run away. Rocket is grievously injured and during the course of his treatment, it comes to light that his heart is connected to a device created by Orgocorp, which is run by a man addressed as High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji). The only way to treat him is to find a passkey. They have only 48 hours to do so; or else, Rocket will not survive. The Guardians immediately decide to head to Orgoscope, which houses High Evolutionary’s laboratory, to save their friend, although they also wonder why Adam tried to kidnap him or what exactly is Rocket’s past. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

James Gunn’s story is excellent. Gunn’s screenplay is very gripping and also entertaining. It does justice to the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY series and hence has a lot of funny and wacky moments. At the same time, he takes the impact one level up with the emotional scenes. The dialogues are sharp and hilarious. One dialogue of Peter in the elevator, however, is repetitive and fails to make the desired impact.

James Gunn’s direction is terrific. Off late, some of the Marvel films have failed to create the desired impact. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3, thankfully, brings back the memories of the old Marvel films, which were not just high on VFX but also excelled in the emotional and funny sequences. The makers adopted a great strategy by not divulging the actual plot of the film. Hence, viewers will be in for a surprise. Thankfully, the plot is promising and James has done complete justice with his execution. There are too many characters and tracks and yet, it does not cause a problem and the film paces ahead seamlessly.

On the flipside, the film has a lot of violence and disturbing visuals. Although it’s added as per the requirement, it might make for an uncomfortable watch for some. Secondly, the Censor Board of India has censored far too many abuses. In some places, it dilutes the effect of the scenes.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 starts on an intriguing note. The title card appears at a fun point in the film. The fun begins once Rocket gets injured and the Guardians go on a mission. Rocket’s flashback, shown at regular intervals, is very moving. Some scenes that stand out in the first half are The Guardians cleverly fooling the lab security team and also chiding them, Peter telling Gamora how much both loved each other and Peter and Gamora taking an employee named Ura hostage and the madness that ensues. In the second half, the scenes of Counter Earth are worth watching. The pre-climax is clap-worthy and will make viewers’ eyes moist. The climax, meanwhile, will lead to hooting and whistles in the cinemas. The one-take action shot particularly is outstanding, to say the least.

Speaking of performances, Chris Pratt puts his best foot forward. His comic timing is spot-on but watch out for him in the emotional scenes. Zoe Saldaña nails it as always. Dave Bautista is adorable and this time, his character is much more defined. Karen Gillan does very well. Pom Klementieff leaves a huge mark and just like Dave, even her character gets to do a lot more in this part. Chukwudi Iwuji is decent as the antagonist. Will Poulter is fair. Initially, his character seemed forced in the narrative but in the second half, he has an important part to essay. Sean Gunn (Kreglin) makes his presence felt in a small role. Elizabeth Debicki (Ayesha) and Sylvester Stallone (Stakar Ogord) are okay. The voiceovers are praiseworthy by Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel and Maria Bakalova (for Cosmo The Spacedog).

John Murphy’s music exhilarates the impact. The use of popular songs provides a nice touch. Henry Braham’s cinematography is spectacular. Beth Mickle’s production design is rich. Judianna Makovsky’s costumes are novel and appealing, as per the film’s theme. The VFX matches global standards. The action is a bit gory this time. Greg D’Auria and Fred Raskin’s editing is sharp.

On the whole, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 is a complete entertainer that provides humour, emotions, drama and action in ample doses. Most importantly, it brings back the lost glory of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, more so after the underwhelming performance of ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. At the box office, it might have a slow start but has the potential to pick up and put up a healthy lifetime. The absence of strong competition till the release of FAST X on May 18 will also prove advantageous