Rating 9.5/10

James Gunn has been building the “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy for almost 10 years.

As the final adventure has come to an end, he might have outdone himself as “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” could not have ended the trilogy any better. 

From struggles that Marvel Studios has had since “Avengers: Endgame” it was a worry for future movies if they would live up to expectations. Releases such as “Thor: Love and Thunder” and “Antman and the Wasp: Quantumania” were underwhelming, but Gunn gives the Guardians a sad, yet marvelous ending.

Gunn delivers a tear-jerking plot line mixed with the guardians’ antics and humor that we all know. He caps off the trilogy with his own words as “a love letter to Rocket,” and, it was truly Rocket’s story.

Immediately from the start we are greeted with “Creep” by Radiohead. A tone that sets the movie for what would be one of the dark and gut-wrenching stories in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

Rocket has felt out of place most of his life and we see the horrendous captivity he had before the guardians. Every flashback to Rocket’s time being locked up and experimented on was hard to watch and makes you think back to previous movies. The defensive reaction to being called a raccoon or vermin, it all falls into place on why he felt so strong about being called names. 

Bradley Cooper and Sean Gunn put on a clinic of a performance. The emotion they give both young and older versions of Rocket gives the character one of the most stellar performances in Marvel and caps off an even greater character arc. Cooper and Gunn had fans crying over a CGI raccoon for the majority of the movie. 

Through the tough scenes of Rocket’s past, we are given one of the most diabolical villains in the MCU. The High Evolutionary is just pure evil. 

His desire for finding the perfect species through animal testing opens a horror of what these animals have to go through. The line “There is no God, that’s why I stepped in,” really shows us the maniacal nature of doing whatever it takes.

Character developments with all the guardians are near some of the best character developments throughout the MCU. All the emotions from the actors were put on display.

Each character had their moment to shine throughout the movie. Their maturity as people and family has grown exponentially as we watched them throughout the years.

Nebula was a real standout in the movie. From the first “Guardians of the Galaxy” where she was out to hunt and kill all of them to becoming part of the team and creating friendships, specifically the one with Rocket. We forget that when everyone blipped, they were the only guardians left. They had five years together and we see how that time has brought them closer as friends.

The movie also gives another well thought out soundtrack that adds to the movie’s tone and feel. From “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” in one of the best one shot fight scenes in Marvel to “Dog Days are Over” closing the door on their adventures as a group, every song hits the mark of the scenes.

What was best about “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3” was that it felt like old school Marvel. The excitement,  chills, and all the emotion that we would get when going to premiere days felt like the days of “Iron Man” and “Captain America.”

The guardians always had such a unique feel compared to other Marvel movies. This was a band of misfits that found family within each other and during the time of its first movie, it was something so different and refreshing to the franchise.

The heart that the guardians have gives the movie such a genuine feeling to it. I think this movie pulls everything we love about the guardians together perfectly.

Most of the trailers let fans know that it was going to be emotional, but I don’t think most fans could have prepared for what it had in store. The movie did not feel rushed through or overdone. Everything that needed to be said and done was delivered and executed to a whole other level.

The closing to the guardians could not have been any more bittersweet. Gunn signs out his trilogy and tenure with Marvel in glorious fashion. The guardians will stand the test of time and I think it has a great chance to be one of the best trilogies in the MCU.