THE GUARDIANS GO ON ONE LAST RIDE THIS SUMMER

BY PETER CARAM

After being one of the most anticipated films of the year, Guardians Of The Galaxy Volume Three is here. This film is the final installment of the Guardians Of The Galaxy trilogy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), as well as being the final Marvel film directed by James Gunn. The question is does this film, unlike the past few Marvel projects, live up to fans expectations? The film starts off on the Guardians’ home planet Knowhere where Rocket (played by Bradley Cooper) finds Star-Lord (played by Chris Pratt) drunk and passed out, and Rocket calls the other Guardians to put him into his bed. Nebula (played by Karen Gilan) brings up that the only reason Star-Lord is like this is because of the death of Gamora. Drax chimes in that Gamora is alive, but it's not the Gamora they know. Soon after, when Rocket is heading to bed, a mysterious gold man (played by Will Poulter) tries to abduct him. The Guardians fight the man to save Rocket but not before he suffers a life-threatening injury. The Guardians must find a way to cure Rocket before he dies. It is soon revealed that the mysterious gold man named Adam Warlock works for and was created by The High Evolutionary (played by Chukwudi Iwuji). The High Evolutionary then reveals his goal is to kidnap Rocket and use him to help create “the perfect society.” While unconscious, Rocket has flashbacks of the High Evolutionary creating and torturing him. Meanwhile, the Guardians hatch a plan to save him by teaming up with Gamora (played by Zoe Saldana). Star-Lord tries to reconnect with her but Gamora is not interested due to her not knowing him. Can The Guardians save the life of their friend by teaming up with an old member who barely knows them?

With an 82% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and 96% from the audience as well as making $282 million opening weekend worldwide at the box office, it's safe to say this film is getting the praise it deserves.

My overall thoughts on this film were extremely positive. I really enjoyed this film. I thought it was a masterpiece from start to finish: the action, the effects, and story were near perfection. The core of this film was closing out the story of the Guardians, with each character getting a moment to shine as we got to say an emotional goodbye. But the one character that the film focuses on the most was Rocket, who was the heart and soul of the film. We get to see the origin of his character and how it affected him and his persona, and it was, in my opinion, the saddest thing to watch not only in the MCU but in all of modern cinema. The soundtrack of this film was wonderful, featuring songs that fans will love, including In The Meantime by Spacehog, Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine, and more. My overall score for this film is a 10/10, not just for being the best MCU film since Avengers Endgame and Spider-Man No Way Home, but for being the perfect ending to The Guardians Of The Galaxy Trilogy. Guardians Of The Galaxy Volume Three is now in theaters and just in time for summer, but make sure you bring tissues for the film because it gets very emotional. And, as always with the MCU, stay for the post credit scenes!