Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
★★★½ — Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
By 2023, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was in a peculiar position. The post-Endgame era had produced a string of films that felt, to many audiences and critics, polished but unremarkable, and there was a genuine question hanging in the air about whether the studio still had the appetite for character-driven storytelling. Into that context arrived Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the closing chapter of a trilogy that had always sat slightly apart from the wider MCU, more interested in misfits and mixtapes than in multiverse mechanics. The film picks up with Peter Quill (Star-Lord) struggling in the aftermath of losing Gamora, and when a threat to one of the team forces them into action, what begins as a rescue mission becomes something closer to a reckoning, for the whole group and for one member in particular.
James Gunn, who had previously directed Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, returned to finish the story he had been telling since 2014, doing so after a well-documented period of uncertainty around his involvement with Marvel. The production was handled once again by Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige Productions, and at 150 minutes it is the longest entry in the trilogy. Gunn had, by this point, already agreed to take on the role of co-chief executive of DC Studios, which gave the whole production an unmistakable sense of finality. This was, by any reading of the situation, a genuine goodbye.
The ensemble that returns here is, by now, a well-worn unit. Chris Pratt, familiar to audiences from franchise work including Jurassic World, again anchors the film as Quill, a character defined by grief worn lightly. Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, and Pom Klementieff all reprise their roles, and there is a case to be made that this cast had, across three films, developed a genuine ensemble chemistry that is rarer than studios tend to acknowledge. The film also introduces Chukwudi Iwuji as the High Evolutionary, a villain given considerable screen time and a very different register from the usual MCU antagonist. Whether any of it comes together in the way Gunn intended is, of course, the question.
James Gunn closes his Guardians trilogy with a film that’s far more heartfelt, raw, and emotionally charged than anything the franchise has done before. After the cosmic spectacle and retro charm of the first two films, this one takes a darker, more personal turn, focusing on Rocket’s tragic origin and the trauma that shaped him. It’s a bold choice, and it pays off. For the first time, the Guardians truly feel like a broken family trying to hold itself together, and the emotional stakes land with real weight. The film doesn’t skimp on the fun, Drax and Mantis are still a comedy duo of chaotic brilliance, Groot’s limited vocabulary somehow conveys actual emotion, and the soundtrack still delivers perfectly timed classic rock and pop. But beneath the humour and explosive action is a story about pain, identity, and what it means to be free. The High Evolutionary, the villain, is one of the MCU’s most genuinely disturbing antagonists, a narcissistic, eugenics-obsessed madman whose cruelty gives the film a moral backbone most superhero movies lack. It’s not flawless. The pacing drags in the middle, the third act relies on the now-tired Marvel formula of a city-in-the-sky battle, and some character arcs feel rushed in the final moments. But as a conclusion, it’s satisfying, bittersweet, character-driven, and unafraid to sit in grief. Gunn gives each Guardian a moment to breathe, to say goodbye, to grow. Vol. 3 may not have the surprise of the first or the swagger of the second, but it has heart, more than any MCU film in years. A fitting, messy, emotional farewell to one of the franchise’s most human (and non-human) teams. Not perfect, but deeply felt. A strong 3.5.
For me, this one lingered in a way that most MCU films simply don't these days. The Rocket storyline, in particular, is the kind of thing I wasn't expecting from a summer blockbuster, and the fact that it hits as hard as it does says something real about what Gunn brought to this farewell. Yes, the third act is familiar ground, and yes, a few of the goodbyes feel a touch hurried, but I'd take messy and sincere over clean and hollow any day of the week. If you've followed these characters from the start, this one earns its ending. Sometimes a flawed send-off is still the right one.
Rating: ★★★½ | Year: 2023 | Watched: 2025-08-15
Trailer
▶ Watch the official trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) on YouTube
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi
Watch in the US
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from James Gunn: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) · Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
More with Chris Pratt: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) · Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) · Jurassic World Dominion (2022) · Jurassic World (2015)
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More science fiction: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Fantastic Planet (1973) · Nightmare City (1980) · The Long Walk (2025)
More adventure: Alice in Wonderland (1951) · The Eagle (1925) · Louisiana Story (1948) · The General (1926)
