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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

★★★½ — Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 arrived in May 2023 as both a trilogy closer and, for director James Gunn, a farewell to Marvel before he took over as co-CEO of DC Studios alongside producer Peter Safran. Gunn had already shot The Suicide Squad (2021) and Peacemaker for DC while still under contract to finish this film, making the production an unusual crossover moment in superhero cinema history. Marvel had famously fired Gunn in 2018 over resurfaced old tweets, reinstated him months later, and pressed on, suggesting the studio considered him genuinely irreplaceable on this particular property. At a reported budget of around $250 million, it was among the more expensive entries in the MCU's Phase Five, arriving at a time when franchise fatigue was becoming a genuine critical conversation around Marvel releases.

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.

Rating: ★★★½ | Year: 2023 | Watched: 2025-08-15

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Where to watch (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

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