Writer/Director James Gunn takes the characters he made famous through one final, musical and emotional adventure that delivers everything a fan could want.
Gunn once again proves that he can make esoteric superhero and science fiction material and turn in a story with heart and a few laughs. This is a movie that confidently rests its emotional core on a CGI trash panda and Bradley Cooper’s vocal skills.
Just the intestinal fortitude of that decision alone is enough for me. To center your movie on Rocket’s tragic origins without fear of flopping? Wow.
Guardian’s aesthetic has, perhaps, been ugly cute all along, but this one really puts the weirdness on display by giving plenty of screen time to the horrific creations of the High Evolutionary.
The “your CGI looks bad” crowd won’t be complaining this go around. This movie looks great and Gunn takes every opportunity to show you something new and different. An organic space station (or spaceship) is certainly not new but I don’t think I have ever seen one on a mainstream movie and certainly nothing to this degree. Depending on your point of view Nope and Babylon 5 may be the exceptions to this pronouncement.
Gunn also flies high at two things, top notch fight scenes and giving every, single character a storyline. That’s nearly impossible with a cast that’s gotten this shaggy, but Gunn even finds a setup and a payoff for Cosmo the dog.
Gunn is also a master of a cliche so old that Sam Peckinpah originated in the Wild Bunch in 1969. But it’s a cliche because when done right it always works. So yes, there is a walk (set to the perfect song) where the main characters all stand together and head off to face unbeatable odds.
“I’m done running,” one of the Guardians says as the final charge begins.
Friends, it just works.
Chukwudi Iwuji, as the bad guy, takes another cosmic Stan Lee and Jack Kirby creation and makes you believe in his unique motivations and emotional flaws. Iwuji deserves so much credit for carrying his part of the story.
Finally, Gunn finds a way to pay off every storyline that he began in the first movie. Even things that began in an emotional opening sequence. It’s a true final bow to a trilogy that in MCU fashion also includes Guardian storylines from Avengers movies and a small thing in the Disney+ Holiday Special.
There are a few small flaws. Gunn emptied his playlist and I think included some pop hits that were probably unnecessary. The High Evolutionary is not that far removed from Vol. 2’s Ego in terms of his story beats.
And? Well, not much else.
I absolutely would stack it up with any other trilogy you might want to name. These things tend to run out of steam by the time we get to the third one. Guardians of the Galaxy still had plenty of gas in the tank.
It flies and dances joyously into the forever.
Dark Highways 
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