I saw the movie today, easily the best of the trilogy. The High Evolutionary might be the most hateable villain since Clarence from RoboCop.
Spoilers Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 grade and discussion
- Thread starter The Nth Doctor
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Vol. 3 is a magnificent conclusion to this trilogy of films and I have so many thoughts about it, so bear with me...
The film masterfully weaves a powerful and vital story about animal cruelty into Rocket's heartbreaking origin as he finally faces his demons. It was absolutely devastating to watch the flashbacks about Rocket's creation and experimentation. Even as I watched him bond with Lylla, Teefs, and Floor while dreaming of their freedom, I sat there with the knowledge that there was little to no chance that any of them but Rocket would survive. I always had a sense of why Rocket was so angry due his creation but I never truly felt it until now. Seeing Rocket finally confront the High Evolutionary for his horrific acts against Rocket and his fellow captives was deeply cathartic, especially after Rocket and the rest of Guardians help free all of the animals. In a continuation of the animal cruelty message, I also loved seeing Mantis bond with the Abilisks upon realizing they only ate batteries and that they were just as afraid of her, Drax, and Nebula as they were afraid of them (even if that retroactively makes the opener of Vol. 2 a bit grotesque).
Even though the film is Rocket's story first and foremost, every single Guardian member has a touching story that neatly ties up each of their character arcs, while leaving the door open for further adventures. Naturally, Peter's story weighed the heaviest between him trying desperately to reconnect with Gamora after her continuous (and understandable) rejections, while also finally realizing he needed to go back to Earth and rekindle his relationship with grandfather, Jason.. It was a difficult story to unfold but I'm actually really grateful James Gunn allowed Peter to accept the new state of his relationship with this version of Gamora and have him move on from that drive for romance with her.
The rest of the core members had their own satisfying conclusions to their stories, particularly Nebula who finally was able to find peace after her lifelong traumas by becoming the new caretaker of Knowhere with all of the humanoid and animal orphans. Drax likewise was able to move on from his vengeful Destroyer title to return his fatherly roots when he demonstrated he wasn't a simpleton but a man with a good heart deep down. And I love how Mantis was able to push back finally against the continuous putdowns from both Drax and Nebula and decided to go off on her own to find her oneself, separate from others who sought to control her, for better or for worse. While smaller story arcs, even Groot, Kraglin (with a Yondu cameo!), and Cosmos all have their wonderful character beats that brought smiles to my face.
As for Adam Warlock, I wonder how people will react this role in this film. My knowledge of the character is limited to The Infinity Gauntlet mini-series and Will Poulter's depiction differs starkly from that ethereal cosmic being. I don't know if his portrayal is similar to how Warlock was in his early days or even when he was a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy (which I didn't even know about until after he was hinted at in Vol. 2). That all said, I thoroughly enjoyed Poulter in this role as a young being still learning his powers and his place in the cosmos, and I loved his mini-arc from a one-track-mind enforcer to a hero who is accepted into this new found family, a perfect member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. On a side note, I'm kind of surprised his physical design retained the appearance of a gem on his forehead without explanation. In the comics it was the Soul Gem, an important aspect of his being, and I'm curious to see if that's addressed in possible future appearances.
And lastly, we get a glimpse of the future with the new roster of the Guardians of the Galaxy, much like we did with the Avengers at the end of Age of Ultron, with a mix of original and new members. I'm happy for this conclusion of Gunn's Guardians, but I would love to see more with this new roster in whatever form that might take.
In conclusion, be sure to bring plenty of tissues.
The film masterfully weaves a powerful and vital story about animal cruelty into Rocket's heartbreaking origin as he finally faces his demons. It was absolutely devastating to watch the flashbacks about Rocket's creation and experimentation. Even as I watched him bond with Lylla, Teefs, and Floor while dreaming of their freedom, I sat there with the knowledge that there was little to no chance that any of them but Rocket would survive. I always had a sense of why Rocket was so angry due his creation but I never truly felt it until now. Seeing Rocket finally confront the High Evolutionary for his horrific acts against Rocket and his fellow captives was deeply cathartic, especially after Rocket and the rest of Guardians help free all of the animals. In a continuation of the animal cruelty message, I also loved seeing Mantis bond with the Abilisks upon realizing they only ate batteries and that they were just as afraid of her, Drax, and Nebula as they were afraid of them (even if that retroactively makes the opener of Vol. 2 a bit grotesque).
Even though the film is Rocket's story first and foremost, every single Guardian member has a touching story that neatly ties up each of their character arcs, while leaving the door open for further adventures. Naturally, Peter's story weighed the heaviest between him trying desperately to reconnect with Gamora after her continuous (and understandable) rejections, while also finally realizing he needed to go back to Earth and rekindle his relationship with grandfather, Jason.. It was a difficult story to unfold but I'm actually really grateful James Gunn allowed Peter to accept the new state of his relationship with this version of Gamora and have him move on from that drive for romance with her.
The rest of the core members had their own satisfying conclusions to their stories, particularly Nebula who finally was able to find peace after her lifelong traumas by becoming the new caretaker of Knowhere with all of the humanoid and animal orphans. Drax likewise was able to move on from his vengeful Destroyer title to return his fatherly roots when he demonstrated he wasn't a simpleton but a man with a good heart deep down. And I love how Mantis was able to push back finally against the continuous putdowns from both Drax and Nebula and decided to go off on her own to find her oneself, separate from others who sought to control her, for better or for worse. While smaller story arcs, even Groot, Kraglin (with a Yondu cameo!), and Cosmos all have their wonderful character beats that brought smiles to my face.
As for Adam Warlock, I wonder how people will react this role in this film. My knowledge of the character is limited to The Infinity Gauntlet mini-series and Will Poulter's depiction differs starkly from that ethereal cosmic being. I don't know if his portrayal is similar to how Warlock was in his early days or even when he was a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy (which I didn't even know about until after he was hinted at in Vol. 2). That all said, I thoroughly enjoyed Poulter in this role as a young being still learning his powers and his place in the cosmos, and I loved his mini-arc from a one-track-mind enforcer to a hero who is accepted into this new found family, a perfect member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. On a side note, I'm kind of surprised his physical design retained the appearance of a gem on his forehead without explanation. In the comics it was the Soul Gem, an important aspect of his being, and I'm curious to see if that's addressed in possible future appearances.
And lastly, we get a glimpse of the future with the new roster of the Guardians of the Galaxy, much like we did with the Avengers at the end of Age of Ultron, with a mix of original and new members. I'm happy for this conclusion of Gunn's Guardians, but I would love to see more with this new roster in whatever form that might take.
In conclusion, be sure to bring plenty of tissues.
Saw it this morning and I really enjoyed it.
I always imagined Rocket's backstory was not a happy one, but actually seeing it play out was pretty brutal.
I think Chukwudi Iwuji's High Evolutionary is easily one of the best MCU villains, right up there with Thanos, Loki, and Killmonger.
Gunn really did a good job of giving all of the characters a chance to shine, and gave them at least some closure at the end.
With so many people liking to kill off characters in at the end of a series, I was actually pretty shocked that everybody made it out alive, and got their own happy endings.
I've always enjoyed the visuals in the cosmic side of the MCU, and this really had some great stuff in it.
According to the movie's page on Wikipedia, the girl who joined the Guardians at the end of the movie is the MCU's version of Phyl-Vell, who is the daughter of Mar Vell in the comics, and has been a member of the comics Guardians. I was actually wondering when she was a member of the new team at the end if she was a character from the comics, so it's nice to get an answer on that.
I gave it an A in the poll.
I always imagined Rocket's backstory was not a happy one, but actually seeing it play out was pretty brutal.
I think Chukwudi Iwuji's High Evolutionary is easily one of the best MCU villains, right up there with Thanos, Loki, and Killmonger.
Gunn really did a good job of giving all of the characters a chance to shine, and gave them at least some closure at the end.
With so many people liking to kill off characters in at the end of a series, I was actually pretty shocked that everybody made it out alive, and got their own happy endings.
I've always enjoyed the visuals in the cosmic side of the MCU, and this really had some great stuff in it.
According to the movie's page on Wikipedia, the girl who joined the Guardians at the end of the movie is the MCU's version of Phyl-Vell, who is the daughter of Mar Vell in the comics, and has been a member of the comics Guardians. I was actually wondering when she was a member of the new team at the end if she was a character from the comics, so it's nice to get an answer on that.
I gave it an A in the poll.
One nitpick I have of this movie is the presentation of junk science.
And I don’t mean the near magic technological ablilities.
But the concept of evolution as a preprogrammed singular path to humanoids that a single individual can be accelerated towards like a Pokémon.
I wish sci-fi would finally do away with this ridiculous concept and start depicting evolution at least a little bit closer to what it actually is.
otherwise the movie is good, but I don’t find it as enjoyable as the first one or enjoyable throughout period.
I find the animal cruelty and the grotesque creatures and their presentation very uncomfortable to watch and won’t return very often or at all to the movie because of it.
And I don’t mean the near magic technological ablilities.
But the concept of evolution as a preprogrammed singular path to humanoids that a single individual can be accelerated towards like a Pokémon.
I wish sci-fi would finally do away with this ridiculous concept and start depicting evolution at least a little bit closer to what it actually is.
otherwise the movie is good, but I don’t find it as enjoyable as the first one or enjoyable throughout period.
I find the animal cruelty and the grotesque creatures and their presentation very uncomfortable to watch and won’t return very often or at all to the movie because of it.
Except, I didn't see the movie treating evolution like a path. Instead, this was just the High Evolutionary imposing his ideology in the guise of evolution just like Eugenics scientists did in the 19th/20th centuries. Rocket summed it up, the High Evolutionary just hated things as they are.
The animal cruelty was the vivid reality of what the High Evolutionary really was. His whole treatment of every life form was just about inflicting suffering on everything that didn't match his ideological ideas about the evolution of species.
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Yeah, he explicitly said he was 'guiding' the evolution of those creatures, not just 'accelerating' it. Presumably something to do with how the machine is programmed.
My guess is he subjected the 'evolution' on a specific trajectory and had each species react to what he thought was the best and most 'perfect' course of events to arrive at the 'perfect' final form.
I enjoyed the film quite a bit it was funny, touching, at times somewhat graphic, but overall very enjoyable, and all the main characters got something to do and had a good scene.
I also like this version of Gamora better then the slightly 'softer' 'Peter's girlfriend' version. Also somewhat disappointed this will be this particular group's last outing.
Also, loved the mid and end-credits scenes, and the newspaper headline of:
Alien Abduction Kevin Bacon tells all
(And, yes I saw the GotG holiday special
)
For me, it was the most enjoyable of the three Guardians of the Galaxy films.
I also like this version of Gamora better then the slightly 'softer' 'Peter's girlfriend' version. Also somewhat disappointed this will be this particular group's last outing.
Also, loved the mid and end-credits scenes, and the newspaper headline of:
Alien Abduction Kevin Bacon tells all
(And, yes I saw the GotG holiday special
)For me, it was the most enjoyable of the three Guardians of the Galaxy films.
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Saw it today, thought it really good, best comic book movie (why limit just to Marvel) in a long time. While I can enjoy fluff like Quantumania (to some extent) you can really see the difference between something like that and this on every level of the finished product. This was actually about something and had logical arcs for all the characters. There was actually artistry in how it looked. It even had good actions scenes (that corridor fight!) It wasn't just making a sequel because they need more content and sticking characters in front of unconvincing CGI backgrounds and having wacky stuff happen, relying on Pual Rudd's (considerable!) charm to make it work. James Gunn will be sorely missed (but I'll watch his DC movies too) and I hope they can find directors as good as him and although them to make movies in the circumstances that allowed this to exist.
I think it even beat the emotional highs of Vol. 2 with the Groot's (huge spolier) line at the end leading into the Florence and The Machine bit.
All the performances were strong and every character was served well. I liked this version of Gamora more than the previous one and really she should have been more like this in the first movie. I liked how she didn't end up back with Quill or even join the Guardianns (she's a different person!) The part where Drax started to bond with the children really got to me and I'll miss Dave Bautista in this role. Pom Klementieff was great and if any character returns in a future project I hope it's Mantis (as long as she's handled as well as Gunn handled her here.) Karen Gillan just gets better and better as Nebula and has really turned what could have been a one off villain into one of the best developed characters in the MCU. This is Rocket's movie though and his backstory scenes were absolutely perfect. I found Rocket a bit overdone in Guardians 2 but they could not have handled him better here. The payoff with him becoming the new leader felt well earned. Quill's story being about moving on from Gamora and facing his past worked well too and say what you want about Chris Pratt but he's pefect as the character. All the animal characters were adorable (even the ugly ones) and Cosmo is definitely a good dog.
Chukwudi Iwuji was excellcent as the High Evolutionary, I loved how uterally detestable he was. Because we actually see what he does to the animals it really makes him a more hatable villain than pretty much anyone in the MCU. The movie gets pretty dark and graphic at times but it never fells gratuitous: the scenes of HE having his face clawed by Rocket and Gamora peeling it off later feel completely deserved.
I guess my only compalint would be that Adam feels tacked on at times, like Gunn felt he had to include him after introducing the character in Vol. 2 but didn't really have an essential part for him. But Will Poulter was very good and I enjoyed the character's story fine so it's a small complaint.
Feige, you really have to find another Gunn. I think The Marvels looks like a fun romp but you need stuff with actual susbstance too wait you're not reading this sorry.
I think it even beat the emotional highs of Vol. 2 with the Groot's (huge spolier) line at the end leading into the Florence and The Machine bit.
All the performances were strong and every character was served well. I liked this version of Gamora more than the previous one and really she should have been more like this in the first movie. I liked how she didn't end up back with Quill or even join the Guardianns (she's a different person!) The part where Drax started to bond with the children really got to me and I'll miss Dave Bautista in this role. Pom Klementieff was great and if any character returns in a future project I hope it's Mantis (as long as she's handled as well as Gunn handled her here.) Karen Gillan just gets better and better as Nebula and has really turned what could have been a one off villain into one of the best developed characters in the MCU. This is Rocket's movie though and his backstory scenes were absolutely perfect. I found Rocket a bit overdone in Guardians 2 but they could not have handled him better here. The payoff with him becoming the new leader felt well earned. Quill's story being about moving on from Gamora and facing his past worked well too and say what you want about Chris Pratt but he's pefect as the character. All the animal characters were adorable (even the ugly ones) and Cosmo is definitely a good dog.
Chukwudi Iwuji was excellcent as the High Evolutionary, I loved how uterally detestable he was. Because we actually see what he does to the animals it really makes him a more hatable villain than pretty much anyone in the MCU. The movie gets pretty dark and graphic at times but it never fells gratuitous: the scenes of HE having his face clawed by Rocket and Gamora peeling it off later feel completely deserved.
I guess my only compalint would be that Adam feels tacked on at times, like Gunn felt he had to include him after introducing the character in Vol. 2 but didn't really have an essential part for him. But Will Poulter was very good and I enjoyed the character's story fine so it's a small complaint.
Feige, you really have to find another Gunn. I think The Marvels looks like a fun romp but you need stuff with actual susbstance too wait you're not reading this sorry.
I actually think the Groot line thing was
Us the audience understanding in that moment what he was conveying in a "I am Groot". Because none of the other characters reacted at all to it like. OMG you said something besides I am Groot. It wouldn't shock me if it comes out none of them even were told it was going to be something different than "I am Groot" and it was a decision made afterwards to have Vin Diesel say as Groot "I love you guys."
Yup, I've seen that interpretation in a couple of reviews and I think that's probably the intention.
To a degree, although not as much as I would've liked that for the reason you mentioned. Partially because Rocket is unconscious for most of the first two acts (his story being focused on flashbacks during that time).
Well.... He calls her Nebs at one point. And....
She starts crying when she hears his voice and realizes he made it and still alive. That got to me man.
This was, without a doubt, a true MCU hightlight and perhaps the best content the studio made in quite a while.
The Rocket parts of the movie.... Look, I'm not ashamed of crying during movies ok. And this got to me. Deeply. I'd say that, even though ALL of the Guardians were equally spotlighted in this movie, it may just be a Rocket movie at heart. I won't say too much, but his journey finally hit home when said
My name is Rocket.....Rocket Raccoon.
I am very happy with how the Quill/Gamora situation was handled at the end of the movie. Actually, how all the characters in the movie were handled was perfect if you ask me. Even endings that appeared sad really were happy endings. We may not have wanted it, but when you think about it, all the characters ended up exactly where they needed to.
Huge shout out to Pom Klementieff for really making Mantis really break out in this movie. Her performance was great. When it needed to big, she made it huge. When it required something small and delicate, she touched hearts.
The final end credit scene was fun, especially the newspaper headline. But the text right after it..... I did not expect. We'll see what happens there.
I think my biggest moment of deep emotion.....
When Rocket finds all the little raccoons in the cage. The callback to the opening scene of the movie, and making us realise that the trauma that we are sometimes faced with and shapes us, doesn't mean we should act the same way that we were handled when we find ourselves in similar situations. Being able to save those little ones from a fate similar to his helped him deal with what happened to him. An obvious cinematic trick, sure. But it was done very well I feel.
In short.... What a fantastic movie. James Gunn will be missed quite a lot in the MCU.
Oh, that's right, I forgot about both of those.
Clearly I need to watch this fantastic film again.
Like you, I wept a lot during this film and almost all of it was centered around Rocket and his childhood friends. But this scene absolutely wrenched me as well. So damn powerful. Not only that, but when he insisted they needed to save everyone, the Guardians didn't hesitate.
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