James Gunn’s Guardians films have always been outliers
in the universe, the broken misfits who find each other and help heal from
their trauma of lost or abusive families. An important note to these characters
is while they do get better as people, they are arguably never “good people”.
Their trauma has damaged them and there is a limit to how much that can get
fixed. Sometimes the awful things in your past do define you, but with help it doesn’t
have to be the only part of you. Gunn himself comes from a production history of
making grotesque, violent and cynical pictures, to now be helming stories of
victims of abuse trying to better themselves and the world around them. Even
his words and actions of his younger days nearly cost him this film when he was
temporarily fired due to old tweets coming back to haunt him. Your past doesn’t
have to define you. It’s a message Gunn clearly cares about.
There is no cleaning up the stains on these characters or
this film, in order to explore a character’s history you have to show the
darkest and most upsetting elements to get a proper picture. In some ways this
might be the most upsetting MCU film, it is unafraid to rely on grotesque
imagery, violent actions and disturbing visuals (at least, as much as you can
get away with for a PG-13 rating) but this film isn’t holding back. You get the
big picture, so at least when it returns to kindness, to the bond of this team,
to their love for each other you truly appreciate it.
The usual traits of these films are here (Beyond the
tragedy), the film still follows a group of rambunctious a-holes travelling
from place to place in search of objects to save the day and defeat an
egomaniacal monster of destruction with a god-complex whose greatest adversaries
are this immature team of sloppy heroes who bicker amongst each other, trading
gags and insults and blasting a banging playlist of Earth Music. Also, bright
lights and pretty colours.
This review could just be a summary of all the ways the
latest Guardian film is better than its MCU contemporaries. It’s so much
better looking, has a more coherent plot and clear themes and character
progression and balancing these elements so everything gets equal focus. At
times Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 is a bleak film, filled with violence,
heartbreak and loss; but it’s core is one of broken people who may not love
themselves, but their love for each other is so strong they will traverse the
universe and take on powerful beings of indescribable power to protect one
another.
-Danny
