Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3

Spider-Man. Captain America. Iron Man. The Incredible Hulk. Thor. These are all well established comic book superheroes that even those who do not read or watch their movie know of their existence. The Guardians of the Galaxy? Not so much. In fact, until they made their big screen debut in 2014 most people had not even heard of them. It was a big risk on Marvel Studios part given they had no real name recognition, but it paid off as it has become one of the MCU’s most beloved franchises.

A big reason for that success is James Gunn. He has written and directed all three Guardians of the Galaxy entries, while other Marvel properties have had different filmmakers leading the way. This will be Gunn’s last time as he will now be in charge on righting DC comic book movies ship. He saved his best effort with “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3”. This time the Guardians, Peter Quill/Star Lord (Chris Pratt), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Groot (Vin Diesel), Nubula (Karen Gillan), Mantis (Pom Klementieff) face off against The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) and they may have bitten off more than they can chew.

This entry grabs you right from the studio logo. It is followed by a great action scene. Once again, Gunn finds the perfect blend of action and humor. This time he adds a little more depth for all the characters to experience, especially Rocket as his origin story is finally revealed in great detail.

Marvel’s Phase 5 began earlier this year with the release of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” It was a good start after the less than stellar one Phase 4 had. Now with the release of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3” the comic book studio is off to a solid start. Let’s hope it continues.

3.5 Swords