Marvel Studios' Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 - Out Now! (Spoiler Talk!)

[lonestar]

The rest of the movie was good quality regular Marvel fun.... The Rocket back story pushed it into the excellent realm. I was so impressed with how deftly they handled that, with being able to wrench my heart with every scene, without being heavy handed. That was some top quality stuff.

[soupytwist]

I personally thought they used Warlock really well.  Introduced at the start to showcase his powers.  Then he becomes a background character where the little time he gets is efficiently used give us a better understanding of who he is and his character,  and finally give him a hero moment payoff.  Very simple but effective arc to introduce a new character without taking to much screen time or story beats away from the Guardians - so much better done than Ironheart in Black Panther 2.

[lordxizor]

The one thing I didn't like about Warlock's arc in this movie is that it felt like yet another character in GOTG that started off as more of an antagonist, but ended up becoming an ally. Feels like that's been done a few times already.

[DoctorAction]

Just watched it.

It was fine. I feel like I should have liked it more but, for all the good lines and scenes (of which there were many, esp wrt Rocket) it didn't set me alight. Nothing felt "bad" at all...

I'm done with the MCU for now. I was waiting to watch Qmania (which i didn't get around to) and this to see if I wanted to carry on - and I don't. It's been an amazing thing but I'm not enjoying it any more. GOTG have been my favourites but this volume largely leaving me cold seals the deal.

[King Postwhore]

The movie tugged on every heartstring I have. Well done.

[bosk1]

I had very mixed feelings on this one.  Overall, I liked it, and it definitely falls on the "better" side of the post-phase 3 releases.  The Rocket backstory was REALLY well done.  The way the Quill/Gamora relationship and her being a different person that walked a different path was handled was well done as well (and really benefitted from Gunn NOT finding a way to have the two of them get together).  The closure and breaking up of the original group was also handled nicely.  What didn't work for me as well was some of the over-the-top zaniness that permeated the entire film.  It kind of felt like Gunn said to himself, "I've got some solid ideas for Rocket's backstory and for the ultimate breakup of the guardians that I think will make for a solid movie.  AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNND since this is my last film and Marvel can't really fire me, I'm going to throw as much wild, crazy stuff in there around all of that as I can possibly cram into a two-1/2-hour film, and nobody's gonna stop me."  Some of it worked.  Some of it didn't.  But was still a solid movie overall.  I'll have to watch it again once available for home release to try to figure out where to rank it. 

Some other specific things I liked: 
-Warlock being a doofus was NOT what I was expecting, and at first, it annoyed me.  But as the film went on, I started to enjoy that aspect.  Him supposedly being created to be the pinnacle of Sovereign society, and then turning out to be a doofus was hilarious.  And it was consistent with the Sovereign themselves and the disconnect between how they viewed themselves and how they actually were.
-The hallway fight was brilliant (although I was a bit triggered that they spent the entire first verse of No Sleep Til Brooklyn on just the slow-mo walkup).  I know it was REALLY CGI-heavy, but there is a LOT going on in that fight that is truly brilliant (Screencrush has a great YouTube video breaking down that scene). 
-The High Evolutionary was a great combination of scary and unhinged.  It also seemed like they were hinting earlier in the film about him somehow having some physical or mental infirmity and that he was falling apart, but they didn't pick that up and run with it as I thought they would.
-The Cosmo "bad dog" gag...you knew exactly where it was going, and having it draw out so long before finally paying it off was getting tiring, but it still ultimately worked.
-There was a lot of subtle and not-so-subtle connective tissue with this and the two prior films.  Gunn did that right.  In phases 4 and 5, character beats for some of the older characters seemed off, seemed not to fit with what had been established previously, and at times seemed unearned.  This movie didn't have that problem.  That alone elevates it above a lot of what came after Far From Home. 
-I also liked that this film's connection to anything in the MCU's future was kept very low-key, and that the film just focused heavily on developing and providing closure for these characters.  Almost everything that happened served character development and didn't get distracted with developing the multiverse saga or Kang.  The seeds are there.  But unlike a lot of the recent films, they aren't distracting, and this film didn't ever start to feel like an advertisement for the next MCU project.

Some specific things that bugged me:
-Back to Warlock:  He initiated the whole problem of several of the Guardians being injured, Rocket being near death, and a lot of Knowwhere being wrecked.  There was no resolution of that.  Him flipping to fight the High Evolutionary felt earned, but the Guardians just accepting him did not.  It felt like this was a necessary story beat that probably ended up on the cutting room floor.  I haven't seen anyone mention this, which seems very odd to me, but it really stuck out to me.
-The scale of Knowwhere was wrong.  In Guardians 1, it was huge.  It would have to be in order to have a mining operation on it.  It was at least the size of a small moon.  In this film, it was suddenly just a teeny city the size of Galaxy's Edge in Disneyland on a giant skull the size of a large ship.  That was unnecessary and took me out of the moment.  Marvel screws scale up all the time, and it bugs me because it is so unnecessary.  But I haven't seen too many complaints about them doing so, so I guess they don't worry about it.
-Ogord's monologue prior to infiltrating Orgocorp was stupid.  Gunn is better than most about doing exposition dumps in clever ways that either get you to forget they are exposition dumps or that make you immediately recognize that they are exposition dumps but not care.  This wasn't one of them.  It was just bad.
-Groot looked stupid.  This new look that they started with the holiday special looks like a guy in a rubber suit, and I hate it. 

[DoctorAction]

A bunch of interesting thoughts there.

I liked that Nebula felt like the grounded, sensible one. Keeping shit together when everyone was a mess.

On a base note, I'll miss green Zoe S. She so fine.

[bosk1]

I guess it's pretty telling of the quality of phases 4 and 5 that for the recent films, including this one, there's VERY little discussion here after the film actually releases and people see it.  (also kind of telling, for different reasons, that I have to stop and actively think about which films are in phase 4 and which are in phase 5)

[Adami]

I guess it's pretty telling of the quality of phases 4 and 5 that for the recent films, including this one, there's VERY little discussion here after the film actually releases and people see it.  (also kind of telling, for different reasons, that I have to stop and actively think about which films are in phase 4 and which are in phase 5)

That's fair, but I feel like discussion on most things has died down considerably.

I'm also not sure which films are phase 2 or 3 most of the time, and we even had Avengers films to separate them back then.



Also (since I don't want to do more quotes) I was giving more thought to your issue that Warlock was added to the crew after he tried to kill them. It's true that it happened quickly, but the Guardians have always been losers like that. Hell, the team all tried to kill each other the first time they met, and Nebula DEFINITELY tried to kill all of them for a good long while and was still accepted once she stopped.

[The Letter M]

I guess it's pretty telling of the quality of phases 4 and 5 that for the recent films, including this one, there's VERY little discussion here after the film actually releases and people see it.  (also kind of telling, for different reasons, that I have to stop and actively think about which films are in phase 4 and which are in phase 5)

Phase Four only spanned 7 films across 16 months but it felt like it was a LOT longer than that. Contrast that with Phase Three, which spanned 38 months with 11 films, which also felt a bit long but they also had a lot going on in those three years.

Phase Five looks to be off to another rocky start, though it's looking like GOTG Vol. 3 is on track to be the MCU's most successful film, next to NWH, since Endgame. I'm not sure it'll break a billion world wide, but it might get up there with Wakanda Forever. It's current two week domestic gross has already surpassed Quantumania's entire domestic run (I think - I regularly watch Charts With Dan Murrell, and I believe this is what he said in his episode earlier this week), so it's doing very well at the box office.

Phase Five is also looking to have a rocky ending with Blade's production halted due to the writer's strike, and the film has already been delayed once due to a change of director.

-Marc.

[jammindude]

Because I’ve been drowning in family drama, I did not see this the weekend it came out like I had hoped to. I’m finally going to take some time to go see it this weekend with some friends. But I’m happy to finally get a break from my recent soap opera, and enjoy some light entertainment for a bit

[Orbert]

We saw it today, and both of us (Mrs. Orbert and myself) liked it a lot.  A strong film overall and a worthy cap to the Guardians story.  Yeah, a few things I might've liked better if they'd been done differently, but very few films are perfect.  This one kept things moving, kept it fun, and was consistent with the previous Guardians films, which is all that matters.  Mrs. Orbert said it felt long, and the beginning especially seemed to drag on before things really got going.  I honestly didn't notice that at all.  Nathan Fillion's stuff might've gone on a bit too long, maybe that's what she was talking about, but I like Nathan Fillion and I'm glad he got to actually be in the movie for once instead of being covered in prosthetics and makeup so you can't even see him.

Rocket of course had the best story and perhaps the best overall arc, but each character was great, I thought.  Really, no complaints.  A fun time.

[Adami]

So apparently, though it's not explicitly stated in the movie, James Gunn said that the reason Rocket had an affinity for stealing people's artificial limbs and such in the other movies is because of Lylla and his friends from this one.

Really touching.

[King Postwhore]

Definitely makes sense. They really did Rocket's character to perfection. 

[Orbert]

I loved the shout-out to Adrian Belew "both solo and his work with King Crimson".  There were only about 20 people in the theater, so I'm guessing I was the only one who got it, but I got it.  Totally unexpected and very cool.

[lonestar]

And now I'm crying...

[jammindude]

I can’t state enough how much I absolutely loved this film. I really hope it allows the entire MCU to continue. This movie completely deserves credit for reviving the MCU if people show up for it.

[lordxizor]

There is certainly a lot to learn from this movie on how to make a good MCU film. It's tough because these are existing characters we already care about and establishing new characters has proved difficult. But there's the right balance between action, heart, suspense, humor, etc that this film nails.

[hefdaddy42]

Finally saw this one last night, with my kids for Father's Day.

We really enjoyed it overall.  Not a perfect film, but much better IMO than Volume 2, which is all I asked.  Very emotional, and showing new layers for Drax, of all people.  A fitting end to this version of the team.

I had heard beforehand that the MCU's first f-bomb was in the film, and was all set to hate that, and then when it happened I laughed my ass off.

[Orbert]

I was kinda the opposite, at least in the order of things.  The F-bomb happened, I laughed my ass off, then I thought "Wait, was that the first F-bomb in the MCU?"

[MinistroRaven]

A new deleted scene from ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3’ confirms that The High Evolutionary survived.

“The High Evolutionary is brought back to Knowhere and locked up while Kraglin recruits Adam Warlock.”

The scene will release with the physical copy of the film.

[MinistroRaven]

I wasn't sure where to place this, so rather than starting a new thread, I decided to post it here:

Is this theory intriguing or is it stretching things too much?

After this weekend, which brought both the finale of Loki season 2 and the debut of The Marvels, fans have noticed something…interesting that they believe Marvel may be trying to do in the post-Thanos era.

While the Infinity Stones were supposedly destroyed during/after Endgame, at least in the main timeline, there’s a growing theory that they may be returning in the form of not literal stones, but specific characters within the Marvel universe.

It’s a largely, color-based theory, but honestly, examining it a bit closer, I do think it may have some weight to it. There are six Infinity Stones:

The Space Stone – Blue
The Reality Stone – Red
The Time Stone – Green
The Power Stone – Purple
The Mind Stone – Yellow
The Soul Stone – Orange

Combine them and you’re all powerful, etc., but each are powerful in their own right as we saw in the plot of a bunch of MCU movies before Infinity War.

As of this weekend, the theory now is that these are being recreated in specific ways, and at this point, we may already have half the stones manifested in hero form. Well, depending how your definition of hero. Spoilers for Loki and The Marvels follow.

First, the belief is that Wanda Maximoff, Scarlet Witch, is the new Reality Stone. Yes, the color red overlaps, but her whole thing is literally the ability to change reality through her magic, which was the entire storyline of WandaVision, so that aligns somewhat nicely.

Then, we have the Time Stone, represented by, you guessed it, the newly all-powerful, time-traveling Loki who now sits at a throne at the center of the multiverse holding all timelines together with his very green magic. Again, the entire basis of Loki as a series was about time travel, especially season 2, and in the end, Loki gets Kang-level time control powers and is in charge of guarding every timeline. So…yeah, okay.

Finally, and this could be more of a stretch, but a third idea is that Spectrum, aka Monica Rambeau, is now the embodiment of the Space Stone, with her own innate power mixed with Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel’s in the finale of The Marvels, and what does she use it for in the movie? Closing a hole in space that has quite literally ripped open to another world. And you know, her energy is blue.

I…can see it, honestly. The one catch is that Loki is supposed to be benched forever now after the events of the show, so it’s unlikely he returns unless everyone, including Hiddleston, is lying to us. But yes, I can see the idea here.

As for the last three stones? The purple Power Stone is directly linked to Wakanda and likely its new Black Panther there, Shuri. The Mind Stone of course has connections to Vision, and we know Vision is returning for his own MCU series, VisionQuest, down the road. The orange Soul Stone? It grants you power over life and death in the universe and…I don’t have anything for this one. Looking over current MCU heroes and future projects, I can’t really form a connection here, color-wise or theme-wise. I guess The Thing will be orange in Fantastic Four? Yeah, probably not. (Update: It’s been pointed out to be that it could be Shang-Chi representing the Soul Stone, given its origins and hey, orange!)

Anyway, it is a neat little theory and the first three here do make a good amount of sense. Perhaps the idea is that their powers combine to kill Kang without a literal gauntlet. Or maybe this is…nothing. We’ll find out in a few years, I suppose, but keep an eye out for those other colors and powers.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2023/11/12/fans-believe-the-mcu-is-reassembling-the-infinity-stones-with-specific-heroes/

[bosk1]

Personally, I think it's a reach to say that the stones will be literally embodied by specific heroes.  But I don't think it's necessarily a stretch that their power would be manifested by or represented by certain individuals in the MCU (and I say "individuals" rather than "heroes" because I don't think it should be limited to heroes).  So I don't think the idea itself is necessarily a reach, I just think they are taking it too far. 

Tangentially though, I also think the author was wrong about Loki being "benched forever."  That isn't exactly what Hiddleston said, and I don't buy that interpretation because what happened in Loki appears to be directly related to Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars.

[Lonk]

Personally, I think it's a reach to say that the stones will be literally embodied by specific heroes.  But I don't think it's necessarily a stretch that their power would be manifested by or represented by certain individuals in the MCU (and I say "individuals" rather than "heroes" because I don't think it should be limited to heroes).  So I don't think the idea itself is necessarily a reach, I just think they are taking it too far. 

Tangentially though, I also think the author was wrong about Loki being "benched forever."  That isn't exactly what Hiddleston said, and I don't buy that interpretation because what happened in Loki appears to be directly related to Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars.

Yeah, we may not see Loki again for a while, but I hardly doubt this is the last we've seen of him, specially if Secret Wars plays out as we think we will.

[hefdaddy42]

I don't buy it.

[DoctorAction]

Rewatched GOTG3 today and it landed properly with me this time. Dunno what was with me when I saw it at the cinema but happy days. Great movie. Wonder if we'll see any Guardians in Deadpool 3...

[Adami]

Rewatched GOTG3 today and it landed properly with me this time. Dunno what was with me when I saw it at the cinema but happy days. Great movie. Wonder if we'll see any Guardians in Deadpool 3...

Doubtful. Other than Star Lord, and I guess possibly Rocket, the other actors have been pretty clear about not wanting to return.

[Orbert]

If people like something, they want more of it.  I get that.  But sometimes it's okay to stop.  As it stands, they're three of my favorite flicks of all time.  I even dug the Christmas Special.  And if that's what we end up with, that's okay.

[The Letter M]

If people like something, they want more of it.  I get that.  But sometimes it's okay to stop.  As it stands, they're three of my favorite flicks of all time.  I even dug the Christmas Special.  And if that's what we end up with, that's okay.

The Guardians really made their mark in the MCU, and in cinema in general. They appeared in their own trilogy, two Avengers film, part of a Thor film, and had their own Holiday Special. That's seven total appearances. Compare that to the Avengers, who've only had 4 films so far, plus most of them appearing in Captain America: Civil War, and that's really it (as far as a full team goes).

James Gunn truly gave us something special, despite some set backs and changes along the way. I feel like he and the whole cast and crew put out some great films. I wouldn't mind seeing GOTG from the end of Vol. 3 appear again, but I feel like it wouldn't be the same. If any of them show up again, it probably won't be until one or both of the next two Avengers films, and I'm fine with that for now.

-Marc.

[DoctorAction]

Doubtful. Other than Star Lord, and I guess possibly Rocket, the other actors have been pretty clear about not wanting to return.

Ah, ok. I can understand that. Fair enough, really.

If people like something, they want more of it.  I get that.  But sometimes it's okay to stop.  As it stands, they're three of my favorite flicks of all time.  I even dug the Christmas Special.  And if that's what we end up with, that's okay.

Yeah, they've been terrific. Also enjoyed the Christmas special.

I'd much rather they never appeared again than it got tired and worn out.

[WilliamMunny]

If people like something, they want more of it.  I get that.  But sometimes it's okay to stop.  As it stands, they're three of my favorite flicks of all time.  I even dug the Christmas Special.  And if that's what we end up with, that's okay.

This. Is. Sound. Advice...and something that I wish the powers that be in Hollywood would follow every now and then.

I feel like the Hollywood sign deserves an additional line: "Hollywood: Where We Can AND Will Squeeze Blood From a Stone"

[hefdaddy42]

If people like something, they want more of it.  I get that.  But sometimes it's okay to stop.  As it stands, they're three of my favorite flicks of all time.  I even dug the Christmas Special.  And if that's what we end up with, that's okay.

Agreed.