May 2023
I was hesitant to give Disney any money, but I needed some exercise today, so I walked to the theater and bit the bullet. Guardians 3 is a decent conclusion this "trilogy". It may be a part 3, but the parts between Vol 2 and Vol 3 have a big impact, so it's hardly a real trilogy, but in that regard, the director can make it feel bigger than it is.
I'm hopeful for James Gunn's DC, and his Marvel efforts have always been an alternative style to the cookie-cutter other entries in the MCU. He picks interesting soundtracks, and I was happy to see Alice Cooper in the mix, and even happier that it wasn't some overplayed drivel like "School's Out" or "No More Mr. Nice Guy". It was a lesser known track from Alice Cooper Goes to Hell, "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows". So good for him calling out to the overlooked things in life.
The movie's main plot is more personal this time around, although they do shoehorn in some free-the-oppressed subplots, but the main plot is Rocket's, for sure. How he came to be, caged, neglected, and more animal cruelty in the mix. Maybe Peta made Gunn an offer he couldn't refuse? It was pretty interesting though, with some surprisingly violent moments sprinkled throughout, especially regarding the irritable High Evolutionary antagonist.
One bit that annoys me is the pacing sometimes. They really really try to milk some of those emotional moments too long. In this and No Way Home. It's like, "Yeah, we get it. It's a sad scene. Can we move on please?" Could've chopped maybe a minute or two off the runtime, but maybe they wanted that even 150 minute length?
Chris Pratt carries it well. He seems like he'd be a cool guy in real life too, especially if Schwarzenegger likes him so much. And on a similar note, Stallone is in the movie, but barely. He should be in every movie ever made. It's also good to see Nathan Fillion in there, as well as a cameo by Michael Rooker and Gregg Henry. Remember him?
Bautista is one of those wrestlers turned actors that I've liked in everything I've seen him in. He's a funny guy, especially when playing such a dumb character.
Groot is there when he's needed, but still just a tree in the end. Vin Diesel probably got paid millions for his intricate dialog in these movies. He's a way to make the team bigger without actually having a character for it.
Zoe Saldana has a nice body, that's for sure. It's fun to watch her gradually come around to Quill all over again, and I'm glad they didn't solidify anything. Leave it ambiguous.
Will Poulter (aka weird eyebrows) as some gold-painted man-child superhero is mildly amusing here. Still a pretty meaningless side character used only to get the ball rolling, but I didn't hate him.
Mantis is a little more fleshed out here than we've seen before. Not as useless this time around.
Finally a piece from Marvel that isn't a let down. Of course, the guy who helmed it is done with them now, so it's goodybe to this chapter of hopeful Marvel storytelling. They had me rolling my eyes when they worked some of that generic Avengers theme into the score, just to remind me that I'm riding the coattails of a convoluted bigger mess of a movie universe. Get that shit out of here.
I'm hopeful for James Gunn's DC, and his Marvel efforts have always been an alternative style to the cookie-cutter other entries in the MCU. He picks interesting soundtracks, and I was happy to see Alice Cooper in the mix, and even happier that it wasn't some overplayed drivel like "School's Out" or "No More Mr. Nice Guy". It was a lesser known track from Alice Cooper Goes to Hell, "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows". So good for him calling out to the overlooked things in life.
The movie's main plot is more personal this time around, although they do shoehorn in some free-the-oppressed subplots, but the main plot is Rocket's, for sure. How he came to be, caged, neglected, and more animal cruelty in the mix. Maybe Peta made Gunn an offer he couldn't refuse? It was pretty interesting though, with some surprisingly violent moments sprinkled throughout, especially regarding the irritable High Evolutionary antagonist.
One bit that annoys me is the pacing sometimes. They really really try to milk some of those emotional moments too long. In this and No Way Home. It's like, "Yeah, we get it. It's a sad scene. Can we move on please?" Could've chopped maybe a minute or two off the runtime, but maybe they wanted that even 150 minute length?
Chris Pratt carries it well. He seems like he'd be a cool guy in real life too, especially if Schwarzenegger likes him so much. And on a similar note, Stallone is in the movie, but barely. He should be in every movie ever made. It's also good to see Nathan Fillion in there, as well as a cameo by Michael Rooker and Gregg Henry. Remember him?
Bautista is one of those wrestlers turned actors that I've liked in everything I've seen him in. He's a funny guy, especially when playing such a dumb character.
Groot is there when he's needed, but still just a tree in the end. Vin Diesel probably got paid millions for his intricate dialog in these movies. He's a way to make the team bigger without actually having a character for it.
Zoe Saldana has a nice body, that's for sure. It's fun to watch her gradually come around to Quill all over again, and I'm glad they didn't solidify anything. Leave it ambiguous.
Will Poulter (aka weird eyebrows) as some gold-painted man-child superhero is mildly amusing here. Still a pretty meaningless side character used only to get the ball rolling, but I didn't hate him.
Mantis is a little more fleshed out here than we've seen before. Not as useless this time around.
Finally a piece from Marvel that isn't a let down. Of course, the guy who helmed it is done with them now, so it's goodybe to this chapter of hopeful Marvel storytelling. They had me rolling my eyes when they worked some of that generic Avengers theme into the score, just to remind me that I'm riding the coattails of a convoluted bigger mess of a movie universe. Get that shit out of here.
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