Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 - Directed by James Gunn
Despite cutting his teeth by writing grossout films for low budget horror comedy company Troma, James Gunn has developed into a big softie. His first big budget films in the mid-2000’s were a body horror comedy and a low rent superhero film where the violence and profanity worked equally hard to earn the film its R rating. In 2014 though Gunn was given the opportunity to write and directed Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy if he could keep the language and violence in the family friendly realm of PG-13. He delivered a story that gained enormous success for its irreverent wisecracks and Tarantino needle drops but also for its heartfelt camaraderie and message that found family is as important as blood. Jump ahead nearly a decade to find Gunn still at the helm is giving his version of the Guardians a chance to ride off into the sunset and he hasn’t shied away from making sure the sentiment is ratcheted up to eleven.
Luckily Gunn remains one of the only directors left on Marvel’s bench that seems to approach the work with any level of personal identity. While Marvel’s systematic filing down of all their products into cookie cutter content seems to be all but complete Gunn and his Guardians films have maintained their ability to remain offbeat and singular. Vol. 3 might represent the very most of all of Gunn’s powers not only due to it being the final film in this trilogy but also because he’s leaving Marvel to go play for the cross-town rival DC.
Three films in (and honestly more if you count all the tie ins that Marvel has become famous for) the Guardians cast has grown enormous. Our core five are still here of course. Goofball self-styled daredevil and team captain Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), a.k.a. Starlord, as well as some once and future crewmates: no-nonsense warrior princess Gamora (Zoe Saldana), salty talking raccoon Rocket (Bradley Cooper), literal minded strongman Drax (Dave Bautista), linguistically limited tree man Groot (Vin Diesel), and cyborgian anti-heroine Nebula (Karen Gillan) all mark their third appearance in the series as well as cheery empath Mantis (Pom Klementieff) an instant fan favorite introduced in Guardians vol. 2.
But even as the cast expands outward, Gunn makes us look inward. Rocket has clearly been Gunn’s favorite since day one and it’s clear why. Rocket like Gunn is a geek, a tinkerer, and a sentimentalist hiding his big heard behind cynicism and insults. Vol. 3 ends up revolving around Rocket, who’s critically injured just minutes into the movie, and takes several exits off the film’s narrative highway to explore the raccoon’s backstory. It’s a tragic one with lab experiments that remind us of Gunn’s twisted origins but also make sure to highlight his affection for misfit bonding. It’s frankly amazing that Disney (who owns Marvel) cleared some of the animal torture material that occupy Rocket’s history. The film stays away from being too graphic but the ideas on display are certainly tough to stomach.
The film covers a lot of ground by sending the Guardians (sans Rocket) on a planet hopping mission to get the tools they need to save their friend. Along the way they encounter the film’s villain, a despicable mad scientist (Chukwudi Iwuji) resembling Dr. Moreau who’s obsessed with creating the perfect society. There’s other characters and storylines that feel a little like baggage to satisfy future Marvel projects but Gunn keeps the story humming and the visuals eye popping. Another parallel between the director and Rocket is that they both delight in scavenging for scraps to forge something useful. Gunn takes us down the Sci-Fi section of his favorite video story borrowing visual aesthetics from Stanley Kubrick, Luc Besson, and Ridley Scott, the great prosthetic work of Star Trek and even the insane gene-splicing look of the 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie. He combines all these looks and feels with panache and the result is a flavorful stew of great influences.
What really makes Guardians Vol. 3 a success though is Gunn’s clear affection for these characters. They squabble like siblings but there is clear love for each other behind every traded insult. Despite the film’s mega budget and corporate backing, it feels earnest and like a true expression of Gunn’s sensibilities. As Marvel fatigue sets in even amongst its biggest fans it’s hard not to appreciate a film in their canon that feels made not by committee but by a teary veteran whose style has developed right along with his Guardians. Guardians Vol. 3 is truly sincere and in that it achieves something like grandeur which we should all savor as it doesn’t arrive too often when it comes to big budget releases.
