Written by:  Gretchen Sims

The most recent installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise was released in theaters on May 5, as part of Marvel’s Phase Five project. The film, which was written and directed by James Gunn, starred many fan favorites including Chris Pratt as Peter Quill AKA Star-lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Vin Diesel as Groot, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Karen Gillan as Nebula and Bradley Cooper as Rocket. 

Besides the classic crew, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” also cast some new faces. Will Poulter, best known for his roles as Eustace Scrubb in “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” and as Gally from “The Maze Runner,” made a spectacular appearance as Adam Warlock — an all-powerful being with a little bit lacking upstairs. Sean Gunn, best known as Kirk from “Gilmore Girls,” played Kraglin — Yondu Udonta’s incompetent replacement. Possibly most surprisingly, Sylvester Stallone made a brief cameo as a Ravager. 

The story follows Rocket’s origin story as he fights for his life after being attacked by Adam Warlock. The Guardians soon notice that Rocket has a killswitch inside him that prevents them from reviving him. The remaining Guardians must locate Rocket’s inventor and steal a code that can deactivate the killswitch that will certainly spell his doom. 

This movie encompasses all the stuff Marvel used to be made of. The cinematography and CGI are certainly some of the best out of the recent Marvel Phases. But despite beautiful displays, this movie is able to take Marvel fans back to their roots — the good times when Marvel movies were more than just an obvious cash grab. 

From the constant heartbreaks to the beautiful, heartwarming resolution, this film is a rollercoaster of emotions that is sure to delight fans everywhere. Every time the audience was served with a flashback from Rocket’s childhood, I was nearly on the verge of crying — and I don’t cry while watching movies. It was a real tearjerker, so be sure to grab a box of tissues before going to give this movie a watch.

9/10.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu