GENRE:
Action Comedy
RATING:
PG-13 for violence and language
RUNTIME:
2 hours and 30 minutes
PLATFORM:
Movie Theatre
STARRING:
Chris Pratt (Lego Movie, Parks and Rec,
Jurassic World)
Chukwudi Iwuji (Peacemaker); Pom Klementieff (Uncut
Gems, Oldboy)
DIRECTOR:
James Gunn (Guardians, The Suicide Squad,
Peacemaker)
WRITER:
Gunn (Guardians 1 & 2, The Suicide
Squad, Belko Experiment)
PLOT:
A Rocket origin story is told as the Guardians rallies to save one of their
own.
FULL DISCLOSURE: Wary given Marvel lately but glad Gunn’s involved.
STORY STUFF: There are some great scenes in this film but as a whole I felt it wasn’t up to the standard I hoped for. First off, it’s just too long. I cared about Rocket and his backstory but I could have got there in half the time. I really don’t get the appeal of Adam Warlock; maybe I’m missing something. Apparently he’ll be in a bunch of other Marvel films but he did not excite me in any way. I did find that there was better group interaction this time around as compared to the second installment. It was a good end for this mini-franchise but it wasn’t fantastic.
ACTING STUFF: I was worried that Pratt would be mopey the whole time as Peter was still mourning Gamora but he did bring some fun here and there. Dave Bautista steals lots of scenes as Drax and it is fun to watch him interact with Klementieff’s Mantis. Karen Gillan’s Nebula and Zoe Saldana’s Gamora left me cold. I will say that Bradley Cooper’s voice as Rocket is pretty impressive as it gave me plenty of feels.
ARTISTIC STUFF: I do not like Groot’s look anymore. I loved his thin spindly body in the first film. I felt that in the Christmas Special they kind of cheaped out as it looked more like a Halloween costume. It still looks like it in this one. Love the character and the voice but the body should be back to ‘normal’. The special effects and use of slow motion is well done as per usual. Also, the soundtrack is killer. There is a Beastie Boys sequence that is just a load of fun and worth the price of admission.
VERDICT:
Three stars out of five
SEE IT IF:
You’ve seen the previous ones
UPCOMING REVIEW: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
