We have come to the end of an era. After years of waiting, a ton of behind-the-scenes madness, and a bunch of Marvel movie phases, we’ve finally reached the grand finale of the Guardians of the Galaxy series. I’m excited and sad in equal measure. It’s a shame we’ll never seen this team again, written and directed by James Gunn. But I also feel like we’ve had a lot of adventures with them, and it’ll be good to let them rest.

Movie Rating: 9/10 – Great

I had a great time with this film. I have few, if any, real complaints. I have loved the Guardians of the Galaxy movies since the beginning. I loved the comics that inspired the movies, I loved the heck out of those first trailers, and I have all the faith in the world in James Gunn. The man is at the top of his career right now, putting out golden projects left and right. So I’m very pleased that Vol. 3 turned out as good as it is. Everyone involved should be pleased and proud.

Join me after the jump for my thoughts and full review on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Expect FULL SPOILERS for the film. And feel free to share your own thoughts in the comments down below.

6. Loved this movie

The movie is great. It’s full of big adventure, big emotion and big celebration, and I love all of that. I teared up multiple times, and had a good laugh the rest of the times. The action is great, the character arcs work perfectly, the set pieces are really wild and really interesting. I feel like everybody was really giving it their all on screen, and they all worked wonderfully together. This is a great cast of characters and roster of actors, and they work perfectly, just like in the previous movies. I thought the villain’s scheme was really evil and perfect for villainy, and our heroes put a stop to him in all the right and best ways. I loved the celebratory ending, and I loved how the team members went their separate ways to follow the paths they needed to follow. I also thought Cosmo was a good dog.

5. Felt a little self-indulgent

The only real complaints I have about the movie are nitpicks at best. Vol. 3 is a little long, and it feels long, but all that length is filled with more Guardians goodness, so I don’t know what I’m complaining about. I would also say that parts of the movie feel self-indulgent, but I also don’t know if that’s a negative. It’s like Gunn was given a long leash to make this movie however he wanted, and Marvel Studios didn’t offer much in the way of restrictions. That’s good, because Gunn’s material is great. But stronger editing is also a good thing, and can make for a tighter, sharper film.

Also, when the Guardians land on Counter-Earth, they have the entire planet to choose from, so why do they land on that random suburban street? They were in viewing distance of the large pyramid, the one thing that clearly didn’t belong and looks like an HQ. Yet they picked some random street and just started speaking to random civilians to try to find a guy who was probably in that pyramid.

4. Everybody lives!

Last week, I wrote a List of Six worried about favorite characters dying. The trailers hinted to something so tragic, and I think James Gunn made plenty of comments about nobody being safe. So I was worried we’d get some deaths. And then I was very, very pleased that we didn’t! All the good guys lived in the end! The Guardians survived to fight another day! It was a very good ending, a very pleasant celebration to end the series on. Nobody needed to die. We didn’t need that on our souls. Let them live, let them have good lives going forward. This movie series has been fun above all else, and I’m glad we ended with fun.

3. Rocket, Teefs, Floor go now!

Man, that scene was rough. I thought, for sure, that we’d be seeing Rocket’s animal friends in the present day. I thought, for sure, there’d be a really emotional reunion between Rocket and Lyla. But nope! They dead! They died back in the day, creating the foundation of Rocket’s surly attitude. So I guess not everybody lived…

2. Mantis is probably my favorite Guardian

Honestly, I don’t think I have a favorite Guardian of the Galaxy. I haven’t really glommed onto any one specifically as my favorite. They’re all generally awesome. But Mantis has that Sixth Ranger thing going for her, and that’s always a winner for me. She’s funny, charming, crazy and loyal, and all of that is awesome. I hope she has a good life in the galaxy finding herself. And I hope she doesn’t have to worry about any of that Celestial Madonna stuff.

1. James Gunn should do great at DC

This movie was the end of James Gunn’s time with the MCU and he’s now moving on to be the showrunner for the DCU. Superman Legacy is up first, and all manner of news keeps coming out about what he’s working on. I have full faith in Gunn to make an awesome series of DCU projects. The man is doing great work. I loved the Guardians movies, I loved his earlier stuff, I loved The Suicide Squad and I really, really loved Peacemaker. So Gunn is on a real hot streak. I hope he’s happy with Vol. 3 and I know he’ll kick major butt going forward with DC!

As for the Guardians themselves, I don’t think there should be a Vol. 4. I think they should be fair game for future crossover movies, but let this series lie.

————————————–