“Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3” comes after six years of its predecessor and four of “Endgame”. The atypical group of superheroes debuted in 2014 as part of Phase 2 and came as a surprise with just over 773 million dollars at the box office, catapulting its cast and director. The last installment was initially announced for 2020, but the dismissal of James Gunn, its director, after the reappearance of unfortunate tweets led to his dismissal, participation in DC with “The Suicide Squad” and the series “Peacemaker”, in addition to being one of the new strategists of that universe, upon his return in the midst of polemics and controversies. “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3” arrives with a budget of 250 million dollars. The original predictions indicated that its debut would be less than that of previous installments, but at press time and with a first day of 26 million dollars, the figures have been adjusted and now it is estimated that it may have the best with 250 million dollars of global way. On the Rotten Tomatoes meta site, although it has the lowest percentage of the trilogy from critics with 79% from the audience, the result is very different with 96%, which is the best in that sector. The numbers may change, but similar audience numbers already made, for example, a success of “Super Mario Bros. The Movie” a few weeks ago. What does “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3” hit that no other Marvel film has done in at least four years (since “Endgame” or “Spider-Man: Far From Home”)?
It’s a contained story
Since “Engame” ended and perhaps even before, Marvel has made an “effort” to tie their films and series together. This has had the “benefit” that the story that is told is “bigger” and that viewers go from one medium to another to have the complete photograph. For example, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), who will inherit the mantle of Black Widow (Scarlett Johanson), then appeared in the “Hawkeye” series on Disney+ and from there will return to the big screen in “Thunderbolts”. Yes, marketing is beneficial, but it has also implied a certain amount of stress for the public to keep up with the films and series that are released each year (an average of four a year). Moreover, in the interest of connecting the stories, many of the more recent ones have suffered in their narrative strength in order to contribute to the next “big story” and which this time will be “The Kang Dynasty” in 2015. Here are the results. of “Thor: Love and Thunder” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp” with the lowest critical numbers and no real impact at the box office. In its Phase 3, the vast majority of Marvel films were approaching or exceeding a billion dollars. Beyond the pandemic, Phase 4 was a setback.
“Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3” only tells the last chapter in the story of the group of heroes. Yes it is possible that there will be future connections. Wow, Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) is introduced, the outcome indicates that Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) will return and it is very likely that the Guardians themselves will do so with another lineup, but the effort is not in it, it is in telling the story of the group. The post credit scenes themselves only refer to the same characters, none of them have the function of talking about an upcoming film or series.
has dramatic unity
Without spoilers, the story of “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3” is about Peter Quill facing and coming to terms with his past. The vehicle for it is Rocket Racoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper). Wow, in fact, it could be argued if the protagonist is Rocket. In any case, the point is that unlike the most recent installments, “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3” is clear that everything that happens is in favor of what the characters must do (find a way to save Rocket). and that in this they discuss and explore precisely not running away from the past and building from it. The same thing happens to several other characters (Gamora, Mantis, Adam Warlock, Kraglin).
It is a change that may seem insignificant, but it is not. The previous installment, “Ant-Man & Wasp: Quantummania” claims to be about Cassie (Kathryn Newton) and Scott (Paul Rudd) reconnecting and making up for the time lost by the decimation (Thanos’s snap that wiped out half the universe by five years), but then they forget about it and it becomes a different story. What happens with the other characters has nothing to do either, but it does with the story of “Kang”. Mistake. The results show it.
build emotions
By having dramatic unity, “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3” builds emotions. Take advantage, on the one hand, of the history that you already have of the characters. On the other, in the same film, by exploring Rockett Raccoon’s past (showing him as a baby and adding to the tenderness factor that worked so well with Groot) to emphasize his possible loss, it works very well for moments of great drama and emotion in which climatic moments. Without giving spoilers, for example, there is a hug between some of the guardians that is very emotional and reflects relief after a possible loss. In yet another, a moment is built in the style of “The Society of Dead Poets” where several of the characters express their respect and appreciation to another. The reactions of the rooms do not lie. It is the first time since “Endgame” with the death of Tony Stark / Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) or the taking of Thor’s hammer (Chris Hemsworth) by Captain America (Chris Evans) that attendees scream, sigh or they cry. “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3” in its discussion of identity also talks about family and belonging. The audience feels they belong to that group and is moved by it. Marvel had forgotten to provide such an experience to its audience.
