Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

[tv echo]

Marvel Music has now posted 26 music themes (by John Murphy) featured in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3...
https://www.youtube.com/@MarvelMusicVEVO/videos

 

Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 | Cast Unboxing
Marvel Entertainment   May 2, 2023

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's Elizabeth Debicki On Embodying Ayesha
Marvel Entertainment   May 2, 2023

Maria Bakalova Explains Why Cosmo is a Good Dog in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Marvel Entertainment   May 1, 2023

[Anduin]

I've seen it! Better than 2 IMO, but I still feel 1 is the best. Yeah, there are two stingers. And it's a very good Gamora movie. She should be the star over Peter IMO. And hey, another Farscape reference!

[Raja]

I felt the coming out that Vol 3 was the first one that I  want to re-watch beyond doing an entire Infinity Saga watch that I did back in 2019. Nothing matches the "he wasn't your daddy" scene, but then Vol 2 was my least favorite overall.

A couple of gags do reference the holiday special but there really isn't a need to watch it for continuity sake that I can remember. I would wait for the post credits, unless you really don't like Bruce Springsteen's stuff.

[thuganomics85]

Well, as someone who loved the first film (still in my top five MCU films) and will go to my grave defending the second one as an overall imperfect but still great film, it probably isn't much of a surprise that I adored this and thought it was close to a perfect end for the trilogy and send-off for some of the characters.  SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

 

Despite some of the gloom and concerns going ahead, I was pleasantly surprised that it was all a fake-out and the main characters all make it out in one piece, and while the Guardians as we know it will no longer being going forward together, everyone seems to be going in a direction that I think is fitting for their characters.  Peter going back to Earth for good and reconnecting with his still alive grandfather (major credit to both Chris Pratt and Gregg Henry for selling the hell out of that reunion despite not sharing the camera before this.)  Nebula being the new leader for Knowhere and accepting that she is more than just a weapon and is capable of having friends, family, and real connections.  Drax staying with her and once again being a father of some kind for all of those kids they saved.  Mantis going off on her own, because she is now ready to have her own adventures and not just follow someone else (even though she clearly loved being a Guardian)  Gamora 2.0. fitting in as a Ravenger and finding a new family with them, while still forming a bond with the Guardians that is different from before, but still impactful.  And then there is Rocket.  The leader of the new Guardians of the Galaxy consisting of Groot, Kraglin, Cosmo, Adam Warlock, and the new girl, who is apparently suppose to be Phyla-Vell, another big character from the comics.  No complaints here.  It will be bittersweet no longer seeing the OGs together, but I think all of this was earned and a great ending for them.

Glad that Rocket took front and center here, but wow, I was not expecting all of his flashbacks to hit as hard as they did.  Even though I figured early on that Lylla, Teefs, and Floor were doomed, their deaths and how it impacted Rocket was hard to watch.  You can easily see how it shaped him into becoming who he is.  But I'm glad he was able to find closure and even helped save the other prisoners at the end.  Despite his role mainly consisting of voice work, Bradley Cooper really earned his paycheck here.

Thought they did a pretty good job with all of the various interactions and bonds, and almost every mixture had a moment to shine.  Drax/Mantis continues to be the gift that keeps on giving, I thought they handled Peter/Gamora in a very mature way and a realistic ending for them, and I liked how you could see how every character was effected by Rocket being on death's door for a second.  The highlight was hearing Nebula's voice crack once she discovered he was out of the woods.  I had forgotten that those two were the only Guardians to survive the Blip, so it makes sense that they probably bonded a lot during those five years, and that she would be shaken to core at the idea of losing him.

I bounce around over who I think the best MCU villain is in general, but as of now, I feel like The High Evolutionary unnerved me in a way that I haven't felt since Killgrave from the Jessica Jones show.  No sympathetic backstory or joining in on the quips and stuff when facing off against the heroes: dude was just a straight-up sadistic psychopath throughout everything and it was chilling to watch.  Like, even though his bodycount wasn't as high as, say, Ego or Thanos, watching the way he casually blew up that planet and killed everyone was brutal because it wasn't because he was delusional and thought he was doing the right thing, or even to acquire more power for his needs.  To him, that entire civilization was just a failed experience and served no purpose, therefore the universe didn't need them.  Just no form of humanity there.  Chukwudi Iwuji was excellent as Murn on Peacemaker and I certainly hope this gives him another boost as well.

Will Poulter was a delight as Adam Warlock.  Wish we got more of him, but he made the most of his screen time.  Elizabeth Debicki was wasted again as Ayesha sadly, but the one advantage of playing an alien character covered in make-up is that there is always a chance of her being recast in another role if she wants it (see: Gemma Chan going from Captain Marvel to Eternals.)

Loved Cosmo and I'm glad Kraglin came around and acknowledge that, yes, she is a good dog, dammit!

The stuff with the heist was fun, but I was amused that it was clearly a way for James Gunn to just get some of his buddies onboard, like Jennifer Holland as the security administrator, Daniela Melchior as the secretary Peter was trying to "charm", and good old Nathan Fillion finally getting to show his actual face for once as the douchy security officer!  But Gunn still made sure he had to wear a ridiculous outfit to balance things out!

The action sequences in general were good, but the hallway battle with the entire Guardians; backed to the tune of The Beastie Boys' "No Sleep Till Brooklyn"; might go down as one of the MCU's best ever.  At least for me.

Glad we still got one final Yondu appearance.

We, the audience, can understand Groot now!

The cast in general was firing on all cylinders, but I think my favorites this go around were Karen Gillian and Pom Klementieff.  And I'm 100% onboard the "Dave Bautista is the best wrestler turned actor" train, even though I'm still fans of both John Cena (especially Peacemaker) and Dwayne Johnson.

I can safely say that I think D.C. will be in much better hands with James Gunn at the helm.  As far as I'm concerned, he has created one of the best superhero trilogies yet and managed to make an arguably C-list group of comic characters become megastars and household names.  Well done.

Noticed the final title card said that only Starlord will be returning, so I guess I can see Peter continuing to show up on Earth: maybe for some of the Earth-level threats or the next Avengers outing.  We'll see about the rest, I guess.  I think I heard somewhere that Zoe Saldana will likely not be back and I definitely get the sense Bautista is done (I feel like he really soured on Disney as a whole with the way they initially fired Gunn, despite it working out in the end.)  But I can see them working back in the rest if they want too: even if we don't get another actual Guardians film for a while.

Will definitely be rewatching this again.  Probably my favorite MCU film since Infinity War or Endgame.

[tv echo]

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 - 11 Biggest Spoilers Explained
By Russ Milheim   May 3, 2023
https://thedirect.com/article/guardians-of-the-galaxy-3-spoilers-explained

Chris Pratt Explains Star-Lord's Surprising Ending In Guardians 3
By Gillian Blum   May 5, 2023
https://thedirect.com/article/star-lord-ending-guardians-3-chris-pratt

'Guardians of the Galaxy' Cast & Director On Their Third & Final Movie | Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly   May 4, 2023

Nathan Fillion Makes His MCU Debut In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Marvel Entertainment   May 3, 2023

[Anduin]

1 hour ago, tv echo said:

Nathan Fillion Makes His MCU Debut In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Marvel Entertainment   May 3, 2023

Not exactly. He voiced an alien in GOTG 1. Yeah, just a small and unrecognisable role, but it still counts. Yes, I'm a nitpicker. No, I can't help it.

[Raja]

I'll admit that I enjoyed the homage to Serenity (Firefly) when Kraglin brought Knowhere into the fight. But I was expecting a fleet of Ravangers to follow him into a big space battle 

[Morrigan2575]

Well, I decided to buy tickets for tomorrow. I may regret it but, I'll have to bring a lot of tissues to be safe

Edited May 5, 2023 by Morrigan2575

[Grumpymonkey]

This movie had me stressed from go. Shed a few tears, sad and happy and ultimately was satisfied with the conclusion.   I've grown attached to these characters, was really invested in their outcomes and they didn't disappoint.

This movie also really highlighted how much of a family the guardians became/are (except I guess this Gamora, tho I think she came to appreciate their love for each other) and I thought every character had standout/noteworthy moments. Loved the fight scene towards the end to the Beastie Boys. 

The High Evolutionary was a good/worthy villain and the actor did an amazing job. I think in someone else's hands it could have just been OTT scenery chewing but he was very good.

Now that I know what happens I think I'd like to watch it again without being so stressed the entire time!

[peridot]

I teared up a few times in the movie - during Rocket's flashback scenes and when I thought a Guardian was killed.  I couldn't understand Floor's dialogue, but I think I got the gist of it.  The pronunciation schooling of "can't" between Rocket and the High Evolutionary was funny, I think that was the only time I laughed during the flashback.

Peter was really annoying me in the beginning, where he was trying to force the older version of Gamora into who his girlfriend was.  Everyone kept saying she lost her memories, but that wasn't true.

There was a lot of gory elements in this movie, which I wasn't expecting.  I had to look away when they pulled off the High Evolutionary's face.

The ending scene on Knowhere made me smile, I also loved the "Breakfast Club" picture of the group at the end of the credits.

Edited May 8, 2023 by peridot

[magdalene]

I doubt I can re-watch the whole movie.  I found the depictions of animal cruelty and abuse very hard to take.

[Morrigan2575]

1 hour ago, magdalene said:

I doubt I can re-watch the whole movie.  I found the depictions of animal cruelty and abuse very hard to take.

I was so worried about a big character death (Rocket or Drax), I was not prepared for the animal cruelty.

That being said, it was a very good movie.  I'm glad they didn't put Gamora/Quill together, the woman he loved died, this Gamora will never be her, it's unfair to Gamora that Quill kept acting like she just needed to remember him.

I'm glad Gamora found a home/family, since Nebula had found one with the Guardians.

I adore Cosmo, she's a good dog. I really like all the characters and their interactions. I'm going to miss the Guardians but, this was a great send-off

 

[dwmarch]

Saw this movie today and I'm glad I went. The theater was packed and I overheard that the next showing was already sold out.

Overall I thought it was great and a nice way to close out the series. I'm very glad no one died. I thought we were going to lose Drax for sure and I wasn't sure about Rocket.

While I am not personally sensitive to any gore or violence that could possibly appear in a PG-13 Marvel movie, there were definitely moments in this one where I hoped there were no young kids in the audience. There is some nightmare fuel in this one for the young.

I found myself on the verge of tears three times: Rocket saying it hurt, Kraglin seeing a vision of Yondu and Rocket finding and freeing the baby raccoons. James Gunn knows how to get great emotion even in the most absurd situations and there was plenty of that in this movie.

I know all stories are going to overlap to some degree but I could not help but notice that the High Evolutionary is basically Handsome Jack from the videogame Borderlands 2. But I don't know the HE's history from the comics (aside from ScreenCrush videos that give very short summaries) so it's possible the inspiration is the other way around and Handsome Jack is the one who has been borrowed. In any case, both are mask-wearing megalomaniacs who suffered severe facial trauma courtesy of a hero character.  Both are trying to build a perfect society. Both are doing cruel experiments on captives.

There was a nice balance of comedy in this one. Sometimes Marvel movies are too quick with the quips so there you are trying to absorb an emotional moment and five seconds later someone cracks a joke. There was some of that here but by and large I think it was paced in such a way that the humor didn't end up stripping the impact of emotional scenes. The biggest audience laugh was for "open the fucking door!"

[PurpleTentacle]

I saw this in 4DX. Not because I particularly wanted to, but because that was the only convenient english screening. Can't say I'm a big fan. It's a fun idea in principle and when they do small movements, to simulate a space ship dipping a bit for example, it's great. But you can't really enjoy the action scenes if you are constantly worried that you are going to get thrown out of your seat any second. They just way overdo it.

You also need to use the foot rests, to brace yourself, to not get thrown out and as a 2m (6'8") guy I have to say, they are too close to the seat / too high and make for a very unconforable angle of my legs, especially once you pass the two hour mark. I'm just glad I didn't buy any food or drink. That would have gone everywhere.

The movie itself was great. Where I felt every second in the D&D movie and thought they should have cut out at least 30 minutes from that 134 minute film, I never once felt the 150 minutes of this movie. I was thoroughly entertained the whole time.

This was a very emotional story, but still a lot of fun. Not sure what else to say really. It's always a lot easier to complain about bad movies, there is so much to say. This was just great through and through.

It's a bit weird that they changed Laika's name to Cosmo instead of just going with the original name. It's not like her descendants are going to get mad. I guess Cosmo is a character from the comics, but there it's a male dog, so...

My only complaint is my ever green pet peeve: Space don't work like that. Yes, space is cold, but there is also nothing to transfare heat away from you, except infrared radiation, which is sloooow. So you won't ice over in a few seconds. At least Peter didn't freeze all the way through, unlike people on some other scifi media *cough* Picard *cough*.

But really if that is the only thing I can come up with, and it's only a nitpick really, that says a lot about how tightly written and consistent this film was. I really appreaciate that. You don't get that very often nowadays.

[SeanC]

20 minutes ago, PurpleTentacle said:

It's a bit weird that they changed Laika's name to Cosmo instead of just going with the original name. It's not like her descendants are going to get mad. I guess Cosmo is a character from the comics, but there it's a male dog, so...

They changed the character's gender in reference to Laika.

[PurpleTentacle]

1 minute ago, SeanC said:

They changed the character's gender in reference to Laika.

Then it's extra weird that they didn't change the name. Especially considering the origin story told in the movie.

[SeanC]

5 minutes ago, PurpleTentacle said:

Then it's extra weird that they didn't change the name.

Why? Cosmo is the character in the comics, that's pretty straightforward.

[PurpleTentacle]

Just now, SeanC said:

Why? Cosmo is the character in the comics, that's pretty straightforward.

Because Cosmo in the comics is a male dog, specifically to make clear that he's not Laika, even though he was of course inspired by her.

But here they changed it to a female dog, to reference Laika, but didn't go all the way. That's just a weird half measure.

[phalange]

I fully expected at least one main character death, and I'm glad that it didn't actually happen, though I was scared for Rocket on several occasions. The scene when Lyla, Teefs, and Floor died and the scene when Rocket sees them again both made me cry. The High Evolutionary was one evil piece of shit.

Even though it's sad, I get why the Guardians all had to go their own ways, at least for now. I like that Nebula and Drax are teaming up to rebuild Knowhere and that Rocket and Groot are heading up a new generation of the Guardians. Gamora found her place with the Ravagers. Peter's reunion with his grandfather was sweet and I loled at the post-credits scene. Seems like he'll back down the line when a team-up is needed. A fitting send-off for all the characters, IMO.

[SeanC]

8 hours ago, PurpleTentacle said:

Because Cosmo in the comics is a male dog, specifically to make clear that he's not Laika, even though he was of course inspired by her.

But here they changed it to a female dog, to reference Laika, but didn't go all the way. That's just a weird half measure.

There’s nothing weird about it. Gunn probably liked the idea of adding another female character to the cast, among other things, while keeping the actual character name. Cosmo is the character. The movies make adaptational alterations to characters’ race, gender, etc. all the time.

[Jillibean]

I'm still crying on and off about this a day later. I think it was very well done, though the Rocket flashbacks were very hard to watch and I don't think I could ever rewatch them again. The endings for each character are fitting, but also bittersweet. In my mind, I wish I could still imagine them all flying around guarding the galaxy while listening to classic rock, like the images of them that started volume 2 and their intro in Infinity War. But what I wanted wasn't what the conclusion to this series needed, and I recognize that.

I will say, I'm not yet fully convinced on Gamora's ending. Part of it is probably that I don't think the franchise should have killed original Gamora to begin with, but obviously that ship has long sailed. What bothered me here was that original Gamora cared deeply about her relationship with Nebula, and loved her to the point where she changed the way Nebula interacted with the world. This Gamora is the same one as the original, just pulled from the timeline before she had the experiences that made her a Guardian. And yet she seems to regard Nebula with a sort of casual affection and has limited desire to further their relationship. To me, their bond was one of the most heartwarming stories from the whole franchise, and I was sad to see it not be maintained with "New" Gamora. It's maybe sadder than it should be to me that this version of Gamora, while she obviously has a found family of her own, is never going to get to earn some of what brought the Original her to a place of compassion and humor and empathy.

But again, I do think part of this for me is that I'm still not okay with, and not over, the way they killed her in IW. I think she deserved a lot more. And yes, I'm aware that Gunn also considered killing her in Vol 2, and I wouldn't have been cool with that, either. 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

4 hours ago, Jillibean said:

What bothered me here was that original Gamora cared deeply about her relationship with Nebula, and loved her to the point where she changed the way Nebula interacted with the world. This Gamora is the same one as the original, just pulled from the timeline before she had the experiences that made her a Guardian. And yet she seems to regard Nebula with a sort of casual affection and has limited desire to further their relationship.

I don't know if 'limited' if the right word. The Gamora who's here now both is and isn't the Gamora we knew before, and it's important to remember that even now Nebula expresses most of her emotions through yelling. She has changed and learned to care, to the point that she's the one carrying Peter's drunk backside to bed to sleep it off at the beginning of the movie, but she also screams at Mantis and Drax at several points, most notably when they're trying to deal with the kidnapped children.

"Why didn't you tell me you spoke their language? That could have made this go a lot faster."

"Why didn't you ever ask?"

Even when it comes to Rocket, she tells Gamora that the upgrades he gave her are why she's invested. It's not until much later, when he's conscious and talking, that her real feelings come to the surface, how relieved and happy she is that he's going to live. It's just that Mantis is the one who has to say it because she knows Nebula probably won't. At least not without yelling out of frustration, because that's how she rolls.

I really liked this, though some of it was hard to watch. I was not expecting to be crying over animatronic animals, but Baby Rocket broke my heart. And then it broke again when he let Lylla out of her cage, only for her to be shot in the back and killed. I think he believed that the High Evolutionary was, if not a friend, then at least a benevolent being who really did want to make things perfect. Because we see them interacting when they're listening to music and such, and it's not until later that Rocket realizes that he and his friends are just things to the HE, that he's only considered valuable because he revealed he could think outside the box, as it were. Where the HE failed is not understanding that even the gentlest of creatures can turn if they're abused for long enough, and his vicious mockery of Rocket's anguish is what got his face shredded, which....good. I'm not familiar with the actor, but there have been suggestions that he could come back as Kang, and I can see that. The HE makes Kang look like a kitten in comparison, since he can wipe out his own 'creations' without a second thought.

I also have to give Quill credit for getting in gear the second he knows Rocket is in danger. Given how we find him at the start, drunk off his ass and drooling because Gamora went off to live with the Ravagers, his snapping to attention is why he's a pretty decent leader after all. The Guardians really are a family, even with all the infighting. If this is the end of the OGs being together, I'm satisfied. They're in good places both separately and apart, and maybe we'll see some of them again when we need A holes in space to save the day.

Well done.

[tv echo]

Saw this movie yesterday. I loved it. When the movie ended, I wanted to see it again.

Also, James Gunn clarified what Groot's words to the original team at the end mean....

Edited May 7, 2023 by tv echo

[AimingforYoko]

This is the most emotionally involved I've been in a raccoon's well-being since that bastard Dan shot Rocky in South Dakota.

Edited May 7, 2023 by AimingforYoko

[Browncoat]

I watched this this afternoon, and man, it got really dusty in my theater on several occasions.  Rocket's near-death, the actual deaths of Lylla, Teefs, and Floor, Rocket's vision of them, and the vision of Yondu.  The vision of Yondu almost got me more than any other.  I loved that Kraglin finally learned to control the arrow.

The fight in the hallway was great -- right up there with Rocket an Yondu slo-mo walking along, wreaking havoc on the Ravagers (and Taser Face).  

I did laugh at the HE correcting Rocket's pronunciation of "can't" -- it reminded me of a similar scene in "Singin' In The Rain."  The beasts that Mantis, Drax, and Nebula saved/rode reminded me of the ones Han Solo was transporting in "The Force Awakens."  Were those meant to be homages?  I think there were a couple of other things that reminded me of other movies as well, but I don't remember what they were off the top of my head.  Oh, of course "Toy Story" with animals instead of toys.

I also loved the photos/illustrations during the credits.

Cosmo is a very good dog, Rocket learns that he actually is a raccoon, and Groot loves all of them.

[Morrigan2575]

3 hours ago, Browncoat said:

The beasts that Mantis, Drax, and Nebula saved/rode reminded me of the ones Han Solo was transporting in "The Force Awakens."

Those were the same aliens that the Guardians fought at the start of Vol 2. No idea of there's a connection to Force Awakens

[Browncoat]

9 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

Those were the same aliens that the Guardians fought at the start of Vol 2. No idea of there's a connection to Force Awakens

Oh, I’m sure there isn’t.  They just reminded me of the other ones.

[GingerPudding]

I didn’t get the post-credit scene. I couldn’t figure out who they were talking about. I thought it was the neighbour’s son, but my friends thought it was a relation of Quill’s. 
 

[Raja]

2 hours ago, GingerPudding said:

I didn’t get the post-credit scene. I couldn’t figure out who they were talking about. I thought it was the neighbour’s son, but my friends thought it was a relation of Quill’s. 
 

Without a deep dive I think it was just to show Peter on Earth before the reveal that is probably spoiled by reaction thumbnails on YouTube by now that even if the Guardians are finished producing content Disney has a plan for using Star Lord again.

[Browncoat]

4 hours ago, GingerPudding said:

I didn’t get the post-credit scene. I couldn’t figure out who they were talking about. I thought it was the neighbour’s son, but my friends thought it was a relation of Quill’s. 
 

I was a little confused by that one, too, but I figured I had just missed something along the way -- perhaps something in the extended universe?  I was glad, though, that they addressed why he never went back to Earth, since he clearly had the ability to do so.

[Morrigan2575]

7 hours ago, GingerPudding said:

I didn’t get the post-credit scene. I couldn’t figure out who they were talking about. I thought it was the neighbour’s son, but my friends thought it was a relation of Quill’s. 
 

I didn't catch any references but, it's possible.  I just assumed it was a lead in to say he'd be back. Although, it I didn't find it surprising because most of the write ups mentioned Chris Pratt was interested in more movies. I figure Star Lord will show up in the next Avengers movie. The only other Earth connection (I'm aware of) is Kitty Pryde but, they haven't introduced X-Men yet

[Lantern7]

Was there a point to Adam Warlock?

Yeah, this movie was upper tier for MCU movies, and it gives that line hope heading into The Marvels . . . but Adam was just a naive gold a-hole that liked crashing into shit in between Rocket's horrific flashbacks. Sure, no actual animals were hurt in the making of the movie (I'm assuming), but those scenes were harrowing in retrospect. Extra salt in the wound for any fans of Grant Morrison: we will probably never get a We3 project after seeing the lives and deaths of Rocket's friends.

Honestly, if Adam had been left in the cocoon, would we have lost anything of value?

Nice that Peter finally let go of Gamorra at the end. Also nice that he didn't rebound to Nebula, because that would have been weird. If there's ever a project that covers the five years between "blips," I'd be interesting in seeing if Rocket and Nebula became friends. Both were alien to Earth and the rest of the Guardians got dusted. That could be worth five minutes.

Great that Cosmo finally got lines. I thought the Yondu moment was a little too much in order to develop What's-His-Name (I want to say Kraglin), but I can let that slide. High Evolutionary will probably land in the pile of MCU villains that we'll never care about again. It's not about comparing it to comic canon so much as he was just a guy screaming and trying to make things perfect that didn't want to be changed. Just a lot of "meh." He joins Malekith, Yellowjacket and the main bads from the second and third Iron Man movies.

I'm also thinking Stallone really likes James Gunn in order to dress up in gaudy clothes and deliver lines for a few minutes. If we didn't see any of the original canon Guardians beyond Yondu ("beyondu"?), would we have noticed? It's a shame to get Michael Rossenbaum back in a superhero franchise, only to put CGI on him and not have his character do anything.

Quill might come back? Eh, okay. I don't think fans would ever forget him blowing the original Gauntlet heist (more of a snatch-and-run), but I can see his story not ending. The rest of the team wound up in good places, and Rocket and Groot got a new set of Guardians to play with. I forget . . . was Nebula with them?

Drax is still Drax. May Bautista find a DC character he can play with a little more nuance. It was nice to remind us Drax was a dad when he met all the abducted children. Good character that's more memorable for his lines.

I went to Alamo Drafthouse to see this movie. Before they ran it, they put in "In Case You Missed It" bits with each character (along with assorted raccoon-related media), and that included stuff from the Christmas special. Aside from Mantis being Peter's stepsister and the headline about Kevin Bacon's abduction, there wasn't much mention of it in the movie. As one of about ten people that doesn't have Disney+, I appreciated that. PS: Clarified butter looks nasty when the lights are on. Just FYI.

8 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

The only other Earth connection (I'm aware of) is Kitty Pryde but, they haven't introduced X-Men yet

I think they only became an item because there's a running gag that Kitty gets intimate with guys named Peter. First it was Colossus (Piotr Rasputin), then Pete Wisdom over on Excalibur, and then Quill. In the Ultimate Comics continuity, she and Spider-Man were an item for a spell.

Edited May 8, 2023 by Lantern7

[Morrigan2575]

27 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

I think they only became an item because there's a running gag that Kitty gets intimate with guys named Peter. First it was Colossus (Piotr Rasputin), then Pete Wisdom over on Excalibur, and then Quill. In the Ultimate Comics continuity, she and Spider-Man were an item for a spell.

I knew about Colossus and Wisdom, it's hilarious that they hooked her up with Quill as a play on the whole Pete thing LOL.  Is Bobby's middle name Peter? 😆

Edited May 8, 2023 by Morrigan2575

[Chyromaniac]

22 hours ago, Browncoat said:

The beasts that Mantis, Drax, and Nebula saved/rode reminded me of the ones Han Solo was transporting in "The Force Awakens."  Were those meant to be homages?

 

18 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

Those were the same aliens that the Guardians fought at the start of Vol 2. No idea of there's a connection to Force Awakens

In Guardians, the creatures are “Abilisks”- a name I find suspiciously similar to a D&D monster called the “Aboleth.”  Sadly the Force Awakens monsters were “Rathtars,” so no connection there.  However, the main thing they have in common is that they all seem to be inspired by cosmic horror beasts, like those featured in stories by HP Lovecraft (and other writers in that genre).

 

[kiddo82]

While I've enjoyed the guardians immensely in things like Infinity War and End Game there's just always something missing for me in their actual movies that I could never quite put my finger on.  UO but I think it's James Gunn.  There's something about his style that to me reads like it thinks it's the funniest in the room and that keeps me at arm's length.  Even the Lylla, Teefs, and Floor moments, which should have wrecked me, felt so over the top sweet they bordered on parody.  Don't get me wrong, it was definitely sad when they all met their inevitable fate--I'm not completely heartless--but it was hard for me to shake the feeling of being transparently manipulated.  (I know a lot of entertainment is manipulative, and I've been hit by more than my share of it, but this felt hand holdingly excessive.)  And speaking of excessive, why was Adam Warlock even there?  It felt like midway through development they remembered they teased it in Volume 2 and both and he and Ayesha became these vestigial appendages.  I even forgot all about him until he turned into a literal deus ex machina at the end.

That said, I do think his movie is objectively good and I think it's a satisfying ending for this group.  I'm sure it will do well and it deserves to.  I just wish I could embrace it more but that's no one's problem but mine.  The cast is top notch and I don't think I've ever pulled a 180 on a character so hard than I ever have on Nebula, who I entirely loathed after the first one.   Give Karen Gillan her flowers.  I really liked the de facto Nebula, Mantis, and Drax team and I want a Disney+ show where Nebula and Drax run a day care together or something.  It would be gold, I say!  I've said before that I think Rocket is the best thing Bradley Cooper's ever done and this further cements that.  They were hamstrung with what they could do with Gamora but I think they made the best out of it, even if she was a little too sidelined for my taste.  It was the right choice for her and Peter not to end up together.  Frankly, I never really bought into them in the first place.  ("It was either him or a tree.")  I thought the High Evolutionary was a good villain.  Too good to be a one and done.  And finally, the No Sleep Til Brooklyn fight was a trip.  This movie wasn't 100% my jam but I'm also not one to throw the baby out with the bathwater.  Way more to be happy about than not.  

Edited May 9, 2023 by kiddo82

[Spartan Girl]

On 5/7/2023 at 11:54 AM, Cobalt Stargazer said:

I was not expecting to be crying over animatronic animals, but Baby Rocket broke my heart. And then it broke again when he let Lylla out of her cage, only for her to be shot in the back and killed. I think he believed that the High Evolutionary was, if not a friend, then at least a benevolent being who really did want to make things perfect. Because we see them interacting when they're listening to music and such, and it's not until later that Rocket realizes that he and his friends are just things to the HE, that he's only considered valuable because he revealed he could think outside the box, as it were. Where the HE failed is not understanding that even the gentlest of creatures can turn if they're abused for long enough, and his vicious mockery of Rocket's anguish is what got his face shredded, which....good. I'm not familiar with the actor, but there have been suggestions that he could come back as Kang, and I can see that. The HE makes Kang look like a kitten in comparison, since he can wipe out his own 'creations' without a second thought.

It just reminded me of the part in the first movie when Rocket lashed out at Drax, telling him that just because he had dead loved ones didn’t give him the right to get other people killed. That makes so much more sense now: had Rocket escaped with Teefs and Floor instead of attacking the High Evolutionary after he murdered Lylla, they’d still be alive—at least that’s how he saw it.

Dammit, this movie cemented Rocket as my favorite Guardian.

[PurpleTentacle]

On 5/7/2023 at 5:24 AM, SeanC said:

They changed the character's gender in reference to Laika.

On 5/7/2023 at 2:10 PM, SeanC said:

There’s nothing weird about it. Gunn probably liked the idea of adding another female character to the cast, among other things, while keeping the actual character name. Cosmo is the character. The movies make adaptational alterations to characters’ race, gender, etc. all the time.

These two statements contradict each other. What did you base your first statement on and what made you change your mind?

Edited May 9, 2023 by PurpleTentacle

[Raja]

9 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

I'm also thinking Stallone really likes James Gunn in order to dress up in gaudy clothes and deliver lines for a few minutes. If we didn't see any of the original canon Guardians beyond Yondu ("beyondu"?), would we have noticed?

When Stallone showed up I was looking for Micelle Yeoh  to reprise her first MCU role as Ravager Aleta Ogord from the 70s Guardians again

[blugirlami21]

5 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

While I've enjoyed the guardians immensely in things like Infinity War and End Game there's just always something missing for me in their actual movies that I could never quite put my finger on.  UO but I think it's James Gunn.  There's something about his style that to me reads like it thinks it's the funniest in the room and that keeps me at arm's length.  Even the Lylla, Teefs, and Floor moments, which should have wrecked me, felt so over the top sweet they bordered on parody.  Don't get me wrong, it was definitely sad when they all met their inevitable fate--I'm not completely heartless--but it was hard for me to shake the feeling of being transparently manipulated.  (I know a lot of entertainment is manipulative, and I've been hit by more than my share of it, but this felt hand holdingly excessive.)  And speaking of excessive, why was Adam Warlock even there?  It felt like midway through development they remembered they teased it in Volume 2 and both and he and Ayesha became these vestigial appendages.  I even forgot all about him until he turned into a literal deus ex machina at the end.

That said, I do think his movie is objectively good and I think it's a satisfying ending for this group.  I'm sure it will do well and it deserves to.  I just wish I could embrace it more but that's no one's problem but mine.  The cast is top notch and I don't think I've ever pulled a 180 on a character so hard than I ever have on Nebula, who I entirely loathed after the first one.   Give Karen Gillan her flowers.  I really liked the de facto Nebula, Mantis, and Drax team and I want a Disney+ show where Nebula and Drax run a day care together or something.  It would be gold, I say!  I've said before that I think Rocket is the best thing Bradley Cooper's ever done and this further cements that. 

Kiddo82, thank you for articulating exactly how I felt about this movie.

My friend couldn't really enjoy it I think because she can't stomach any kind of animal cruelty, she almost threw up a couple of times.

That part didn't bother me honestly. Its what I expected from Rocket's story. What they've been blatantly saying happened since we met the character.

I wish the movie had more substance. Peters motivation to save Rocket seemed performative to me. It also didn't feel nearly as funny as the first or the second.

I dislike the alternate Gamora. Like someone else said, her motivations changed too drastically for me. Her sister was her number one priority before and she was never mean or careless. And I felt that she was a very selfish character here. Its nice to think that meeting the guardians changed her life, I don't think it would change quite this much. I wish they had left her out of the movie honestly. Her happy ending with the reavers irritated me.

The villian was fine, if it a little too unhinged at the end there. I thought the characters were retired nicely. All and all it was a good end for the guardians,  I just wish I liked it more.

[tv echo]

According to Box Office Mojo, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 had a domestic opening weekend gross of $118,414,021 and a worldwide opening weekend gross of $289,312,702 (for May 5-7)...

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2977202945/?ref_=bo_hm_RECENT_WEEKEND_WIDGET_1

For ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3,’ It’s All About Box Office Staying Power
By Rebecca Rubin   May 8, 2023
https://variety.com/2023/film/news/guardians-of-the-galaxy-3-box-office-staying-power-1235605571/ 

Quote

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” kicked off summer movie season with $118 million at the domestic box office, falling just short of expectations while still landing the second-biggest debut of the year.

There are plenty of ways to parse that initial number, but for the third and final installment in the James Gunn-directed Marvel trilogy, it’s going to be less about the opening weekend — and all about the hold. That’s industry parlance for how sharply (or not) a movie’s ticket sales fall in their subsequent weekends of theatrical release.
*  *  *
Unlike “Quantumania,” though, fans have embraced “Vol. 3,” which earned an “A” CinemaScore and 81% on Rotten Tomatoes. Already, it’s a positive sign that the weekend’s estimate of $114 million was revised up to $118 million after a better-than-expected turnout on Sunday. But the comic book threequel has just two weeks without competition. Blockbuster season revs into high gear with “Fast X” on May 19 and “The Little Mermaid” on May 26.

Edited May 9, 2023 by tv echo

[festivus]

Okay y'all, I am very satisfied with the conclusion to this Guardians trilogy. I was so worried about what would happen with Rocket. I'm so glad he's still here even though his backstory broke me as I knew it would. I was boo hoo-ing  when his friends died. You really see how he became as he was and why his new family became so important to him. He's my favorite character in all of Marvel and his story is the best.

I actually love James Gunn and his attention to what makes sense for his characters. I think he did right by all of them in this movie. The Peter and Gamora stuff made sense to me, his girlfriend is dead and oh shit here she is again, I can see him thinking she might fall for him again. But.. and here's where I thought Gamora's story was so good. She did not and she did not fall in with this found family. She has not been through things with them so it makes perfect sense to me. She did help them but she has another family now. This Gamora and Nebula did not have that big moment and Nebula is different now so the relationship they had in this movie made sense to me. I still felt the love.

Speaking of Nebula, I'm glad we had so much of her in this movie as she's also in my top three favorite characters in all of Marvel. I just loved everything about her in this movie.

Once again the music was so perfect and is one of the (many) things I just ❤️ about these movies. I was so worried that This Is The Day would be on some sad Rocket scene and I love that song and don't want to be sad when I hear it. Whew. 

On 5/4/2023 at 11:39 PM, thuganomics85 said:

I bounce around over who I think the best MCU villain is in general, but as of now, I feel like The High Evolutionary unnerved me in a way that I haven't felt since Killgrave from the Jessica Jones show.

Exactly. Kudos to the actor because I hated him so much. I think that level of horribleness was needed for Rocket's story. Even Nebula was shocked. 

Well, this post is already way longer than I'm used to so I'll just end with loved Kraglin learning the arrow and Peter finally going to see his Grandpa. Mantis and Drax had great moments too.

Also, some raccoons got into my outside fridge this past weekend and stole my cheese and bacon. They also dumped my homemade vegetable soup on the ground and didn't even have the courtesy to eat it! I was steaming mad but I do have to admire the little bastards, lol.  So Rocket saving them is okay by me. 😉

 

[festivus]

I wonder how long it will take me to be able to listen to the Dog Days Are Over again without crying. I've never been so happy/sad at a scene in a movie ever. Rocket putting on that song and letting everyone have his music, Nebula smiling and dancing with the children, Drax finally dancing, omg sob. I just watched a TikTok of Florence's reaction and sob again. I can't even think about the song without tearing up. Perfect. 😢😭

I also think that music is why Rocket turned out different from the rest of the experiments so him letting those children have it just adds another layer. Then the credits scene with them all discussing their favorite musicians. ❤️❤️❤️

[tennisgurl]

Well, that was one hell of a rollercoaster, by the end of the movie I actually felt tired. I love all of Guardian movies, and just about all of their appearances in other films, I have become very attached to all of the characters, so I was really worried going into this movie that this wouldn't be the send off that they deserved or that we would lose a beloved character, but luckily neither of my fears came true. I thought that this was a great movie and a very satisfying end to the Guardians series. I really like where everyone ended up, even though its sad to see the original crew separated. I think they all ended up where they needed to be and with the implication that they can still come back together if needs be, or just to hang out with Kevin Bacon for Thanksgiving. I was so sure that we were going to lose someone, Drax, Nebula, even Rocket, it made for a very stressful viewing experience, so I was relived when we ended the movie with everyone alive and in a good place.  

I knew that Rocket's backstory was going to be rough given what we already know, but holy shit was that hard to watch. I hate watching animals suffer so I was flinching and tearing up during every scene with Rocket and his animals friends, knowing that this would end badly. It was clear that Lylla, Floor, and Teefs wouldn't make it, but seeing them die so suddenly, after thinking that the High Evolutionary was going to send them to a perfect world and being so close to escaping, was brutal. Damn it James Gunn, going after the cute talking animals is a step too far! Poor Rocket, Bradley Cooper really isn't phoning this performance in at all, those screams of horror felt real. This just makes him losing almost the whole team in Infinity War even worse, he lost his family twice, although at least the second time he found them again. 

This movie was surprisingly dark and gory, the High Revolutionary's horribly ruined face, everything that was done to the poor animals, the casual destruction of the animal planet, shit got very real. Although I really am not all that surprised, for a series that is famous for being a light hearted fun space opera, the Guardians series also has had some of the most disturbing things in the whole MCU, like Ego's cave full of the skeletal remains of his murdered children. 

I wasn't sure how they were going to handle this version of Gamora, I didn't want her to just become a replacement for the Gamora who died, but I liked the way it played out. I can understand Peter wanting this Gamora, who looks and technically is his dead girlfriend, to fill into the space that the other one left, but by the end he accepted that this is a different person and that's alright. I'm still sad that Gamora had to die, but I'm glad that some version of her is out there having adventures with the Ravengers. 

They really brought a ton of characters from throughout the movies back, with cameos from Stakar and his gang, Howard the Duck, the pawn broker that Yondu did business with in the first movie, and of course, we properly meet Adam Warlock, who was a lot of fun to have around as a sort of wild card in the mix. I loved seeing Will Poulter here, he's a very charismatic actor and he handles the comedy and the more action/serious bits really well. A lot of inexperience with being alive was played for laughs, but he had some more subtle moments coming to understand things like pain and guilt which worked well. 

The High Evolutionary has shot up there to one of the MCU's best villains really quickly just by being such an utter bastard. No wonder Peter wanted to kill him about five seconds of meeting him, he's a total monster and Chukwudi Iwuji did an amazing job with him. It would have been easy for all of his yelling and hamming to become silly, but he made it deeply disconcerting.

Loved seeing the brief glimpse of Yondu and that Kraglin got a nice end to his story. The running joke with Cosmo being all offended at being called a bad dog was really funny, she's so smart but still such a dog. A very good dog.

Lots of very emotional moments, Rocket saving the animals, the goodbye between Drax and Mantis, Nebula's voice breaking when she realized that Rocket was alright, and of course, Peter finally reuniting with his grandpa. I have always felt so bad for the poor guy, his daughter died and his grandson disappeared on the same night, and I always wanted to give him some closure, so I was just as emotional and he and Peter were when they hugged. 

Disney is damn lucky that they got James Gunn back for this one after that whole mess, no one could have stuck this landing like him. He has a real gift for taking things that are very high concept or can seem silly and pulling real pathos from them, balancing wacky comedy with sincere character work, which I think we all know is hard to do. This was a great finale for a great movie series, I am so glad to end on a high note. The Dog Days are Over is a great ending song for the show, it really sums up a lot of the movies themes. 

[festivus]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

I wasn't sure how they were going to handle this version of Gamora, I didn't want her to just become a replacement for the Gamora who died, but I liked the way it played out. I can understand Peter wanting this Gamora, who looks and technically is his dead girlfriend, to fill into the space that the other one left, but by the end he accepted that this is a different person and that's alright. I'm still sad that Gamora had to die, but I'm glad that some version of her is out there having adventures with the Ravengers. 

The more I think about Gamora's story, the more I love it. She started as kind of the Gamora we knew in the beginning of the first movie and she seemed to be affected by the same things going through. Like she started to like the music, she was going to go save her sister from that ship, and although she didn't have the feelings for this crew, she still helped them. Then we find out she has her own family at the end. She also acknowledged to Peter that she saw how her other self had fallen for him. Just perfect.

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

They really brought a ton of characters from throughout the movies back, with cameos from Stakar and his gang, Howard the Duck, the pawn broker that Yondu did business with in the first movie, and of course, we properly meet Adam Warlock, who was a lot of fun to have around as a sort of wild card in the mix.

I sure do wish we could have seen Ben Browder again.

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

Disney is damn lucky that they got James Gunn back for this one after that whole mess, no one could have stuck this landing like him. He has a real gift for taking things that are very high concept or can seem silly and pulling real pathos from them, balancing wacky comedy with sincere character work, which I think we all know is hard to do. This was a great finale for a great movie series, I am so glad to end on a high note. The Dog Days are Over is a great ending song for the show, it really sums up a lot of the movies themes. 

I love James Gunn. I'm actually excited again about DC again and I haven't been in what feels like forever. Except for Gotham which even in some of its messiness I did love. It had such great casting.

Anyway, yes I could talk about Guardians all day. One more thing I thought of today is how Peter got really upset with that guard in the first one for listening to his music, saying it belonged to him, to now giving it to his best friend. Who then shared it with everyone. Beautiful. (If I ever met James Gunn I probably wouldn't even talk to him about his movies. I'd want to talk about music, lol)

[Cobalt Stargazer]

3 hours ago, festivus said:

She also acknowledged to Peter that she saw how her other self had fallen for him. Just perfect.

"I bet we were fun."

"You wouldn't believe it."

It's good for Peter too, that even though he had to give up on this Gamora loving him, learning to "swim" on his own can only help for when we see him again. He went from being a Ravager to being a Guardian, and splitting off from the group to spend some time on earth means he has to cut a new path for himself, one without those ties. His recklessness, which he acknowledges when talking about the 'temper tantrum' he had, has been mellowed a bit through maturity and even heartbreak. He's finally growing up, and that's beautiful.

[arc]

Saw it (and in ScreenX, which I was somewhat skeptical of going in, but it was dope). I can’t help but compare it to Quantumania, which was also long, and I think the main difference in how creatively successful the two were is that it felt like the various dilemmas and sacrifices meant something here.

Which is not to say it’s perfect; the “fetch quest” plot structure felt too obvious and forced when they went after the functionary’s head computer, mostly because Quill just said outright that finding him would get the passkey to save Rocket.

But as far as giving nearly (?) every main character a satisfying arc, it totally delivered.

[AimingforYoko]

Less than 50% drop for GOTG 3, which is fantastic. Compare it to Ant-Man 2, which dropped 70%. Kevin Feige breathes a sigh of relief.

[Starfish35]

1 hour ago, AimingforYoko said:

Less than 50% drop for GOTG 3, which is fantastic.

Wow.  That is good. 

Edited May 14, 2023 by Starfish35

[Anduin]

Reminded by Starfish's avatar, the Farscape reference. The High Evolutionary has a Pilot! A being wired into the ship but still has to use controls. Yeah, there's also the Hybrid from Battlestar Galactica, but Farscape was first and James Gunn is a Scaper.

[Raja]

24 minutes ago, Anduin said:

Reminded by Starfish's avatar, the Farscape reference. The High Evolutionary has a Pilot! A being wired into the ship but still has to use controls. Yeah, there's also the Hybrid from Battlestar Galactica, but Farscape was first and James Gunn is a Scaper.

Speaking of Farscape and Moya. In Star Lord's original black and white comics appearances before he was rebooted into the form seen in the MCU he was partnered with "Ship" which took the Moya concept further into where Rodenberry's Andromeda went with Rommie and Andromeda and her Captain.