Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 – 2023 – The Last(?) installment

I’m glad there was a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 eventually. I was afraid that there might not be one at one point. At least not something that could be worthy of the two first installments of the film series. It’s probably common knowledge by now that Disney Studios or whatever they’re called (I’m sure there are lots and lots of subsidiaries), wasn’t too pleased about some tweets James Gunn made several years ago and fired him due to them. I’m not entirely sure when the tweets were actually made but I believe it was jokes made decades before James Gunn even started directing the first of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies.

Recognizable

It’s not hard to recognize James Gunn’s style in movie making. At least not when it comes to these over-the-top Super Hero movies. I’ve not seen all of his movies and series so I cannot say with certainty that everything is on one style but these superhero movies certainly are. There are both the first two Guardians of the Galaxy, Suicide Squad, and the series Peacekeeper where he directed several episodes. I also believe he wrote the whole thing. And It’s as Writer he made the most impact I think.

There are a lot of movies and TV series that came from him as a writer in lots of different genres. When I check it out there are a lot that I didn’t know about at all. He was involved in the creation of the live-action Scooby-Doo movies. Maybe that wasn’t so far-fetched, but he also wrote the violent The Belko Experiment as well as the horror movie Slither and was involved in Troma back in the 90s.

To say that I remember the details from the first two movies would be a lie though. That’s how it usually goes with me. If you’re a returning reader you know how I work. I remember the main parts, the feel of the movies, and maybe the main content. The details don’t stick with me. My memory doesn’t have room for that. It can both be a blessing and a curse. When it comes to sequels it’s a bit of a hassle but on the other hand, I can always see the movie with fresh eyes and don’t need to compare them with the earlier parts. And, if this is your first time here and your first time reading this Swedish dude’s reviews on movies he finds interesting in one way or another, you know now. That’s how I work.

Confusing

So, speaking a bit about the movie itself. It starts off pretty confusing to me. Here is when I can admit that I would’ve needed a bit better memory. Because it seems vital to remember all the twists and turns from the last movie to get all the twists and turns in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. Characters may be very different this time around compared to what they were and it takes a while getting used to. At least it did for me. You could say that the universe of the Guardians of the Galaxy is turned somewhat upside-down.

But after a while, I get a hang of it and I certainly enjoyed buying the action. But the action is one thing, what makes this movie, or even these movies, so special is the comedic approach to them. I laugh out loud several times during the film just because there are things I didn’t expect to happen, that actually happened. Small things on their own but there is certainly a pattern to it.

Different Approach

It reminds me of a clip I recently saw with Swedish Cult Film Director Mats Helge Olsson. Where he explained a movie and why they made things a bit different. I haven’t seen the actual movie he was talking about but the main point was to do everything in a way that wasn’t expected. Something that wasn’t created in the same mold as every other movie out there. Maybe even own the cliches and make them suit your needs. To be aware of them is the first step to exploit them as I see it. If you are aware of them, you can twist and turn them so that you give them that extra touch and actually make them even funnier.

The Music

And, of course, the music choices have been at the center of the entire film series. There are no typical song choices throughout the films. I really like when you can play around with that as well. Of course, it’s common knowledge that music is a key element to set the tone of a film or a scene. If the scene means to be happy you need to use happy music and so on. But what if you can twist that around? I believe that this is what James Gunns has been doing all along with the Guardian of the Galaxy movies.

I was especially pleased to hear one of my long-time favorite artists in this one. Alice Cooper performing I’m Alway Chasing Rainbows from the Alice Cooper Goes to Hell album. It’s not the most associated song with either Alice Cooper or the album as I see it. But it fits the feel of the movie and it creates something extraordinary.

The Story

Come to think of it, the lyrics in the song have a great impact on the feel of the movie too. I didn’t think of that until just now. It’s not just the music, it’s equally the lyrics. They actually mean something to the story. And speaking of the story of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, this is a little different. At least as I see it. It’s a lot more sentimental than the first two movies. Not to ruin it but there’s a lot less of Rocky and lots of backslashes portraying his younger years. That’s also how we get to know the story and the main villain in this one. Of course, there has to be a main villain. In every movie of this magnitude, there must be a megalomanic that threatens the peace of the universe.

Bottom Line

So, the bottom line is that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 contains cool action and lots of laughter but also tears and a plethora of other feelings. I think it’s a worthy end to the series if it really is the end? I don’t know. There are clues that there might be another installment in one form or another. There might not be another movie like these three but there might be something to continue the adventure. We’ll see what happens in the future.