The Guardians of the Galaxy have set off for their last adventure. James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 concluded the story of the ragtag group of former criminals begrudgingly saving the galaxy from a roulette wheel of threats.

(Major Spoilers ahead for the opening Act. Don’t say I didn’t warn you)

Except this time, it isn’t the galaxy who needs saving, and the stakes are much more personal. Fans were shocked in theaters last Friday when the movie opened with an assassination attempt on the beloved Rocket Racoon (Bradley Cooper). The remaining two and a half hours saw Star Lord (Chris Pratt), Drax (Dave Bautista), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Groot (Vin Diesel) traversing the galaxy trying to save their friend on the verge of death. The quest pits them up against the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), a power hungry visionary hellbent on creating the perfect society and consequently, Rocket’s creator. 

Vol 3 creates a perfect balance between laughter and tears as it wraps up the Guardian’s stories. Fans are left on the edge of their seats waiting to find out Rocket’s fate, and the witty banter of the remaining Guardians keeps things light hearted. Even the side plot’s keep fans invested. The messy love story of Star-Lord and Gamora (Zoey Saldana) provides much needed closure, and newcomer Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) adds another level of uncertainty to the story. 

Overall, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 is a great addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After the recent less than stellar releases of Ant Man and the Wasp Quantumania and Thor: Love and Thunder, the franchise needed a win, and this certainly was. 9.5/10