TAGGED AS: First Reviews, marvel cinematic universe, movies
Here’s what critics are saying about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3:
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has everything you would expect from James Gunn and Marvel Studios.
– Matt Rodriguez, Shakefire
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 achieves what it sets out to do, which is provide a stirring and audience-pleasing finale.
– Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 offers a rare thing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: a satisfying ending to a trilogy.
– Joshua Yehl, IGN Movies
I didn’t expect to feel so sad while watching this movie.
– Mike Ryan, Uproxx
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the weirdest, grimmest, most emotional entry in Gunn’s MCU franchise, but it’s also the strongest.
– Molly Freeman, Screen Rant
This edition largely succeeds like the other ones, thanks to the chemistry of the main ensemble.
– Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
Like its two predecessors, the film is refreshing in the context of its own cinematic universe.
– Greg Nussen, Slant Magazine
Given how almost the entirety of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 feels like a superficial, snarky, and sarcastic deviation, Vol. 3 will evoke similar frustrations.
– Patrick Cavanagh, ComicBook.com
(Photo by ©Marvel/©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Leave it to James Gunn to rescue Marvel from its self-inflicted woes with the best MCU film since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.
– David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel
It’s the best MCU film in years, and a reminder of how much fun and moving the Marvel Cinematic Universe can actually be.
– Ross Bonaime, Collider
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 feels ripped out of an older phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe… a return to form.
– Sheraz Farooqi, Cinema Debate
A blockbuster that is perfectly suited to its time, and offers a much-needed win for the MCU.
– Molly Freeman, Screen Rant
The impact of Rocket’s emotional arc is one of the most powerful we’ve seen in the entire MCU.
– Patrick Cavanagh, ComicBook.com
James Gunn’s soulful style remain unlike anything else in the MCU.
– Joshua Yehl, IGN Movies
In a funny way, it makes sense that Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 is more grounded than the other Phase Four movies.
– William Bibbiani, The Wrap
(Photo by ©Marvel/©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has some of the most stunning visuals of any Marvel Studios film.
– Matt Rodriguez, Shakefire
So bizarrely trippy at times it’s as if Gunn is aiming to create a midnight cult classic rather than a blockbuster superhero film.
– Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
Gunn ushers us into uncharted new realms of wackadoo production design and outlandish costumes, reminding us that he’s never been shy about letting his stylistic freak flag fly.
– Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times
This insane adventure looks so good… Gunn and his team deliver a real sense of place to his various environments.
– Kate Erbland, IndieWire
A breath of fresh air following multiple MCU productions full of muted tones.
– Patrick Cavanagh, ComicBook.com
One major aspect where Guardians 3 sets itself apart from Quantumania is the visual effects, which are vivid and spectacular.
– Joshua Yehl, IGN Movies
Gunn’s preferred aesthetic is stomach-churning.
– Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post
The action sequences are also stunners, especially an epic climactic battle accompanied by the propulsive Beastie Boys classic “No Sleep Till Brooklyn.”
– Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
The action sequences feel experimental but never showy, as Gunn aimed to showcase these characters in new and compelling ways.
– Patrick Cavanagh, ComicBook.com
Unlike many contemporary action films… [it] allows audiences to take in the fight choreography in all its glory.
– Caitlin Chappell, CBR.com
There is a hallway fight scene that will no doubt wow audiences.
– Matt Rodriguez, Shakefire
(Photo by ©Marvel/©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Often funny… The scene stealer turns out to be the good-natured, beefy Drax, with Bautista showing us his comedy chops.
– Peter Bradshaw, Guardian
I’m still chuckling at the ridiculous exchange among the Guardians over which buttons to press on their spacesuits to properly communicate with each other.
– Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
The misfit team’s constant punchlines and I’m-just-busting-your-chops dynamic have grown exhausting.
– Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post
Vol. 3 is perhaps also the darkest Marvel Studios has gone… There are some moments that are not for the faint of heart.
– Matt Rodriguez, Shakefire
The darkest contained MCU entry, Gunn’s examination of exploration, PTSD, and family bonds is fully engaging and tear-inducing.
– David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel
At times, Vol. 3 can be unsettling… Abounds in intense depictions of animal torture.
– Greg Nussen, Slant Magazine
This will be a difficult watch for some viewers.
– Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post
This is a movie that will probably traumatize some kids and maybe a few adults.
– William Bibbiani, The Wrap
(Photo by ©Marvel/©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
The soundtrack is once again top-notch.
– Matt Rodriguez, Shakefire
Gunn, who might be the master of the needle drop for his perfect soundtracks, is at the top of his game here… His use of songs from Radiohead, Earth Wind & Fire, Rainbow, and The Beastie Boys creates a beautiful goodbye anthem.
– Travis Hopson, Punch Drunk Critics
Songs like The Flaming Lips’ “Do You Realize?” and Faith No More’s “We Care a Lot” feel more like an opportunity for Gunn to showcase his own musical taste than elevating a sequence.
– Patrick Cavanagh, ComicBook.com
One of the MCU’s most memorable and twisted villains.
– Caitlin Chappell, CBR.com
Chukwudi Iwuji is great as the High Evolutionary… His outbursts are terrifying, and Iwuji wonderfully captures the ferocity and anger of a man who is committed to his beliefs.
– Matt Rodriguez, Shakefire
It is refreshing to face off with a Marvel villain whose existence doesn’t threaten literally every other being in the MCU.
– Kate Erbland, IndieWire
Iwuji is also perhaps the strongest of the Guardians movie villains, turning in a multifaceted performance as the High Evolutionary.
– Molly Freeman, Screen Rant
The High Evolutionary is an especially effective villain during the flashbacks… but he feels far less threatening in the present.
– Joshua Yehl, IGN Movies
The High Evolutionary’s machinations, despite an intense, shout-to-the-sky performance of the old school from Iwuji, are all extremely melodramatic and Iowa-flat.
– Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post
Iwuji bellows in a performance of Al Pacino-level over-the-top-itude.
– Peter Debruge, Variety
The High Evolutionary’s inclusion is as forgettable as a majority of other Marvel villains.
– Patrick Cavanagh, ComicBook.com
(Photo by ©Marvel/©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Poulter is extremely funny as the character.
– Kate Erbland, IndieWire
Poulter does a good job with the material he is given, but it isn’t much, unfortunately.
– Matt Rodriguez, Shakefire
He ultimately fails to make a lasting impression.
– Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
He never quite meshes with the rest of the narrative in a practical way.
– Ross Bonaime, Collider
His scenes regularly grind the narrative momentum to a halt, and we can’t help but wish his entire plot was excised.
– Patrick Cavanagh, ComicBook.com
Unfortunately, he feels like he’s only in this film out of obligation, and it’s sad to say Volume 3 wouldn’t have been much different if he were cut out.
– Joshua Yehl, IGN Movies
It’s wildly self-indulgent.
– Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post
At a jam-packed, planet-hopping 150 minutes, it also feels less like a conventional moviegoing experience than the endorphin rush that comes from waiting years for the next season of your favorite TV series, then binge-watching all the new episodes in a single sitting.
– Peter Debruge, Variety
This one is too damn long — but I’ll confess you likely won’t notice the bloated runtime simply because Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 almost never slows down.
– Chris Evangelista, Slashfilm
(Photo by ©Marvel/©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Gunn has to juggle a lot with this finale, but once again, he shows he’s a master at knowing exactly how to work with a large ensemble.
– Ross Bonaime, Collider
The story is a bit messy, though. Gunn has a lot of story he wants to tell and he tells every bit of it.
– Travis Hopson, Punch Drunk Critics
There are simply too many characters here, and while they all get their own mini-arcs, most of them feel hollow.
– Chris Evangelista, Slashfilm
The success of Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 proves that it’s still possible for Marvel movies to hit and hit hard after more than 30 films.
– William Bibbiani, The Wrap
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a reminder that with the right cast, crew, and story, superheroes can still deliver.
– Matt Rodriguez, Shakefire
When I think of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and the MCU, I think of Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part III, “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”
– David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens in theaters everywhere on May 5, 2023.
