Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 manages to be more than honest-to-god entertainment, one that has the liberated weirdness of material (like a stealth We3 adaptation) that was never expected to find a mass audiences.

Remarkably, given the studio brand: this is absolutely Gunn's movie. It's cheerfully gross, frequently hideous to behold, nakedly emotional, indulgent to the point of bloat in its desire to tie off every narrative thread...and, happily, its own thing.

While better than most recent Marvel or DC films, it definitely lacks the fun, buddy-film aspects and sincere relationships of the original in lieu of an exhausting mission-based story.

Completes Rocket’ transformation from a footnote to one of Marvel’ greatest characters.

Too often it feels like James Gunn made a playlist of songs he likes and then came up with scenes to go with them.

Guardians 3 is a real warm and fuzzy movie that sometimes makes you forget that you’re a bit bored with the onslaught of superhero movies.

This is the last time we see the beloved guardians. The film is laced with emotional and entertaining bits that make the swan song a thrilling ride at the movies this week.

For me, it was an unsatisfying conclusion as the wear and tear had begun to be exposed, caused mostly by a scrambled storyline and wayward storytelling.

Now that nearly every other cinematic release reads like a holding pattern until they finally get around to mutants, Guardians Vol. 3 is the first sign in a while that Marvel might actually have some genuine enjoyment left in the tank.

GotG3 has no real tie-in to the larger MCU. There are a few references to Thanos, the Snap, and the Infinity Stones, but that's about it. This tracks with the trilogy as a whole, which has always stood outside the larger Marvel narratives.