The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) continues into the summer months with an exciting incoming blast, now with its latest installment Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

The last “Guardians” film came out six years ago with mixed reviews among its fans but still was relatively well-received. The cast of these films has been some of the audience’s favorites, from Chris Pratt’s portrayal of Star-Lord/Peter Quill to Dave Bautista’s hilarious performance as Drax the Destroyer. Fans were concerned about the quality of this film prior to its release, as the most recent MCU film “Ant-Man and The Wasp Quantumania” came out with very low review scores. Luckily from the creative genius of director James Gunn, this film is beyond public expectation.

Our journey follows the Guardians post “Avengers: Endgame” as they are still recovering from the loss of core member Gamora, played by Zoe Saldana. With that, it takes its main focus on the beloved character Rocket, voiced by Bradley Cooper, as he struggles with his past trauma and inner conflict. The film tackles a lot of heavier and more mature subjects of grief and change not really seen in films such as “Iron-Man” or “Captain America,” for example. 

I loved the psychotic villain of the film, The High Evolutionary, played by Chukwudi Iwuji. He is a breath of fresh air, as he’s a villain who is completely irredeemable and has no morals for the destruction he causes. Compared to recent Marvel work, villains are usually portrayed with a reasonable and understandable motive. Here with “Guardians 3,” that element is missing, which truly makes Iwuji’s performance all the more terrifying. As expected with a “Guardians” movie, the soundtrack gives the characters and the story their life with songs from Radiohead, Beastie Boys and Heart. Gunn’s directorial mastermind really finds a landmark to give all of our beloved characters in the movie a satisfying conclusion to the final film of the trilogy that has arguably been one of the best-done trilogies Marvel has created.