Why you need to buy of Guardians of The Galaxy: Volume 3 (2023)

One of the biggest surprises in all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), has always been the success of James Gunn’s 2014 ‘Guardians of The Galaxy’. The film grossed a massive $773 million at the worldwide box office spawning a sequel that grossed even more, with a massive $863 million, with both films receiving critical acclaim and praise from fans alike. The Guardians of the Galaxy films have always stood on their own merit, existing within the MCU, but also as its own thing as well, being the only MCU franchise to take place entirely in space (aside from a few flashback sequences) and have the single writer/director throughout the entire creative process of the entire trilogy. It was fitting that the franchise would end with a third instalment, closing the door on the Guardians as we know them but leaving it open for a new iteration to potentially follow in the coming years.

Guardians of The Galaxy Volume 3 (Guardians 3) picks up shortly after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Whilst our heroes have briefly appeared in two other projects since then, Thor: Love and Thunder and The Guardians of The Galaxy holiday Special, the film doesn’t consider either of these necessary viewing, as you will be able to follow what’s going on if you stick to the previous two Guardians volumes and Avengers: infinity War and Avengers; Endgame. Peter Quill aka Star lord (played once again by the charming Chris Pratt) is still coming to terms with the fact that Gamora is no longer with them. After Rocket (played by Bradley Cooper) is taken by Adam Warlock (played by Will Poulter), The Guardians learn of Rocket’s tragic backstory, whilst also trying to stop a homicidal maniac from destroying a planet and killing their friend. It’s a testament to James Gunn’s filmmaking that this film works as well as it does. The absurd, quirky characters and the emotion he is able to get out of them is truly extraordinary. To celebrate Guardians of The Galaxy: Volume 3’s release on DVD, Blu-Ray and 4K Ultra HD (4K UHD), I will be breaking down why you need to add Guardians of The galaxy: Volume 3 to your collection. So, without further ado, let’s get stuck into it!

“Since you’ve been gone, since you’ve been gone” – The characters –

We all know how good James Gunn has been at writing weird, and quirky characters. But what sets his ability to do this aside from other projects, is the way that he is able to write emotionally poignant moments for these characters, without them ever feeling forced or unwarranted. Whoever thought that a bad-mouthed, talking raccoon would have me bawling my eyes out in the cinema, but here we are. The interaction between these characters is always fun, energetic, hilarious, and also emotional. This is largely due to Gunn’s writing but also the incredibly talented cast that has been perfecting their chemistry with one another over the course of 7 outings as these characters. Chris Pratt turns in his best work yet as Peter. He has an emotional journey here that is quite raw and compelling. We haven’t really spent significant time with him since he found out that Thanos killed Gamora in Infinity War and here, he really gets to show his pain. Bradley Cooper’s vocal work as Rocket is wonderful, Dave Bautista once again proves his range as an actor, turning in an awesome performance as Drax, and Zoe Saldana really changes it up as Gamora, playing a different version of the character. She does this incredibly well. Karen Gillian is great again as Nebula and Pom Klementieff as Mantis is fantastic. Newcomer Adam Warlock played by Will Poulter is a lot of fun, providing a lot of the film's more light-hearted and silly moments. The characters are the selling point of the franchise and once again, they deliver!

“No. Sleep. Till Brooklyn!” – The action and the set pieces –

The action set pieces in the Guardians of the Galaxy films have consistently gotten bigger and more complex, but writer/director James Gunn knows exactly how to film these, putting the camera in the thick of the action and keeping it moving and flowing. Guardians of The Galaxy: Volume 3 has some of the franchise's most exciting and unique action set pieces. We have a fun sequence which sees our characters break into a living planet, whilst escaping the security on the planet, that then escalates into an escape from the planet. We also have an epic one-take of our characters fighting off villainous characters in a hallway, fighting as a team to the backing of the Beastie Boys 90s classic, ‘No Sleep Till Brooklyn’. All of these sequences are fun, and never feel overbearing. Sometimes, with these larger blockbuster films, you find the action is overly long and generally uninteresting, but Guardians 3 doesn’t have that issue. It's always fun. It's always exciting and it never overstays its welcome.

“The dog days are over” – The finality of the film –

Whilst we will see some of these characters together again, Guardians of The Galaxy: Volume 3 is the final chapter with the original or OG Guardians. The audience is left with a montage at the end of the film with each of the guardians going their own separate way, saying goodbye and closing the loop on their stories, with Florence and the Machine’s ‘Dog Days Are Over’ playing over the top. After quite an emotional journey over the course of the trilogy, it was lovely to see our characters end up where they do. Peter reconnects with his stepfather, Rocket, Groot and Nebula, training up a new group of Guardians and Drax raising kids on Nowhere, giving him a purpose once again. It's honestly beautiful and after investing almost ten years into these characters, it was lovely to see them end up where they do.  There is no way you won’t be crying after the finale of this film.

Guardians of The Galaxy Volume 3 is a return to form for the MCU. It's clever, funny, and emotionally poignant. There will not be a dry eye in the house after the credits roll. It’s a wonderful film filled with the James Gunn charm audiences have come to expect from his film. A must-watch for all Marvel fans. This title will also be the last released from Disney on physical media in Australia. So, you won't want to miss out on this piece of history. Secure your copy today and shop all things Guardians of The Galaxy below.

Buy Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 on DVD, Blu-ray or 4K UHD here

Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here