Friday night I went and saw Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) on a whim. I hadn’t realized the flick was already out, as I’ve been knee-deep in end-of-the-school-year responsibilities. After celebrating Cinco de Mayo with Thai food (the Thai place was a lot less crowded than the Mexican restaurants), my companion proposed we check out the latest Guardians flick, so on a whim we made it to a showing that had just started rolling the previews.
I’m a big fan of the first two films. When I first saw the original Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) nine years ago (has it been that long?), I was hooked. I compared it favorably to the Star Wars trilogy, and in the wake of the disastrous sequel trilogy in that franchise, the Guardians trilogy serves as an excellent alternative for Star Wars fans slavering for more intergalactic hijinks.
The elements are there in both sets of films: a group of immature misfits get tossed together into an ad hoc group of unlikely heroes, who, despite their shortcomings and inexperience, grow together to defeat a greater evil. Along the way, they forge friendships together, and come to learn more about themselves and each other.
The original Star Wars trilogy pulls this off better than Guardians, especially in the wake of this third installment. Just as Star Wars has its Return of the Jedi (1983)—a fun conclusion to the story, but not quite as weighty as its predecessors, Guardians has its Vol. 3, which is full of bizarre creatures, but is actually much heavier and darker in tone than its predecessors.
The Portly Politico 