DVD Talk Forum - Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 (2023, D: Gunn) - (2024)

There’s a theory that at the end of the film when we hear Groot say “I love you all” he really said “I Am Groot” and we (like Gamora) are able to understand him now.

We are all Guardians of the Galaxy now.

Wow, pretty harsh review. If it doesn’t work for you, that’s perfectly fine. But I don’t recall that you’ve liked any MCU movie. At least not post Avengers Endgame.

I saw it again last week, and I liked it even more the second time. While saying it was my favorite since End Game sounds like damning it with faint praise, I did really enjoy it quite a bit, and I looked past some of the flaws I had with the first viewing. I re-watched Guardians 2 this weekend and even enjoyed that more post Vol 3 so it helped there too.

Two observations though...I think in character Nebula would no longer be that angry. She spent five years with Rocket as an Avenger creating real friendships. Sure she would still a surly character, but some of her more angry outbursts rang a little false for me. Second, the ending where everyone goes their separate ways felt more like something that happened because Gunn and some of the actors were leaving than it did something the characters would do.

I would expect we'll see at least Rocket, Groot, and Nebula in the next Avengers movie though.

I liked it a lot, but the animal experimentation stuff was hard for me to watch, even knowing it was all CGI. :(

I also didn't love what they did to Adam Warlock's character, but it didn't bother me enough to make me not like the film.

Definitely got teared up when they finally saved Rocket's life. Good stuff overall.

The more I think about it and watch breakdowns like this, the more I like the movie. It seems like James Gunn really put a lot of thought into the whole trilogy and the themes these characters represented and the journey they've been on. It really is a great series. The best in the MCU IMO.

I've heard that as well and it makes sense, a nice touch.

Saw it early tonight and really liked it. The Guardians films are the only MCU flicks I enjoy and it delivered. However it did feel a bit long in the tooth. How long did we really need to see the camera pan around Kraglin while he stood there watching the invasion before pulling out the whistle? Did we need to see Drax try and lay down on the couch three times? The joke worked once. I love Nathan Fillion but that whole sequence to the the die overstayed its welcome.

My kids loved it more than part 2, but I'm not sure. I need to rewatch both again. I loved Rocket's backstory. I loved that every character got the right amount of development and screen time. I really liked what they did with Gamora, but it still fell short in a few areas for me. Ego was a better villain than purple clad Dr. Henry Wu and Lobot. I do agree with the sentiments above about all the yelling, it doesn't make him more intimidating, just irritating. He was much more interesting in the flashbacks than as the villain in the present day. I'm not familiar with Adam Warlock from the comics but his being a tad stupid just didn't work for me.

Part of the appeal of Guardians is the fantastical and otherworldly charm it has along with all the crazy inhabitants, but there's still a limit, IMO. Some of the character designs in this were just bizarre to bad. From Ninja Turtle rejects to the ridiculous looking organic suits Nathan Fillion wore with the security team. Also as mentioned above, while I DID end up liking the characters of Floor, Lyla and Teefs, first thing I thought was Sid from Toy Story (as previously mentioned). Some of it was just too "out-there" and felt like they were conjured up by someone co*ked out of their head on a bender. Had me wondering about what kind of crazy sh*t Gunn's going to put in the DC-verse.

I loved the soundtrack and even the more modern tunes chosen. The No Sleep 'til Brooklyn scene was especially awesome considering every character got a moment to shine.

So unless I'm oblivious, the infamous Star-Lord didn't don his mask once in this, opting for Peter Quill for the whole flick. Kind of an odd choice.

Lastly, I need some help since I'm not an MCU acolyte and haven't seen anything since Endgame (except for Wandavision and the Guardians Holiday Special):
1. How did Thor depart? Is that explained in Love and Thunder?
2. What's Gamora's story? They kinda glossed over it here. She's a younger version of her previous self prior to meeting Quill. Got it, but how? When? Is that explained somewhere? Infinity stone something or other? Or was that just "it" and we're not supposed to ask any questions?
3. Where did the iPod with modern music come from? Did that happen in the Holiday Special? Kinda watched that one and forgot it once it was over.

I'll throw my hat into the ring with something different altogether. The MCU is kind of a mess right now and they don't have RDJ as an anchor anymore to help draw people in. They need a new "guy" and Chris Pratt is probably a cheaper get. So my prediction is that Pratt will be the new RDJ anchoring everything together and cameoing in as many things as possible and possibly move into leading the next iteration of the Avengers. Since he can be himself and doesn't have to sit through hours of makeup like Bautista and Saldana, he could play Star Lord for quite some time.

1. Yeah it's shown in Love and Thunder that they part ways after teaming up for the first few minutes of the film.
2. Gamora died in Infinity War when Thanos sacrificed her for the soul stone. This Gamora came from a few years in the past when Thanos learned about the Avenger's time heist and piggy backed with the Avengers to the present time.
3. The MS Zune came from Yondu in vol. 2. Craglin gave it to Peter at Yondu's funeral saying he picked it up and was going to give it to Peter.

Kevin Bacon is not a kid.

I didn't watch the video, but with the home COVID tests you just stick a short swab into the opening of your nostrils and swish it around five times. Only goes an inch or less.

The tests they had in earlier days of the pandemic had these big long things that looked like they were about eight inches long that they jammed way up in there. I never took one of those, but I saw them done on tv.

Yeah those early tests were nuts with how far they went in.

I asked them if the sample was from the nostril or my brain...? They were not amused. lol

I definitely feel like I need to watch this again, because I felt so lost during most of it. Nebula has a new arm that does anything? Cosmo has been a longtime member of the team? The Guardians control Knowhere? The final Groot line also bothered me, because why are we JUST NOW part of the family? Like wasn't everyone super invested in these characters by the end of the first film? Or if not then, the second?

I think my least favorite aspect of the film was the main throughline: Rocket. His backstory has already been heavily implied, if not outright stated, to be the result of experimentation. Then he's out of commission for most of the film. It feels like taking away the agency of the character in the middle of exploring them.

Those are just my gripes with the film though. I did generally enjoy it. I might not have been in the right headspace going into it.

Some of this is covered in the Holiday Special. I assume Nubula upgraded her arm at some point after Endgame.

Is it really? I just started watching the Holiday Special right now and, much like in Vol. 3, Cosmo is already very much part of the team. Now Nebula does mention that they bought Knowhere from the Collector (which might explain how they got their hands on Cosmo, as well as Howard the Duck out and about like a free fowl in Vol.3) but... I never got the vibe the Collector owned Knowhere, but rather lived there. Also, didn't he die in Infinity War​​​​​​, killed by Thanos before the Guardians arrived and Del Toro's scene as the Collector was an illusion Thanos created using the Reality Stone?

I think I'll just do what I did when I watched Vol. 3 and assume this is all the result of unseen events, like the decimation of Xandar prior to Infinity War.

I'm not sure if this is the right thread to discuss, but anyone ride Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind at Epcot? I'm really confused as where it fits in the timeline.

That was how I took it in the moment ...