Being a Marvel effort, the closing scenes take pains to establish that no ending is permanent. The characters will still be available for future filmmakers to take off the shelf and drop into a story every so often. But I can’t get over the feeling that even if the Guardians reappear later on, I’m not inclined to rush out to see them. Vol. 3 feels like as good a time as any to bid the Marvel Cinematic Universe adieu for a while.
Read MoreMuscular, many-limbed and possessing tentacles that eject bullet-like spines, the so-called Whitespikes are instantly believable as a species that could overrun the Earth. So it’s a shame that the movie that introduces them feels distinctly familiar, as if constructed from pieces of other, better sci-fi movies.
Read MoreIt’s also intriguing how the message of the new film hews so closely to another recent example of wokenomics, the Gillette ad “The Best Men Can Be”. The spot, which questions toxic prevailing ideas about masculinity, seems to share some thematic DNA with The Lego Movie 2. Our hero, Emmet (Chris Pratt), spends much of the story contending with a belief that he’s not grown-up or tough enough to be the “special best friend” (re: boyfriend) of the movie’s female lead, Lucy (Elizabeth Banks).
Read MoreThere’s something to be said for a movie that wears its heart (or its themes) on its sleeve. It may not be subtle, or even very original, but if a film has a confident sense of self, watching it can be just as engrossing as a hard-hitting awards contender.
Not a lot of movies have this kind of swagger. Audiences are sometimes assumed to be passive enough to distract with empty CGI, awkward exposition or monologuing villains. Thankfully, this isn’t true of the Guardians of the Galaxy films, which operate under the infectious belief that they’re pretty hot stuff, even without the bells and whistles. They welcome you into a corner (or corners) of the universe where there’s danger and opportunity in equal measure, and people don’t feel the need to hide who they are. They’re just as colourful and expressive as they want to be, and unsurprisingly, it’s one of the nicest places in the Marvel universe to visit.
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