I loved the first GotG, and enjoyed Vol. 2 a lot. For me they were original, quirky, funny films with an awesome soundtrack, great action sequences and a real feel-good factor to them.
This third instalment attempts to carry some of those traits over, but it also wants to be a serious, emotional film as it works its way through Rocket's tortuous back story. These two opposing threads make for uncomfortable bedfellows, and it hits from the very start of the movie. Any anticipation I felt for the film dissipated rapidly in the first 10 very depressing minutes, and I struggled to regain much enthusiasm for it. Perhaps this was an inevitable consequence following the events of the last Avengers movie, but even so I didn't feel it was handled all that well.
This was despite a pretty engaging revenge plot and a compelling and superbly portrayed primary antagonist. Adam Warlock was a welcome if somewhat underexplored addition to the cast, and a wide variety of imaginative and frequently grizzly selection of supporting characters were generally a bonus.
In fact it was the Guardians themselves who disappointed. Rocket and Star-Lord were largely humourless throughout. The three female guardians, including - strangely - Mantis, melded into the same universally angry, shouty character. Only Drax seemed to me to add value, as he was both funny and had a nice bit of character development rolled into it.
All in all, though this wasn't a bad film, it wasn't the film I was hoping it would be.
This third instalment attempts to carry some of those traits over, but it also wants to be a serious, emotional film as it works its way through Rocket's tortuous back story. These two opposing threads make for uncomfortable bedfellows, and it hits from the very start of the movie. Any anticipation I felt for the film dissipated rapidly in the first 10 very depressing minutes, and I struggled to regain much enthusiasm for it. Perhaps this was an inevitable consequence following the events of the last Avengers movie, but even so I didn't feel it was handled all that well.
This was despite a pretty engaging revenge plot and a compelling and superbly portrayed primary antagonist. Adam Warlock was a welcome if somewhat underexplored addition to the cast, and a wide variety of imaginative and frequently grizzly selection of supporting characters were generally a bonus.
In fact it was the Guardians themselves who disappointed. Rocket and Star-Lord were largely humourless throughout. The three female guardians, including - strangely - Mantis, melded into the same universally angry, shouty character. Only Drax seemed to me to add value, as he was both funny and had a nice bit of character development rolled into it.
All in all, though this wasn't a bad film, it wasn't the film I was hoping it would be.