On May 5th, 2023, Marvel Studios released the final chapter of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, leaving fans with one last hurrah, and certainly an emotional one. The audience gets to see the beloved characters they’ve known and loved for almost a decade fight side-by-side one more time, while still providing that lovable dose of humor and catchy movie soundtrack that all fans have become accustomed to. In this action-packed film, the Guardians band together to protect the universe from a powerfully corrupt villain and to save one of their own. With Peter Quill still struggling to cope with the loss of Gamora, he must learn to put that aside or move on from it in order to defend his team and the universe with a clear head. However, it might be harder than he thought.

This past Saturday, I was finally able to see this film in theaters (thanks to AP testing), and I was not disappointed. Now, I plan to leave you with a layout of my thoughts as the era of GOTG comes to a close.

**This review contains spoilers from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

I’m going to be honest–I’ve never really liked Guardians of the Galaxy up to this point. I know, I know, that’s definitely an unpopular opinion. I think it might just be because I’m not a fan of space-related movies and never quite grasped the characters’ humor. However, there was something about watching The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special around Thanksgiving with my family that really made me look at the characters and their comedic, craveable connection in a new light. Needless to say, I’ve been converted to a semi-GOTG fan since then. Now, just after watching the newest film in the trilogy, I am full-heartedly a fan. Throughout the movie, I found myself completely engrossed in it; I was constantly fearing for the safety of every character and didn’t even check my phone once to see how much time was left in the movie (and that’s saying something for me).

But now, let’s get into the plot of this film. I will say that the action starts pretty early on; some people like that about movies, but some prefer a little more development of the story before the action begins. Personally, I don’t mind either. Whatever seems like the best move to efficiently carry on the plot is fine with me, and kicking it off with action works in this movie. My only critique is that Adam, the character who attacks the Guardians at the start of the film, enters very quickly and viewers have no idea who he is or what his purpose is. He kind of just seemed like an excuse to get Rocket fatally injured so that the major plot line could commence, which is Rocket’s backstory.

I’m not much of an animal lover myself, but when I tell you that I almost teared up over a raccoon (and yes, he is a raccoon), I am absolutely serious. Marvel has such a way of making an audience sympathize with fictional characters, and GOTG Vol. 3 is no exception. The incorporation of the seamless transitions between flashbacks of Rocket’s past to his critical condition in the present created a solid foundation for the plot. While we only knew them for a short time, I’m sure every person in the theater felt something for Rocket’s friends (Lylla, Teefs, and Floor) because they were developed so well in the film. The flashbacks also did a nice job of setting up the villain, High Evolutionary, a twisted geneticist who desired to create a utopia, needing Rocket’s (or 89P13’s, as we discovered in the movie) brain to help him get there. There were also nods to Adam and Eve, which I found interesting, and High Evolutionary seems to play the role of a corrupt god-like figure with his creation of new species.

While the majority of the movie is focused on Rocket’s backstory, there is still plenty of time dedicated to developing the rest of the Guardians, which I absolutely respect. Everyone in the movie has a purpose, and the characters get to acknowledge that between themselves. It’s a beautiful full-circle moment to see the whole gang defeat High Evolutionary with Rocket by the end of the film, and it makes you reflect on how far this team has come and the touching friendship they’ve built over time. There was even character development for Gamora who, as we know, is a completely different person after losing her memories of the Guardians since Endgame. While I’m sad that Gamora and Quill will never have the same relationship as they did in the first and second movies in the trilogy, viewers got to see Quill reach acceptance of losing Gamora, allowing him to move on to newer prospects like going back to Earth and visiting his grandfather (who is, apparently, still alive in his 90s).

And not only is Quill taking some time away from the Guardians, but the rest of the team is going down their own paths too, leaving Rocket to lead the Guardians of the Galaxy himself. Am I the only one who thinks it’s kind of weird for the whole movie to be spent saving Rocket’s life, just for all of his friends to leave him once he’s alive? I don’t know, but I won’t hold too much judgment since the rest of the film was very well done. And speaking of new changes, fans witnessed the first F-bomb in the MCU and the most current song in the GOTG trilogy (“Dog Days Are Over” by Florence + the Machine). I thought that these additions made the movie even better, making it humorous and showing a transition to a new era. I might be biased about the song choice because I’m a 2000s girl at heart, but I’m sure many other people out there enjoyed the selection as well.

Overall, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was a roller coaster that I didn’t want to end. It was hilarious, heartwarming, bittersweet, and utterly emotional. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and even got into the action-packed space scenes that I normally wouldn’t enjoy. There were many times when I thought the characters weren’t going to make it because there were some pretty fatal injuries that they sustained, but even if it was slightly unrealistic, I’m glad everyone made it out alive. I’m sure every Marvel fan out there is going to miss this lovable band of misfits because I know I will, but it’s satisfying to know that wherever these characters end up, they’ll continue to be cherished in our hearts–and that is the power of movie-making.