A Goodbye to GUARDIANS and Galaxies (Patreon)

I saw Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. III and it was good! Let’s talk about it! And like most of the blockbuster new releases, I’m gonna subject by subject.

As always, [SPOILERS] to follow.

Fond Farewells - Whether it’s fair or not, the thing I mostly felt while watching Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. III was this overall sense of saying goodbye. It’s not some huge, locked-in feeling with finality. It’s more a quieter one. Because the MCU’s post-Endgame run of Phase 4 has had things I’ve liked. Shang Chi in particular. But culture has inevitable cycles and I’ve honestly struggled to keep up the enthusiasm for a universe I had already been growing tired of before it “ended” the first time. I mean, I didn’t even see Quantumania. But given that it had been six years since the last proper Guardians entry, it felt important to see this one ASAP, perhaps for a very simple reason…

A Trilogy Completed - It’s strange to think of it this way, but within the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it ended up being James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy that came the closest to being a complete thought. It’s not that it’s one big epic story or anything. It’s more that it’s the only series to not only keep the same director, but he’s a WRITER / director with a singular voice. These films are so entrenched with his sensibility, but it’s fair to say he’s also the one whose sensibility is perhaps most in line with what the MCU is always after. In short, they’re a good fit. And he clearly wanted to give this team a swan song that felt right. Though it’s perhaps important to remember how many of the marvel movie goers don’t find themselves ensconced in the same questions as we do. For instance, at the opening day screening yesterday one woman walked out saying, “wait, James Gunn directed that? Did he do the others? I don’t think he did?” I like this because I like the idea that most moviegoers don’t pay attention to this stuff. There’s something weirdly more pure about that. They glom onto characters and hey, good characters drive everything. Which is especially true of Gunn’s ensemble driven films. Though one of them gets the centerpiece in this film…

The Ballad of Rocket Raccoon - It is Rocket’s movie. To the point that I was surprised how MUCH of the film is flashbacks to his backstory). The smart thing is injury / hospitalization not only drives the motive of the story, it also gives everybody time to shine as we get the flashbacks (normally I’d be harder on flashback structure and purpose in the present, but it’s such a GOOD endearing sad story that I pretty much don’t care).. Essentially, Rocket is the product of  some Island of Dr. Moreau shit. And he becomes part of a gang of Sid’s misfit toys, especially, in that their designs all strike that perfect balance of creepy and yet cute. It’s honestly one of my favorite kind of story things in that you already KNOW these adorable misfit fuckers are likely doomed and it’s going to take the damn time to make you fall in love with them anyway. But it doesn’t feel manipulative because it’s completely earnest. Whether it’s the child-like delirium of Floor, the adorableness of Teefs naming himself Teefs (played by Asim Chaudhry, one of my all time favorite Taskmaster contestants). And, Linda Cardellini who is beyond excellent as the soulful Lila. I pretty much cried at every scene because it was just more build up for the inevitable. Drama is not about surprises. It’s about digging into you with emotion and purpose. And the moment she says “sky” while staring at the dank ceiling I muttered “fuck you” through tears because it’s one of those heartbreakingly good details that take something from “a sad thing occurring” to poetic loss itself. And if you ever needed more motive for your story, then it’s what helps get you there completely. Also helping matters is some…

Proper Prosciutto - So I never watched the Peacemaker show so this is my first time seeing Chukwudi Iwuji and he is fantastic in this. What I particularly love is the choice of how he plays it. Because the MCU villains have been mostly stern fuddy duddies and some genuinely charismatic and scary folks (Loki, Killmonger, etc). But I feel like we never got a proper HAMMY performance. To be clear, hammy villain performances are lovely things. We’ve spent way too many years worshiping at the altar of naturalism in films. And these movies are precisely where they should be occurring. Because having some big over the top delirium is a good thing. It makes a villain both hateable AND fun to watch. And it totally works if the actor is inhabiting that delirium with full commitment. Iwuji gets to do it all. Snottiness, reservation, unhinged megalomania. It all goes with the ups and downs and whims of his great control of voice. I’m an immediate big fan! But let’s get back to the Guardians…

Mantis - Something has happened where Pom Klementieff’s Mantis has basically become my favorite character in this group? It probably starts with the fact that Klementieff is an incredible comic actor and her timing and diction elevate every single line. But what’s also great is Gunn is so good at writing a certain kind of boneheaded crassness and she’s just a natural foil,  especially for Drax. To be clear, she’s just as boneheaded sometimes, a total innocent to the world much the same. The key difference is she is geared around outrageous sensitivity to others and has literal empathy powers. Thus, they get to be a little idiot duo in the most endearing way. Also, the way she often dispatches people by making them think one thing or another has become one of my favorite little running aspects of the movies. I also love that this movie (and special) gave her such a stark amount of running time. Which speaks to the way Gunn likes to give the supporting players their big beats (I mean, who thought Vol. II would be about the heart of Yondu). Speaking of which…

Cosmo - I literally don’t remember how Cosmo became a part of the team, but that’s fine. Because there’s definitely some great BMO-like affectation here (though apparently she’s voiced by  Maria Bakalova AKA Borat’s daughter?) Anyway the runner of “bad dog” is so dang good. But of course, it’s not just about the characters on the side. There’s some mains to take care of…

The Long and Winding Road - Peter had such a good story in Vol. II that much of this feels like he’s running around until he can have the homecoming he was really ready for after that second movie (we’ll get to the other aspect of that in a minute). Thus, after all is said and done, Quill returns home to see his grandpa, another Gunn regular Gregg Henry and dang if he doesn’t get to kill his one scene. It all feels right. Meanwhile, Groot is kind of there and Buff and chill, but that's pretty much it. Similarly, Drax doesn’t have the most to do in this one, but so much of that is about his comedic partnership with Mantis. Plus, it still ends in the right place where he gets to be daddy again. But I think this emphasis clearly speaks to the parts of the story Gunn is interested in and the parts not so much. Which brings us to…

The Gamora of It All - Look. I don’t know the machinations of what Gunn got to control or not control when it came to her death in the infinity saga, along with the choice to include old Gamora. But it’s one of those absolutely purposeless things. Like it’s such an absurd, non-existent situation that DOESN’T have a clear metaphor to glom onto emotionally, so I’m sitting there watching this repetitive plot-line happen and asking: “why does this exist?” Like, she was brought back just for her to have to repeat “I’m not her!” a lot in this film and kind of just ends up in this no man’s land where she learns these folks were fun and then goes on her way? And yet this feels like the only right choice that doesn’t betray something deeper??? Look, it’s not just that including old Gamora robs the infinity movies of an actual meaningful death. It… I just… I never got the intent of how this was handed to him and genuinely don’t think Gunn ever felt comfortable with it either? It FEELS like they just wanted to hand-wave it all away and have him pretend it's fine now. But the shame is Saldana is so good in all these movies and I feel like she is in rare form of seeming tired and a little bored. No one really knows what to do. But the thing is how much I feel like this pairing also missed something important…

Nebula - I know they were making a joke at the moment, but the “sounds like her” beat where Peter notices her black eyes I was like, “oh, this is smart?” Plus, they set up the way she looked at him when she put him to bed drunk earlier on which hints at some kind of want or affection. And the two of them have been through a lot, so I genuinely thought they were setting something up that could have been meaningful? Wouldn’t it also have been this proper way to mourn the person they lost and move onto something? Like Karen Gillan is great in the role and it would be fun (and likely funny) to see her vulnerable side? But because of The Gamora Of It All, it felt like she gets the least of the ending victory or a growth moment? I don’t know how anyone else felt, but Peter and these two felt like the one “???” in a film where Gunn is so good at meaningfully taking the rest of the character from A to B.

Soundtrack Stuff - I know it’s part of the deal that each movie gets a music timeline update, but it was kind of funny seeing the Guardians listen to 90’s songs? Maybe I’m just not emotionally ready for all the music I listened to as a teenager to be “oldies,” let alone 2000’s stuff when I was a working adult. But I suppose that’s just the way the cookie crumbles. To wit, the final Florence + The Machine dance off is one of those things that in another movie probably doesn’t work, but here? After three of these films? It feels earned at least. Also, is it just me or did it feel like there were MORE needle drops than previous films? I genuinely don’t know, just curious if anyone else felt that too.

F Bomb - I never realized the MCU has never dropped an F bomb (as is the right of any PG13 movie to drop ONE). But the fact that it came in such a mundane and unexpectedly hilarious scene is the kicker. Do kids these days remember those doors? They WERE infuriating and always broke, too. But I’m glad it got a massive laugh in the theater.

On Saving / Shooting The Animals - So the ending button is… odd? Because I really love the gesture of Rocket saving all the animals and it feels like this really important button to show a counterpoint to the villainy’s idea of what constitutes “worthy life” as well as tying it into his own journey of embracing his Racoon heritage - but Rocket ALSO using the word “higher life form” kind of muddles that a bit? And then I guess that last scene is trying to get into the inherent hypocrisy of what they sometimes do? Like yeah he’s going to kill all these beasts and feel bad, but he’s saying it so casually and “what are ya gonna do?”-like and… would it not feel better if… that part was unsaid? I don’t know. It’s one of those things where it feels like a no win situation to address in text, then it’s probably best left unaddressed?

Afterlife - I find it funny that a few of these marvel movies have just casually been like, “yeah, heaven or Valhalla or whatever is totally real” and that’s WILD.

Oh Yeah, The Christmas Special -  I literally forgot to watch the Christmas special until right before (and it ended up being important for plot stuff?), but it was fun! They go to Hollywood! Musso and Franks! Also calling Boardner’s “Yarvo’s” is a fun little shout out to one of Gunn’s good friends and collaborator). The fact that Bacon is watching Santa Claus vs. The Martians tells you a lot about what it’s after. But the interconnectedness and me almost having not seen the special also brings us to the final subject...

The Silent Pin - I talked a lot about how this felt like “saying goodbye” to the MCU and I honestly don’t know how much longer I can keep my enthusiasm for this going (at least in the “always covering it and having something to say” kind of way). But please understand there’s no real mourning here. We all had a good time. Disney made bazillions. They will continue to make a little less than bazillions for the next bit. And there will be some sort of recycling through all this in time. But it’s interesting to think about the “the big why” of how some things start to go away that don’t just chalk it up to time and happenstance. For instance, I had an old coach who would often talk about “the silent pin” as the thing that secretly kills a team during a match (for the metaphor to work you have to imagine a team is a big inflated mattress or something and you’re just putting a pin hole in it). It doesn’t need to be a big thing. Sometimes it’s not what you expect. And yes, most likely, it’s a lot of little things compounding. But for each of us it often tends to be something more specific.

For instance, the MCU was always good at spinning its endless endgame, while never actually paying things off, and just always teasing toward Thanos and “the grand plan.” I criticized the HOW a lot of times, but it pretty much worked. And when it finally got there, it felt like a real conclusion. But since then there hasn’t really been a genuine northstar to point to. Even No Way Home rushed into the endless multiverse amazement of it all. Everything is off the leash now, but they’re all going in different directions with different rules and priorities. Part of me likes that, honestly. And maybe it would have been good for the MCU to do more of it earlier on. But part of me also doesn’t have anything to glom onto anymore. But even that’s not really the silent pin for me.

For me it was Disney Plus. I know the whole idea was that they were going to “open up worlds,” but (almost) every series has kind of just muddled through, even though, Ms. Marvel is one of the best things they’ve ever done. But it’s not so much a matter of quality anymore. It’s the fact that it all watered down the experience, while also making it overwhelming. The problem with all the interconnected content is there’s just *so much* of it and it feels easy to drown in it. And worst of all, you lose the “event status” that made all these movies feel special in the first place. Which is all fitting, really. Because the real thing about the silent pin is that it doesn’t blow a hole in the side and all the air goes out immediately. It’s a difference of pressure and a quiet hiss that makes the deflation, which helps remind us of the simplest fact of all…

It collapses under its own weight.

<3HULK