Recently hubby and I went to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 at Roadhouse Cinema here in Colorado Springs. Maybe I wasn’t in the right frame of mind, maybe it was the fact that we waited over an hour for our food while everyone around us got theirs on time, maybe it was my own triggers, maybe it was because we were sitting so close to the screen in the front row making the action so much larger than life, or maybe there really was excessive depictions of animal and child cruelty. In any case, I didn’t enjoy it. Not. One. Bit. And I really wanted to. Which Ironically means it was a good movie.
What was this Movie About?
The latest installment of the GotG saga gives us the story of the genius and enigmatic, Rocket. Rocket doesn’t talk about his past. Turns out it’s brutal. In fact, Nebula says what was done to rocket was worse that what her father, Thanos did to her. If you have issues with animal or child cruelty, you might want to reconsider seeing this one. As the dog and cat mom of rescue animals, I couldn’t disengage from the triggering effects of repeated cruelty shown on the screen.
Did I say “repeatedly”?
Oh, yes, I see I did.
Rocket is near death after he’s attacked by one of the Sovereign tasked with bringing him back to High Evolutionary who engineered both the Sovereign and Rocket. Rocket escaped High Evolution while he was still a kit after his “modifications” made him too smart for his own good, or the good of the rest of his group of modified ‘lower beings”. And so Starlord and what’s left of his crew after “the snap” organizes a rescue mission involving getting the code for Rocket’s kill switch from High Evolutionary so they can repair his body and save him. Much mayhem ensues because…GotG.
The movie had all the flashy effects, adventure, and a little of the comedic factor (which fell rather flat) that I’ve come to expect from GotG, but it was totally overshadowed. There was entirely too much suffering. It seems to be the newest thing in modern films. There was no sense of wonder, no light and the script seemed formulaic at best and the abilities of each character are inconsistent an conflicting.
Why Is GotG Vol. 3 A Good Movie?
Because it made grown-ass adults cry. I heard the sniffles from all over the theater. How does that make it a good movie? Much like me, the other people who were sniffling couldn’t suspend their empathy response to Rocket’s tortured past. The love lost between Peter and Gamora is sad and pales in comparison, never progressing in any meaningful way. And yet, many people think it’s a fabulous flick. Maybe that’s because of the usual spectacular effects or a favorite cameo such as Nathan Fillion as Master Karja. But I was prepared for a ridiculous and fun space ride and ended up watching a movie that continually threw the torture of Rocket, his friends, and even kids at me. However, because it elicited such a strong emotional response and as a writer who is always watching with one eye on the mechanics of the story, I still have to say it was a good movie. Just maybe not for people like me who were expecting fun, not a sad, tear-jerker.
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