Did the MCU just get back on track? | Video Essay

mm-hmm this is a tasty burger Guardians of the Galaxy vol 3 is here and it's actually good look the MCU has not been traveling all that well the past couple years and I've spoken at length about it almost to the point of exhaustion now I made a video a couple weeks ago talking about the decline of superhero movies and I still stand by what I said in that video and in that video I also said that I was still rooting for Guardians of the Galaxy 3 and I'm glad to say that Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is probably the best thing Marvel have produced since no way home now I know that's not really saying much as everything since no way home has been pretty and of course no way home itself was hiding under the veneer of unapologetic Nostalgia but Guardians 3 may be the course correct that the MCU needed because if this was another misfire from the MCU then I think there'd be serious alarm Bells going on at Marvel Studios but this was James Gunn's swan song in the MCU and the final installment of the Guardians Trilogy and I have a lot to dive into on this one because it's not perfect it has some large issues amongst all the good so let's dive deep into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. did it get the MCU back on track let's find out but first a word from today's sponsor this video is sponsored by Wonder an app that can turn your words into digital art now if you're struggling for inspiration like I always am when thinking of YouTube thumbnails across all the channels I run this is where Wonder steps in all you do is type in what you want for this I'm going to go with Baby Groot playing poker because why not then you need to select a style and we're going to go with Hyper realistic and within seconds Wanda will generate art based on your input and boom there you go there's your art and you'll notice that Wonder's realistic model works so well and it's eventually impossible to tell that it was actually made completely from just AI like it looks like a human probably could have done it I'm not even joking I've actually spent quite a lot of time on this app and your imagination is pretty much the only barrier so if you want to check it out then be sure to head to the description below to download Wonder for your yourself and for those of you who use that link you will get a free trial of the premium version which includes over 20 Styles its faster has no ads and unlimited art so click the link below and a big thank you to wonder for sponsoring this video so the Guardians of the Galaxy films have sort of been the odd one out in the Marvel Cinematic Universe the first Guardians film came out in 2014 which was nine years ago and that is really damn depressing but most people thought Marvel had lost their mind when this film was announced and the trailers dropped it was just so unlike anything in the MCU and a huge leap into the cosmic element of the MCU that we still see today but then it came out and it was actually really good one of the better MCU installments even back then taking a bunch of Misfits putting them together ramping the comedy up to 11 with a strong emotional core at its Center this group of likable characters with most of them having deep backstories that get slowly uncovered along the way granted it did have a pretty villain let's be honest but he served his purpose I suppose like the fact that the first Guardians is as good as it is despite having such a villain pretty much goes to show that James Gunn nailed virtually everything else the film had to offer in volume 2 pretty much followed suit but dialed the comedy up an extra Notch to the detriment of the story characters but overall was still a really fun time but more importantly it kept that strong emotional core that made the first film so powerful most notably with the Final Act and sacrifice of yondu essentially leaving quill with the loss of his actual father and a father figure like that still hits hard and you know that's what these Guardians films are their Cosmic action comedies with a strong emotional core it's been consistent throughout the entire Trilogy and volume 3 absolutely follows suit volume 3 is definitely a good bookend to these Guardians movies a solid ending that stays true to what came before which to be honest in the MCU is rare these days volume 3 respects the first Guardians and volume 2 paying off certain plot threads that weave their way throughout the trilogy making it feel connected and worth the journey I'd even argue certain elements of volume 3 actually make the other two Guardians movies even better specifically with rocket now we know from the marketing alone that this was going to be Rock movie and it is even though in the current day he's unconscious for like 80 of the movie it's still his we get the backstory alluded to in all those brief scenes throughout the trilogy the scene where rocket takes off his shirt in the prison in the first film we get a direct answer for that Rocket's drunken Outburst also gets filled in adding another layer onto the character that to be honest warrants a re-watch of the other two movies you get to watch the trilogy now through the lens of knowing what rocket really went through it's one thing hearing about it but it's another seeing it and that's where I think volume 3 succeeds as a conclusion to the guardian's story because it feels like a cohesive Trilogy it adds to what came before it feels like one man's Vision coming together to create something that could be enjoyed but there are some problems with volume 3 despite that so let's dive deep into volume 3 and start with the problems because there are quite a few despite being a pretty damn good film overall it still Falls victim to many of the MCU tropes that plague everything coming from this product the people are just getting tired of the jokes for the sake of jokes being one of them now look the Guardians films have always been funny probably the most humor heavy films in the entire MCU but thanks to the cast and James Gunn's writing it always worked volume 3 definitely still cranks that humor Factor up but it doesn't always land now don't get me wrong there are jokes in here that are actually funny and I'd say about 70 of the time the humor does land which is a massive upgrade from the five percent for the rest of the MCU lately but there were a few moments where there was really important dialogue going on that was going to propel the story forward and it comes to a screeching halt just for the sake of a joke there is a scene in particular where quill is talking to this bat lady trying to find out important information as they're running out of time to save pocket like the dude's nearly dead but the dialogue halts multiple times in that one scene to fit in a joke of Drax laying down on a couch it's kind of like alright it was funny the first time can we stop cutting the tension for equip please and the film has a few moments like this where the Guardians are against the clock and everything stops just so they can scream at each other now I get that gun was probably leaning into the family Dynamic of the group but it really came at the expense of the story and the pacing in general not to mention it just led to some really wacky tonal inconsistencies look this film was at its best when it was taking itself seriously you've got emotional backstory with rocket friends fighting against time to save him a villain that is straight up pure evil with a whacked God complex you know it was good when it let itself be serious but the jokes at times not always but at times did intrude on some of these moments the scene where rocket basically nearly dies and quill is losing it which they put in the trash trailer by the way like yeah cheers for that but I was like damn this is a Marvel movie in 2023 and I'm actually feeling something like it's about time I haven't had this since end game but then you know we're back to the jokes for the sake of jokes just a few minutes later the film could have let its weighty moments Brew in the viewers Minds a little bit more before breaking the tone with humor another example is when quill opens up to the new Gamora about literally everything and it's a great scene but then they cut it off for a joke so mantis and Drax can argue about colors like why let this dialogue keep going it's interesting let the serious moments linger for a little bit I think I'm just becoming completely closed off to the Marvel humor in general to be honest now whilst we're on the topic of humor we've got to talk about Adam Warlock they try to play him off for laughs and this just did not work at all when his tomb was revealed in volume 2 6 years ago it was like damn this dude is going to come in and wreck shop and then they announced that will Will Poulter was going to be playing him and I was like the dude who pisses on sacred trees in mid-summer like let's go like he just felt like a bit of an afterthought and it kind of felt like James Gunn didn't want him in this film and Kevin feige was pushing it on him the scene where quill nearly dies and Adam saves him I was like oh yeah Adam warlocks in this movie he really just felt like attacked on afterthought and the idea to have him come out of his tomb early so he's essentially a child this just didn't work they really tried to make every atom warlock scene a joke and it's like why this dude is ultra powerful and he's limited to Google gaga baby jokes I mean The Sovereign in general didn't really need to be in this movie and for me this was pretty disappointing as a debut for Adam Warlock and it's not because of Will Poulter I think he was very well cast but just deserved better material for his character specifically I feel like this entire situation with Adam Warlock was down to Studio interference more than anything which which is pretty sad because even the better MCU products now seem to have that corporate executive influence I imagine it went something like this Marvel was like no James we need Adam Warlock here for our future plans and James Gunn's like well I have no place for him in this story and the Marvel executives are like too bad do it like that's my completely rational explanation on why Adam Warlock was the way he was in this movie another gripe I had with this film were some major conveniences and just plot contrivances that have become very commonplace in the MCU there are moments that are so convenient it's like really that's a little lazy from you James like Drax happening to be able to just speak this mysterious language of all the children rocket being on the verge of death but being thrown around a room and still being alive and a few other minor moments like that just led me to believe that the script wasn't as watertight as the first guardian's film especially but enough dunking on the film because it does do a lot right especially when compared to the Slate of modern MCU films and shows one thing that this film really excelled in were the characters themselves except for Adam Warlock like I said before but the dynamic between the guardian's crew was great rocket gets Gravely injured in the first 5 or 10 minutes and you really get the best out of characters like quill as a result of that quill starts the film Out struggling to deal with the new Gamora not being the same as the old Gamora so he drinks himself into Oblivion which to be honest they could have actually kept that thread going throughout the film that would have been really interesting but we see him snap back into the Star-Lord we know when Rocket's life is in the balance and I know a lot of people really love to hate on Chris Pratt but I really enjoyed what he brought to the character in this installment the scene where rocket nearly dies like that was pretty full-on each Guardian gets a moment to shine as well I really really liked mantis in this film and it's cool seeing her get a lot more to do but whether it was Groot nebula Gamora mantis Star-Lord even craglin got a really nice moment these characters are actually likable I know right likable characters and modern MCU movies mind-blowing stuff but the character that this film excels with is rocket probably 80 of the time we spend with rocket in this film takes place in flashbacks they were used really well though we see Rockets tortured past we see the events that make him the character we've known for the past nine years and it just adds more context as to why he acts the way he does James Gunn really said move aside Chris Pratt it's raccoon time and it somehow worked I'm honestly surprised that rocket didn't die in this film they could have killed rocket in the scene where the healing stops working and we see Quill's reaction from the trailer we see him reunite with his friends he's looking into the light honestly not a bad place to end things for the character and it would have been a ballsy decision which I would have respected but they kept him alive to face off against the villain and then lead the Guardians by the end of the film either way this was Rocket's movie but speaking of the villain of the film we've got to talk about the high evolutionary the big bad of the film and the Tormentor to Rockets past now I liked Kang in Ant-Man 3 but this guy is a better Kang than Kang I'm just gonna put that out there this dude was way more threatening pure evil but evil with a purpose granted that purpose was buried within a up God complex but you understand why he's doing what he's doing not in a sympathetic way though like he's Pure Evil and this kind of villain just works when you're telling a story like this Chuck Woody a wuji I know I probably butchered that don't laugh at me this dude brought it he was great at convincing and threatening villain that proves that Marvel can still do villains right I just wish that Christian Bale got the same treatment in love and thunder now story wise the film is fine the backbone of this story takes place in those rocket flashbacks and it surprisingly works you get to spend enough time with rocket and his friends that you buy into the emotional payoff when they eventually die and the flashbacks do most of the heavy lifting with flashing out the high evolution scenery so that means the current Day scenes can focus on the gang's journey to save rocket which I think was actually a really smart way to tell this story by gun and I've also got to put this in this video because I was actually really happy to see this James Gunn didn't cave into just getting Gamora and quill back together that would have been super predictable and undercut gamora's death in Infinity War so I'm glad to see him make the ballsy move to have Gamora go back to the ravages so it feels like quill has still lost something with gamora's death and they didn't just their way into undoing it like good job Jimbo now as for the ending I've seen some people take issue with it I've seen some people praise it endlessly I'm definitely on the more positive side here for a change I thought the ending scene with Dog Days Are Over playing was a really cathartic ending not just for the characters but the audience as a whole saying goodbye to some of these characters who have gone their separate ways and doing it in an uplifting way in a film that went really dark in some areas was a really nice touch I dug the sending and it was a great way to end the trilogy out I really think Guardians of the Galaxy is a half in the bag kind of deal they nailed certain elements of the story and its characters but it still Falls victim to the tropes of Modern Marvel movies just to a lesser extent to what we've been seeing in the past few years so the fact that Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is actually good does this mean the MCU is out of the woods does it mean that the MCU is back on track off the back of this film alone I don't think so just yet reason being one of the reasons this film works so well is it feels like it takes place in its own pocket Universe there are no Avengers in sight no Side characters getting their own shows it was very disconnected from the rest of the MCU which is probably why it worked let's be honest this was just an isolated Guardians film made by a filmmaker and writer who's actually good at his job as for where things leave off with this film it also doesn't really have any ongoing consequences for the mcu's overarching story either just a few of the Guardians of the Galaxy members have been swapped around quill lives on earth now like that's the only real change and I like that however I still feel like the MCU is going to keep struggling along I feel like this film was just one of those bright spots I mean we have secret invasion ironheart Agatha Loki Echo the Marvels like yeah I don't think Guardians 3 being a good film is gonna really stop the onslaught of mediocrity around the corner maybe I'm just being the ultimate pessimist about this given the recent MC films and shows I think that pessimism isn't misplaced to be honest we've all seen some of the garbage that's been churned out over the past couple years but this lineup in 2023 does not look encouraging at all I'd happily be proven wrong but if I was putting money on it I'd say the MCU still has a little bit more fulling to do before it gets back up so overall Guardians of the Galaxy vol 3 it's a very good MCU film it's a very good James Gunn film more specifically I really loved how dark they were willing to go with this story and to let the characters be the stars of the show instead of out of place social commentary which is refreshing in modern MCU outings although this film was really good it does fall victim to some of the issues plaguing current Marvel films and shows but nowhere near as bad and overall I'd chalk this one up a big win for the MCU and a really good bookend to a great Trilogy for James Gunn and I'm excited to see what this man brings to DC but was this film The Savior of the MCU I don't think so now just before I end this video I just want to say thank you very much for watching if you are new around here be sure to subscribe to the channel for more videos just like this one we cover everything from the MCU to Star Wars Game of Thrones all your favorite big releases so if that interests you make sure you subscribe and also consider becoming a member for exclusive content and remember to check out Wonder through the link in the description down below but until next time thank you very much for watching

Channel: Movie Overload

Views: 55,080

Keywords: mcu video essay, video essay, mcu, guardians of the galaxy, guardians of the galaxy vol 3, guardians of the galaxy vol. 3, guardians of the galaxy 3, disney, marvel phase 5, marvel phase 4, mcu phase 5, film criticism, marvel cinematic universe, avengers, marvel, marvel video essay, marvel studios, kevin feige, film video essay, film, kang, ant man 3, film analysis, mcu rant, movie overload, marvel review, movies, rocket raccoon, gotg, jonathan majors, james gunn, gotg 3

Id: yktvDInzHeQ

Length: 17min 12sec (1032 seconds)

Published: Thu May 18 2023