Susan Granger’s review of “Guardians of the Galaxy – Vol. 3” (Marvel Studios/Disney)
If you’ve been an avid follower of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and writer/director James Gunn’s fun-loving band of intergalactic outcasts, you may be intrigued by Rocket Raccoon’s origin story.
Anthropomorphic Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) was created by genetic manipulation by a mad scientist, The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), as part of his aim to create a utopia called Counter-Earth, generating and then exterminating various experimental creatures.
“There is no God! That’s why I’m taking charge,” he yells.
Years ago – before the first “Guardians of the Galaxy” – Rocket escaped from the biotech company known as Orgocorp, but now The High Evolutionary wants the talking raccoon back to study his super-intelligence and mental prowess.
So he dispatches a dim-witted, golden-hued synthetic, Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), along with the squishy Orgoscope spaceship filled with repulsive animal-human hybrids.
Naturally, Rocket’s vagabond buddies – half-human Peter Quill – a.k.a. Star Lord (Chris Pratt), Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), mind-manipulating Mantis (Pom Klementieff), acerbic Nebula (Karen Gillan) and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) – who have settled in Knowwhere – want to help their critically-injured friend.
Plus there’s newly resurrected, younger Glamora (Zoe Saldana), former ravager Kraglin (Sean Gunn, the director’s brother) and a golden retriever Soviet space veteran known as Cosmo (voiced by Maria Bakalova).
In previous installments of the Guardians sci-fi action-comedy concept, there’s been good-natured, space-pirate humor but, here, they’re just babbling nonsense for a bloated two hours, 30 minutes.
The best sequences are poignant flashbacks showing how young Rocket gains sentience and bonds with other genetically-altered species, like an otter, rabbit and walrus. The worst sequences involve gross ‘n’ gruesome, heavy-handed destruction. And it’s curious that James Gunn seems to be connecting with the currently controversial ‘trans’ experience.
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Guardians of the Galaxy – Vol. 3” is a heavy-handed, bizarrely grotesque 5, playing in theaters – with two end-credits scenes and a closing title card claiming: “The Legendary Star-Lord Will Return.”
