‘Guardians Vol. 3’ First Reviews Say It’s a Fitting Farewell

Whether we want to or not, it’s time to say goodbye to the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Writer/director James Gunn has promised that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be the farewell for this iteration of the Marvel team. (And Gunn himself is saying goodbye too; he’s off to run DC and make a Superman movie.) Before he joins the Distinguished Competition, Gunn wrote and directed this third Guardians, reuniting Star-Lord, Drax, Gamora, Rocket, Nebula, Kraglin, and Groot for a high-stakes battle with the High Evolutionary (played by Chukwudi Iwuji), a mad genius intent on — what else? — reshaping the universe in his own image.

So does this Guardians live up to the previous two? Generally, the first reactions to the movies out of early screenings are very positive, with some calling it the best Marvel movie in years. (Although with the competition lately, that’s not necessarily the biggest compliment in the world.) Still, most reactions heap a ton of praise on the film and on Gunn’s work. A few, however, did call it “uneven” and the weakest film in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, due in part to a somewhat underwhelming villain.

Here’s a sample of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 reviews so far:

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Here is the film’s official synopsis:

In Marvel Studios’ “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” our beloved band of misfits are settling into life on Knowhere. But it isn’t long before their lives are upended by the echoes of Rocket’s turbulent past. Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him on a dangerous mission to save Rocket’s life—a mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens in theaters on May 5.