A foul-mouthed raccoon, a green murderess, a walking tree from Lord of the Rings with a limited vocabulary, a dummy and a Han Solo-like space pirate with a Walkman full of last century hits: if there must be superheroes, give us the riffraff who’ll save the universe from catastrophe while joking and messing around in Guardians of the Galaxy. Volume three continues the Fifth Phase in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It recounts how the Guardians were joined by Cosmo the Spacedog and almost fall apart during a dangerous mission to help Rocket (that foul-mouthed, gun-toting raccoon), haunted by his past. Does it matter? Hardly. The fact that the band is back performing, not counting guest appearances in Marvel’s other superhero films, is enough for the many fans to take a seat. And that’s not as mad as it perhaps sounds.
The last two films gave you everything you could expect from superhero movies and space shows, including a great deal of action, but this time it is served with a lot more fun and bravery. Being free from the pressure of taking it all too seriously makes it a lot easier to sit back and enjoy the show with a sophisticated, generous soundtrack full of rock-solid Walkman songs. The superhero movie as upbeat pop song rather than of bombastic stadium rock.
The soundtrack of the new Guardians film features songs like Bruce Springsteen’s “Badlands”, Faith No More’s "We Care a Lot", and the delightful “I Will Dare” by The Replacements. Perhaps the motto that best suits Guardians of the Galaxy (and especially their guardian, director and screenwriter James Gunn) would be “I will dare”.
The secret of Guardians of the Galaxy? 'I will dare!'
The last two films gave you everything you could expect from superhero movies, including a great deal of action, but this time it is served with a lot more fun and bravery
Disney, owner of Marvel, threw Gunn out in 2018, following an outcry over old tweets about AIDS, paedophilia and rape. Even if his first Guardians was a surprisingly big success which showed Marvel that its superhero films could be made more enjoyable. Even though the success of the sequel showed that there is music in Guardians, even without the surprise effect. The actors stood up for Gunn. In March 2019, he was hired again for directing the Guardians’ very last appearance. Since then, Gunn is appointed to lead DC Studios and make Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman as successful as rival Marvel. That makes him one of the most powerful people in Hollywood.
The contrast with the time he visited the Brussels International Fantastic Film and sat alone at a table in one of the huge and empty sheds at Tour & Taxis is enormous. That was 2007, BIFFF had only recently moved to Tour & Taxis and only half of the audience moved along. Journalists didn’t line up to interview him, but they were wrong. Gunn spoke fervently about Slither, his unsubtle but highly amusing horror film that gleefully put the main subgenres of horror cinema through the wringer. He also talked about his beliefs in films that delight by their courage. I will dare. Whether you make a low-budget horror film that primarily makes BIFFF smile, or spend $250 million making Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which aims to make the whole world chuckle.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3: release: 3/5
Read more about: Film, Marvel Cinematic Universe
