“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” held preview screenings and had its Hollywood premiere on Thursday, and that means the reactions are pouring in.
And it’s a given that so far, those who saw it tonight mostly loved it. Attendees in screenings on the east coast or in the central time zones got out first — as we write this, the Hollywood premiere screening is currently about halfway through — so we’ll start with them.
Film critic Bob Chipman calls it “easily the best of the trilogy and a top 5 Marvel Movie,” and he also posits that director James Gunn’s new bosses at Warner. Bros. have to be happy with that decision after seeing this.
Writer Mike Ryan said Gunn “bet the house” on the film, “and won,” and praised how it exists as a sci-fi action film as opposed to another Super Hero joint.
But there was some rumblings of dissent. “It has far too many characters and a frustrating tone shift… it felt unfulfilling for a finale. Easily the weakest of the trilogy,” Ricky Valero wrote.
“As a send off for all of these characters, it feels strangely uneven & anticlimactic,” Matt Neglia wrote.
In this final chapter of James Gunn’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy, our beloved band of space-faring 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.
Reprising their roles from previous films are Chris Pratt (Star Lord), Zoe Saldaña (Gamora), Dave Bautista (Drax), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Pom Klementieff (Mantis), featuring Vin Diesel (Groot) and Bradley Cooper (Rocket) and Sean Gunn (Kraglin). Debuting in “Vol 3” are Chukwudi Iwuji (The High Evolutionary), Will Poulter (Adam Warlock) and Maria Bakalova (Cosmo).
As with previous films, Gunn directs and also wrote the screenplay. Kevin Feige produces with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Nikolas Korda, Simon Hatt and Sara Smith serving as executive producers. Marvel Studios’ “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” opens in U.S. theaters on May 5.
Read more reactions below: