THB #365: Guardians of The Galaxy, Vol 3 (spoiler-free)

The first 2/3rds of the film suffer from the real Big Bad in the Marvel Cinematic Universe right now… Too Much Stuff.

James Gunn was the first filmmaker to break the traditional cycle of Marvel Studios and to create a personal movie inside of the machinery. In a way, it started with Joe Johnston’s period film, Captain America: The First Avenger. But while that film was highly stylized, it felt like part of the building towards The Avengers. Guardians of the Galaxy felt like something else altogether.

The next year, Peyton Reed broke the mold again with Ant-Man. Then, Scott Derrickson with Doctor Strange the next year. A year later, Taika Waititi broke the mold in a different way, taking one of the Avengers core characters and giving it a very different spin with Thor: Ragnarok. A year later, Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther offered a very traditional story and a groundbreaking cast and political undertone.

The Avengers were assembled for the massive double feature, Infinity War and Endgame…