Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 review – An enjoyably unhinged finale

Writer-director James Gunn, best known for indie-horror movies, injected some gonzo charm into the franchise-building machine.

Now, after the crushingly predictable Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, his gang of misfits are back with an enjoyably unhinged finale to the space-opera series.

It begins in unusually downbeat fashion, with wise-cracking space raccoon Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) listening to Radiohead’s Creep.

A flashback to a cage of traumatised baby raccoons suggests Rocket is mulling over his dark origin story.

But his mournful reveries are rudely interrupted by the arrival of buff flying assassin Adam Warlock (Will Poulter).

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Manchild Quill (Chris Pratt), humourless hulk Drax (Dave Bautista), grumpy cyborg Nebula (Karen Gillan), bug-woman Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and walking tree Groot (Vin Diesel) send him packing.

But Rocket has been fatally wounded. It turns out he has a kill switch in his furry chest that prevents him from undergoing an operation.

To save his life, the Guardians must steal a code from a biotech company’s fleshy HQ (it looks like a floating orifice) and battle the villainous High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) who created Rocket as part of a plan to develop a master race.

Over two-and-a-half hours, the plot pinballs across the galaxy, with Gunn crafting surreal spectacles, disturbing flashbacks, quirky comedy and, weirdest of all, heartfelt drama.

The plot doesn’t always make sense but the messiness feels like a strength.

Gunn, now signed up with rival comic book outfit DC, has been allowed to chip away at the formula and take a few risks. Vol. 3 is at its most entertaining when it doesn’t feel like a Marvel movie.