Yep, I saw it. Probably no big surprise, I love the Guardians movies probably more than anything else in the MCU. This particular movie was a very bittersweet entry that I'm still processing. It dives into some very difficult subject matter, including animal cruelty, that really makes some parts difficult to sit through. More than that, though, is it feels like a final send-off of sorts. James Gunn had announced some time ago that this would be his last run in the Guardians of the Galaxy/MCU and is now being tasked with trying to unfuck the mess that is DC's own cinematic universe...best of luck to him, he'll need it for that mess. With that, however, this movie really touches on some things in a meta way, really hammering in the point that nothing in the MCU is going to be quite the same with the conclusion of the Infinity Saga.

Going into more detail about the last part, I don't really know if the "MCU Burnout" that's being discussed is an actual thing or if it just really feels like the producers and writers involved don't know where to take things following Avengers: Endgame, but a lot of the movies they've been releasing lately feel like placeholders. Guardians Vol. 3 feels different, possibly because of the plot threads and loose ends that it ties up, but it felt like a more consistent movie because of it. The only thing that I can gather about where the MCU is heading right now is that they're going into multiverse stuff, which could be a lot of fun, but it seems to be coming at the cost of character development and character-driven stories, which is where the strength of the Infinity Saga was. I'm not trying to be all doom and gloom about these movies, I'm sure there are plenty of people who disagree with me, which is great.

The soundtrack that the GotG movies are famous for also hit different, with a selection of tracks spanning from the 70's all the way to the 2000's. Pivotal points in the plot were accompanied by songs that I grew up listening to and that were new when I was younger, like "In the Meantime" by Spacehog and "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" by the Beastie Boys. It's actually very strange, because it has only just now occurred to me that it's almost ten years since GotG Vol. 1 first premiered, and the MCU proper first started way back in 2008, well over 10 years ago now. With that in mind, I'm wondering if maybe the executives at Disney and Marvel should maybe consider letting continuity slide a little. That's not to say I think they should ignore and disregard everything that's happened, but maybe start fresh by introducing brand new characters and making it easier for people whose viewing lapsed during the initial run, as well as new audiences in general, to break into it. That's one of the strengths of Phases 1 and 2, you had movies that focused primarily on characters that were fun and there wasn't a huge backlog that you absolutely had to watch to be able to comprehend the full plot.

Bottomline: If you've been following along with the MCU up until Endgame, you'll most likely enjoy this movie. I do recommend seeing Thor: Love and Thunder and the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special prior to this movie, but you won't be missing too terribly much if you don't. Be aware, however, that Rocket Raccoon's background is explored in this movie and with that comes some really unpleasant things like animal experimentation and abuse. The villain in this movie is also notable in that he is perhaps the most loathsome piece of shit shown to us so far. That last bit is especially interesting, as one of the strengths of the MCU has also been that the villains often make legitimate observations or have legitimate problems that make them more sympathetic, even if the means they go to to reach their goals are disagreeable. That's not a criticism of this villain, however, as I think a villain you absolutely love to hate and love to watch suffer is a nice little treat every now and then.

Check this one out, especially if you've enjoyed the Guardians for their full run so far!