Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3: Rocket Raccoon Gets His Emotional Spotlight

By John Kirk

Rating: B-plus

Torontonians and other urbanites know the raccoon as a deplorable nemesis. With their dextrous digits and devil-may-care attitude, even the most formidable-looking broom-handle will not detract them from their objective: your trashcan.

But, after watching Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3, somehow, you’re ready to forgive every one of them.

Our story: the Guardians have made the skull of a dead Celestial, a.k.a. “Knowhere,” their home alongside an assortment of Ravagers and other assorted rogues, scoundrels and ne-er-do-wells. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is pining into a bottle over the loss of his relationship with Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and the rest of the group are simply getting on.

Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) is ready for his close-up Mr. Gunn.

Out of the blue, we meet a golden-hued youth named Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), who is tasked to bring Rocket back to his master, the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji). He fails, but Rocket (Bradley Cooper) is gravely injured and only the science of the High Evolutionary can save him. The team rallies around their fallen comrade and the adventure begins.

There’s a lot of emotion driving this film, primarily due to the fate of Rocket. It helps focus the team relationships. Apart from the heartsick Quill, Nebula (Karen Gillan) is learning what it means to have people depend on her and even laughs more than we’ve seen previously. Drax (Dave Bautista) reveals a softer side to his nature and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) is more outspoken, pointing out the details of her team-mates’ personalities. This is done thoughtfully, and strikes a responsive note with the audience.

There’s also the same sort of humour we’re used to from previous films, and of course, quips are what Chris Pratt is there for.

But with the focus on the characters in what is expected to be DC-bound director James Gunn’s last rodeo, Quill’s shtick is reined in, in favour of interplay and growth. Rocket’s origin-story and the focus on how he came to be, or Nebula’s growing attachment to the team imparts a greater sense of authenticity to the characters than was present previously. It’s as if the Guardians are growing up, and more worth caring about.

The MCU High Evolutionary is a bit of a departure from his comic-book counterpart. Although he still has the same drive to genetically engineer lifeforms and create a perfect society, the original High Evolutionary from the comics was less of a true villain and more of a misguided scientist. Egotistical, yes, and blind to ethical concerns, but he was correctable when challenged. Chukwudi Iwuji’s High Evolutionary is reduced to an obsessive two-dimensional maniac, a typical mad scientist.

Poulter’s Adam Warlock is tasked with comic relief and difficult to take seriously. The comics version of Adam Warlock had a sense gravitas about him, replaced here by Poulter’s campy spoiled-kid persona. It’s somewhat of a poor treatment for this cosmic character that comic fans may not appreciate.

Some previously minor characters – the Ravager Kraglin (Sean Gunn, the director’s brother) and Cosmo the Space-Dog (Maria Bakalova) - get greater treatment in this installment of the franchise. Refreshing to see, they are additions to the team that not only highlight that sense of growth, but reinforces the relationship focus. They are given greater legitimacy as members of the expanded team, and add moments to the story.

There’s no shortage of these moments though. Some are predictable (ie: the inevitable hero-walk, the throwback soundtrack) but they are all appreciated. The cameos of familiar but lesser-known characters are fun to see, and the carefully hidden Easter eggs will demand a second viewing. The choreographed combat sequences are colourful, kaleidoscopic cacophonies of motion that will not fail to entertain.

In short, Rocket Raccoon’s story is the heart of this film and it’s enough for the audience to invest themselves in it. When we learn about his tortured origins and the losses he suffered, the decreased amount of schlock and increased emotionality of the film set the stage for forgiveness of Rocket’s abrasiveness. We understand him better.

There’s fun and excitement in good measure as well, but Rocket’s story brings the audience in closer and in doing so, it enables the other characters’ stories to matter to the audience as well.

Actually, it pretty much makes up for all his species’ raccoon-ery.

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3. Directed by James Gunn. Stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista. In theatres, May 5th.