Infinitely weird, jarringly dark, yet immensely touching, James Gunn delivers another rockn’ good time with our favourite Guardians of the Galaxy. Yes, this film serves as worthy send-off to Marvel’s ragtag group of intergalactic heroes, with a literal and figurative group hug for all. And while all the characters have their moments to shine, this very much is Rocket Raccoon’s movie. There are some truly heartbreaking (not to mention horrifying) flashback sequences that are sure to pull at the ‘ol heartstrings. Rocket’s existence is not only explained here, but fleshed out in harrowing fashion. It’s very reminiscent of what the X-Men movies did with Wolverine. The emotions will only continue to get stirred when it comes to Peter’s personal journey. Heck, if you’re not teary-eyed by the end, then you might need to see a doctor. One thing you’ll most certainly be attuned to, however, is just how twisted this instalment is compared to the others. The opening act alone resembles more of a sci-fi horror flick than a family friendly superhero film. That’s not to say there’s a lack of humour though. Trust me, there’s plenty of the group’s trademark silliness and wit to go around, with Drax alone serving up an ample amount of belly laughs. One thing of note though, is that this movie doesn’t concern itself with the rest of the MCU at large. That is to say that it is a self-contained story. And frankly, it’s better for it. I mean, we do get a myriad of new characters that could easily find themselves in other Marvel movie outings (looking at you Adam Warlock), but the focus is solely on our core heroes and their personal mission. If only the villain at large wasn’t so redundant. Listen, Chukwudi Iwuji is very effective as the “High Evolutionary,” but it’s all been done many, many times over. Luckily, there’s some stellar special effects and high tempo needle drops to carry us through to the affecting finish. Rock on friends!