Lately, fans have complained that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been more concerned with quantity over quality in its shows and movies. So when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was announced, the last movie in one of the most beloved MCU Franchises, fans were nervous and excited. Their excitement was well placed, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 exceeded the expectations it set in prior movies.

Overall the plot of this movie is interesting. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Rocket the Raccoon is injured and on the verge of death. In order to save him, Rocket’s friends, the Guardians, must uncover the mysteries of Rocket’s past and confront his old foes.

At the outset, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a visual masterpiece. The CGI and the cinematography are some of the best that the MCU has to offer. In fact, Stephane Ceretti, visual effects supervisor, and her team were nominated for an Academy Award alongside The Creator, Godzilla Minus One, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, and Napoleon.

Some of the Visual Effects Team’s (VFX) best work was when the Guardians were flying through space and when they were at Knowwhere the: Guardian’s headquarters and a refuge for others. However, those aren’t the only parts where Ceretti’s team’s work would catch the audience’s eye. In truth, the VFX team had to shoot an astounding 3,066 visual effects shots.

A major highlight for the VFX team was how they were able to make Rocket, the Raccoon, broadcast emotions while maintaining his realistic look without error. Scenes where Rocket accompanies a young High Evolutionary show how talented this VFX team was. Additionally, the CGI for Groot is seamless.

The last and maybe the most impressive of their work was when the Guardians were investigating the Orgoscope. Certiti has said the Orgoscope was one of her biggest projects. The Orgoscope is a gigantic space station made entirely out of organic material. In an interview, Ceretti noted that the main challenge was not having the grotesque nature of the Orgoscope overshadow the Guardian’s actions and their interactions with each other.

The makeup and costume department also did a spectacular job, especially with Drax, Mantis, Gamora, and Nebula. Nebula, played by Karen Gillan, is the daughter of Thanos who was tortured by her father. He would replace parts of her body with mechanical or metal parts. The costume and makeup department excelled in showing her metal parts and the VFX team added the final touches with her metal arm and empty dark eyes. Gillan brought it all together with her acting.

However, there were some questionable decisions made by the costume and makeup department. The first decision was the Orgoscope’s armor, which was distracting. In certain scenes, it was visibly fake and drew away from the story. The second blunder from the costume department was animals who too closely resembled and lived like humans. While most of the animals looked average at best, the panda was so bothersome, as it was obvious that the panda was a man in a costume.

The last element that made Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 a visual masterpiece was the cinematography. Across the entire film, the cinematography was outstanding but there were a couple of scenes that stole the show. The first example that demonstrates the quality of the film’s cinematography is found in the opening scene. In this scene, a bunch of raccoons are in a cage and the camera crew is able to broadcast specific feelings and emotions of the troop. Whether it was playful, scared or even distressed, the film crew was able to convey it to the audience. Another scene that caught my attention was again at the beginning of the film. The scene revolves around Rocket the Raccoon walking through a city being rebuilt by civilians and some of the Guardians. The lighting and exposure of the camera lens is able to illustrate a contradictory setting in that the people are seen as hopeful while Rocket appears to be distant.

In addition to the visual effects and cinematography, the soundtrack was brilliant and has been a cohesive element throughout the franchise. One notable choice was in a scene where Peter Quill, played by Chris Pratt, is sitting on the bridge. Peter is staring deeply into space thinking about his past decisions. The soundtrack added another layer to the beautiful visual effects.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 wasn’t just a visual masterpiece it was a well-written and acted movie. The High Evolutionary, played by Chukwudi Iwuji, sets the standard for the film. Even though the character’s goals and aspirations were pretty basic, the way James Gunn was able to evolve his character throughout the movie through flashbacks made him a great character. Iwuji acted out the character of the High Evolutionary to perfection. He was able to convey to the audience grief, sadness, desperation, and even insanity. Iwuji broadcasted all this emotion while mostly talking to a puppet.

For these reasons, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a must-watch movie. One will have to accept unrealistic plots and characters, but the film’s excellent visual effects counterbalanced that problem. Not to mention the excellent character of the High Evolutionary – it’s unclear if it was the best part of the movie because of Iwuji’s acting or because of how his character was seamlessly developed over the course of the movie. And finally, the cinematography and soundtrack complemented the entire screenplay.

Rating: ★★★★★