There was a time not long ago when a Marvel movie release was a big deal. Keeping up with the exploits of Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, and the menagerie of superheroes was such a cultural phenomenon that nearly every major movie studio in the West attempted to replicate their formula.

Then, after the success of Endgame, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) began to fall apart like a rusty playground. The franchise was subjected to Disney’s hyper-politicization, like everything under the Disney umbrella was, and the movies became boring, tedious, predictable, and not the least bit insulting. Men were often written off as weak or stupid while female characters became “perfect” to the point of being perfectly boring.

After repeated box office disappointments thanks to sub-par entries into the MCU, any hope that there’d be another good Marvel movie ever again was slim, but there was one hope in a singular franchise.

James Gunn’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” was a breakout success in theaters, taking little-known characters from deep within the Marvel lineup and turning them into some of the most beloved in the entire franchise. Led by rising star Chris Pratt as Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord), the group of misfits turned galactic heroes became a crowd favorite, even in the movies that weren’t specifically focused on them.

Now, the Guardians are facing their last ride in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is not only a send-off for some of the characters, but the last film in the MCU by Gunn, who now has moved on to be the head of the DCU.

Loyal readers will know that I have no love for the MCU once phase 4 began. It is, in my opinion, one of the greatest examples of how politics can destroy the mighty. After a time, what was being delivered had all the flash and budget of previous Marvel entries, but it just didn’t feel like Marvel anymore. If Marvel truly died after Endgame, then whatever Marvel is now is an imposter pretending to be Marvel.

So when I say Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is “The last Marvel movie,” what I mean to say is that Marvel showed back up, at least for this one last outing.

Minor spoilers ahead

For starters, whoever made the decision to make the film feel like it wasn’t connected to the rest of the MCU made one of the smartest decisions I’ve seen come out of the franchise in some time. While many MCU movies insert characters from other films in order to make it feel like a continuous universe, Guardians 3 keeps to itself. You’ll find no allusions to an overarching villain or random appearances by another superhero. It keeps its focus squarely on the Guardians.

That said, the focus has now shifted from Quill to the anthropomorphic raccoon, Rocket. The film takes a good deal of time exploring Rocket’s tragic and painful history. Normally, these kinds of movies with constant flashbacks would annoy me, but Gunn plays this cleverly as the scenes featuring a younger Rocket make up for the fact that adult Rocket spends most of the movie incapacitated.

Moreover, Gunn’s ability to tug at your emotions in the midst of a dark comedy shines through brighter here than in any of his previous works. Rocket’s journey is a tragedy on a level that I didn’t think could possibly be told within the MCU, yet Gunn does not hold back in the telling. Moreover, these flashbacks are sandwiched between the other guardians going to extremes for him, specifically Quill.

Gunn masterfully weaves these two elements into the Guardians working out their personal quarrels with one another. Perhaps ironic since the movie stars Vin Diesel (Groot), but there’s a lot of talk about family in this movie and it’s very clear that the Guardians have become one. They are consistently bickering like siblings, but it’s very clear that there’s a lot of love between them. They spend a lot of time figuring that out, and it makes an otherwise dark movie incredibly wholesome.

The personal growth that happens for these characters is also on full display as well, and by the end, each of the main characters comes to a much-needed self-realization that gives their multi-movie arcs a very satisfying finish.

Though I’m heaping tons of praise on this film, it does have its flaws. While the movie never drags per se, there are points that slow down to introduce unnecessary long bits of comedy. The Marvel issue of introducing levity when severity should stick around in order to kill the tension does happen, and I found myself getting impatient during these moments. It gave me Taika Waititi flashbacks from Thor: Love & Thunder, but to the film’s credit, when Gunn really wanted something tragic or heartfelt to land, he let it land.

No, he let it smash into you like a ton of bricks.

By the end of the movie, you will be emotionally exhausted. This film flits between being incredibly sad and tragic, to deeply heartwarming and wholesome. Even those who tend not to give in to emotion too much will find it hard not to feel their heartstrings being pulled at. During my viewing, a woman next to me was doing everything she could to not bawl her eyes out. I couldn’t blame her, as there were times when even I was trying to push the lump in my throat back down.

This is helped by the actors playing at their best. Pratt maintains his trademark loveable action-hero persona as Quill while still managing to convey the desperation he feels for Rocket. Despite his stellar performance, he’s somewhat overshadowed by Karen Gillan’s “Nebula,” who has become the group’s consistently frustrated anchor. Like an annoyed older sister, Nebula keeps the group on task and grounded in reality, really showcasing her character’s evolution from eager villain to the reluctant familial caretaker.

Pom Klementieff’s “Mantis” and Dave Bautista’s “Drax” continue to prove to be a comedic duo that eases the film’s emotional weight, but sometimes too much. Other side characters also do well in gifting the film with more depth. The humorous relationship between Sean Gunn’s “Kraglin” and Maria Bakalova’s “Cosmo” (a golden retriever with telekinetic powers) are always welcome scenes.

But the standout is Bradley Cooper’s “Rocket.” While Cooper’s never seen on screen, you can tell he disappears into the role and gives Rocket so much emotional weight through his voice alone that you forget there’s an actor behind the CGI. It’s clear that Cooper loves and is emotionally invested in Rocket, and it makes for a performance that could have easily fallen short in the hands of another actor.

Astoundingly, this movie is free of modern politics. Characters are who they are because they got there naturally and there is no shoehorned-in messaging that disrupts the flow and takes you out of things. This movie, however, does feature the MCU’s first “f-bomb,” likely as a way to grease the way for that language being common for the next Deadpool movie. If you’re bothered by that or don’t want your kids to hear it, be warned.

That said, this movie might be too intense for kids. We’re talking 90s-level kid’s movie tragedy here.

Gunn really outdid himself with this one, and the loyalty and love he seems to get from his actors show that this movie was made with a lot of love and care. While I hate to see Gunn’s Guardians go, I can’t think of a better note to leave on. While I don’t have too much hope for the DCU, Gunn’s clear display of talent in Guardians 3 gives me at least some curiosity about it.

Sadly, many won’t see this movie, and for a very valid reason. Rewarding Disney with any kind of success right now isn’t exactly something people across America want to do. To be honest, Disney deserves it. That makes Guardians 3 even more tragic, as Gunn and Co. truly did something great here.

They delivered the last real Marvel movie. In a sea of abject garbage spewing out from Disney, Guardians 3 is something actually worth taking the time to enjoy. I definitely recommend seeing it at some point, if not in the theaters.

If anything, it will teach Disney that a solidly written, apolitical film made by people who actually care about the story and the characters is what the people want.