The plot of the film revolves around Rocket’s (voiced by Bradley Cooper) tragic past, who is revealed to be a genetically engineered raccoon by the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), a megalomaniac scientist who experiments with living creatures to make a 'perfect’ society.

For some reason, the High Evolutionary now wants Rocket back, who is injured and fighting for his life.

The Guardians -- Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Drax (Dave Bautista) -- set out on a mission to save their friend’s life as they prepare for a showdown with the mad scientist.

Volume 3 finally delves into the story that Guardians series has been hinting at since the beginning.

The film opens with a glimpse of the heartbreaking backstory of Rocket and sets the sombre tone for the rest of his story.

With the effective use of flashbacks, Gunn paints one of the most poignant stories ever told in the MCU.

His direction is so well crafted and visually gorgeous that every emotional blow lands perfectly as you feel more and more for these characters.

The film focuses on Rocket but the story allows for each character to have their own moments to shine, and it is a testament to Gunn’s sound writing that he manages to balance out each character with such a densely packed star cast.

The film also introduces some new characters and it would be interesting to see how their stories will pan out in the Guardians world.

Despite its gloomy core, the film never loses the opportunity to crack jokes which provides a good dose of classic Guardians humour.

Characters like Drax, Mantis, Quill and Groot light up the screen with strong verbal and visual comedy.

It is also fun to see the unusually stern Nebula breaking into comic gags.

Together, they portray strong family dynamics that we as fans have started liking about them.

The film further explores the themes that have defined the Guardians series: family, friendship, loss, and bravado. The entwining of these themes gives the film its beating heart.

But Volume 3 is not without a few hiccups.

At the runtime of two hours 29 minutes, the film does feel a little stretched and overstuffed.

The CGI, however gorgeous, is a little too much on at times and distracts from the story.

Gunn has a real knack for choosing great soundtracks for these films but despite the songs being good, they do not fit into the story, unlike the predecessors.

Also, after witnessing layered and complex villains in the past MCU films, Iwuji’s High Evolutionary comes across as a one-note character with no justifications for his cruel actions or any backstory.

But truth be told, this is a far superior film from the barrage of underwhelming projects that Marvel dished out in the last few years.

Overall, Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 is a satisfying watch because it evokes the same old excitement of watching a true-blue Marvel film.

It makes you laugh, cheer, whistle, and weep along with your favourite superheroes.

It's less a run-of-the-mill, flashy superhero movie and more an emotionally engaging adventure film handled with care by James Gunn.