Against all the odds, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s most controversial decision gets praised for being ‘perfect’

Warning: the following article contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

After the fiasco that was Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, a lot was riding on James Gunn’s latest MCU installment. While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 managed to evoke enough hype for a good opening weekend at the box office, controversy still lingers as the movie becomes one of the worst-reviewed threequels in the franchise. Among criticism and review bombing, though, one aspect of the film is now being singled out for the best of reasons.

Even with all the typical hijinks the audience has come to expect from Guardians movies, this installment still provided some much-needed emotional beats. The resolution of Gamora and Peter Quill’s arc, in particular, is generating immense praise from viewers, who consider their relationship was handled perfectly by Gunn. Sure, a lot of fans still wished to see the pair reignite the flames of romance in Guardians 3 — to the point of conjuring rushed fixes to get them back on track — but in the end, a bolder swing paid off.

Many viewers took to Reddit to add to the discussion, with a lot considering that Gamora’s new dynamic with the Guardians and Star-Lord was handled maturely, in a way that feels refreshing and truest to this version of the character. In all honesty, it would’ve been a major disservice to have Gamora’s death in Infinity War be completely diminished by the introduction of a new version of her, and having her serve as a mere replacement.

This only goes to show that, sometimes, not trying desperately to provide fan service can go a long way. Those who haven’t had the chance to watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 yet can do so in theaters right now.