Filmmaker James Gunn finalized his Marvel trilogy with what might be his most emotionally resonant work thus far. What always separated the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies from the bulk of the Disney-produced Marvel superhero films is Gunn’s love for his characters and how he ties the action-oriented plot details to their personalities. Each of the three chapters of his comedic space opera allows every member of the ensemble to ground the spectacle with engaging pen-on-paper storytelling.

Volume 3 begins sometime after the events of “Avengers” Endgame.” Star-Lord/Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is a depressive drunk, and his lover/partner in crime, Gamora (Zoe Saldana), has miraculously returned from the dead, but with a new personality and no knowledge of either her time spent with the crew or her relationship with Quill.

After an accident almost kills Rocket Racoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), the rest of the Guardians traverse the galaxy to find the man who built an electric failsafe inside of their furry friend that prevents his medical revival. This brings them to an evil scientist/malevolent dictator known as The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji).

While Rocket’s life hangs in the balance, the movie shows us many flashbacks of his origin from a friendly woodland animal to the gun-toting, mouthy space critter we’re familiar with. These new insights into Rocket’s tragic past that outline his eventual escape from The High Evolutionary show us new dimensions of his character and why he clings tightly to the family dynamic of the other Guardians. This theme is repeated throughout the trilogy but especially punctuated by this interpersonal mission.

The script does run into morally confused territory when the sanctity of Rocket’s life drives the narrative, but the onscreen battle chaos includes planetary genocide and all-ages sci-fi violence that’s often played for laughs. The director’s sardonic side almost overpowers the tender dramatic tension but never tips things over the line. That said, the remnants of a smarter satire are abandoned in favor of something more genre friendly.

The special effects are slick, and the world-building is colorful and detailed, as we should expect by now from a tentpole MCU project. Gunn’s contributions have always been more conceptual than technical as Marvel’s factory-like nature only allows so much visual diversity from film to film. What stands out is the costume choices and sci-fi fantasy set design that’s meant to evoke a laugh as much as it functions to deliver the action. The visceral quality of the High Evolutionary’s stretched-out face over his robot head, as well as his earth-like suburban animal colony, stand out over the usual tech we see in the average Avengers outing.

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” sets a new standard for the MCU on a screenplay level and signals a grand statement by James Gunn about his departure from the studio. Previously known as a Hollywood gig writer and a subversive graduate from the exploitation house of Troma, his work with Disney has permanently made his mark on the overall superhero genre. The movie sets up a new class of alien outsiders to carry on the mantle, but Gunn’s singular style that dictates this entry’s overwhelming sense of finality will be difficult to overcome.

Grade: B+