Ending Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Trilogy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 finishes with a heart aching bang. Last seen in their own Christmas Special on Disney Plus, the new movie looks into Rocket Raccoon’s past and viewers get to see how he was brought up in this galaxy.

A common theme among Guardians of the Galaxy movies is a great soundtrack. Songs from the Flaming Lips, Radiohead, and the Beastie Boys create the perfect ‘90s ensemble. The movie uses clever ways to implement the music into the film: through the speakers of their town on Knowhere, Star-Lord’s headphones, or a radio in a suburban home.

The third addition to the trilogy yearns for the tears of its audience. There was consistently a tone of sorrow carried throughout the film, seeing as these characters have changed and gone through so much. The absence of present Gamora serves as catalyst for Star-Lord’s pain. The fight for Rocket causes similar turmoil in the rest of the group.

A tough path taken in this movie is the uprising of Bradley Cooper’s, Rocket Raccoon. Heartfelt flashbacks of his past play throughout the movie, revealing the ways he was malnourished and experimented on. Various images and scenes of harm to animals are played throughout the narrative, creating some disturbing parts for younger viewers.

With all of these darker themes, this movie was not entirely a tear jerker. Coming from director James Gunn, it was expected this movie was going to be full of comedic relief. Characters like Mantis and Drax have their own turmoil, but continue to add humor to the cinematic mix.

With the recent downgrade in production and writing in the MCU, the final Guardians of the Galaxy completely broke that pattern. Marvel’s more timely projects haven’t carried the same quality as most of their movies; some fans even went to say the superhero franchise was dying. James Gunn’s writing and pure bliss with these characters may have revived the genre.