Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

CJ kicks us off with a story about a bunch of cops and a helicopter outside his apartment. Eventually, we get around to talking Guardians 3, which gives us plenty of goodies -- Chris Pratt's performance, Drax, a whole slew of "poster moments" -- but also tends toward excess and indulgence in plotting and emotional rule setting (and not keeping). We also discuss the potential future of the MCU, poster moments, the George Lucas effect, and the state of Disney's IP empire.Some timestamps for ya:[8:03] James Gunn's distinct style a breath of fresh air[12:44] Can Gunn do DC?[20:06] Ham-fisted jokes, and Chris Pratt's redemption[24:12] Emotional rules! Why the first Guardians worked pretty well, and why this one maybe not quite so much.[30:29] Even not-great movies can deliver some kind of emotional impact, but Marvel has been biffing it hard on this front for years now.[00:33:25] Disney's precipitous decline is alarming and unusual. Are they OK over there? Someone should give them a call.[00:38:26] The George Lucas effect.Come find us at nerdcritic.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nerdcritic.substack.com