Guardians of the Galaxy is not only still my favorite movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but, when it came out, it was one of my favorite films of 2014 (part of a Chris Pratt one-two punch with The Lego Movie). Director and co-writer James Gunn and company made a movie that still fit well in the MCU and its CGI-powered spectacle, but also gave us characters that we could really care about because they came to care about each other. While Volume 2 was…not my favorite, that and the Infinity Saga Avengers movies gave us more time to spend with this ragtag, irreverent group of “heroes.” Now, with Gunn heading up the DC film universe and some of the stars saying that they are done, we have now reached what appears to be the end of the Guardians, at least in this form. And, while it’s not a great film, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 still gives us the humor, emotion, and great soundtrack that has made this found family of castoffs worth watching in the first place.

In many ways, the plot of the movie isn’t the point–we’re hear to see the Guardians bounce quips off of each other and hear Gunn’s sweet, sweet needle drops. But there is a plot. We start on the planet Knowhere, now the home base for the Guardians (which you would have known if you watched the Guardians Christmas Special on Disney+, which you should still totally do if you haven’t). They have added to their numbers, now joined by former Ravager Kraglin (Gunn’s brother Sean) and Cosmo, a telepathic and telekinetic dog rescued from a Soviet satellite. Their mood isn’t high–Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) is suffering from some depression and Peter/Star-Lord (Pratt) suffering from a lot more from the loss of the love of his life Gamora (Zoe Saldana). They don’t have time to deal with their issues, though. Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), a creation of the Sovereign (those gold people from Volume 2–you really need to have seen the other movies first, okay?), has hunted down the Guardians and, in the subsequent battle, Rocket is critically injured. The only way for the Guardians to save him, however, is to track down the lab where Rocket was engineered. A plan is hatched, which winds up bringing the Guardians back into contact with the other Gamora (seriously, watch all the other movies). What happens from that point is, well, a lot. The point is simple–save Rocket–but SO much is packed into the movie to get to that point that it can be hard to keep track.

Adding to the complexity is that, while this is goodbye to the Guardians, it is very much Rocket’s movie. Intercut with the attempts to save him are scenes from his earliest days, were a mad scientist (aren’t they all) called the High Evolutionary turns a baby raccoon into Baby Rocket. He and other animals subject to the H.E.’s experiments become family, waiting for the day that they get to leave their dungeon-like storage facility to the new paradise the H.E. is creating. Stuff happens, explaining Rocket’s early cynicism and why the family he has built with the Guardians is so important to him. Even though the movie has way too much stuff happening, this parallel plot actually doesn’t distract from the film. Instead, it succeeds in giving the proceedings an extra helping of emotional weight.

Other than the overstuffed plot and almost impossible number of characters to keep track of, GOTG Vol. 3 succeeds in what seems to be its primary purpose: giving us one final time with these characters. Pratt’s Star-Lord has his moments, but its really other Guardians who shine. Dave Bautista’s Drax the Destroyer, maybe the best character in the series, is given a little more weight than the goofball turn he got in the second movies. He’s still really funny, but gets to show a good deal of heart. Karen Gillan’s Nebula really comes into her own, taking on a mother-like role to the team. Her arc over the five movies she has been in may be the best of all the characters. Vin Diesel’s Groot is still “I am Grooting,” but is now so swole that looks like he actually ate Vin Diesel. And Saldana gets lots of great “Really?” moments as Gamora 2. We really do get the moments with the cast that a good goodbye should have.

There are a couple of other things worth mentioning. First, Poulter’s performance as Adam Warlock is a lot of fun. We find out that he was released from his cocoon (Volume 2 post-credits scene–yeah, you need to watch those, too) a little too early. The somewhat slow Adam is right in Poulter’s wheelhouse. And, it being a Guardians movie, the soundtrack absolutely slaps. Now using the Zune that appeared at the end of Volume 2, we are no longer limited to 60s/70s tunes, but have decades worth of Gunn’s favorites to enjoy. Radiohead, the Beastie Boys, Springsteen, even Florence + the Machine all get their turns. And, of course, Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love,” which kicked us off back in 2014, gets a reprise.

In the end, it may not have made the most sense, but that’s not why we are going to see Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3. We are there to see lots of jokes and sight gags, hear lots of great music, and wile away some time with some characters we have grown to love. And, on all of those points, GOTG, Vol. 3 absolutely delivers.

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 is now in theaters.

(Photo credit: Disney)