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James Gunn's final contribution to the Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn't solve every problem the franchise is facing right now, but it does confirm just how much more compelling these movies are when audiences actually care about the characters.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is very far from perfect, what with its over-egged runtime, excess of characters, and sometimes uneasy lurches in tone, but it nevertheless delivers an emotional and satisfying farewell to the MCU's most endearing band of misfits.

Gunn has such a firm handle on these characters that there wasn't ever much doubt he'd land the ship in graceful fashion, smartly shifting the focus to Rocket (Bradley Cooper) for a boldly dark trilogy-closer that subverts expectations in a number of clever ways.

It's certainly a bittersweet experience in feeling like an epilogue to the Infinity Saga, effectively saying farewell to the few remaining characters fans en masse are truly attached to, but following so many uneven, mediocre entries into the series, it's also a hugely refreshing tonic.

Now it falls to the MCU to recapture this spark moving forward without Gunn's involvement. Good luck.