Marvel movies haven’t been in the best place as of late, so like many, I entered “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” with lowered expectations. However, I laughed and cried throughout and left beaming ear to ear like a little kid, feeling I’d just borne witness to one of the best superhero movies of all time.

Spanning over the last nine years, James Gunn wrote and directed some of the highest-acclaimed superhero films ever made in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” series, and continued with that same energy in the powerful and emotional trilogy’s conclusion. In addition to the spacefaring adventure and thrilling action, Gunn manages to masterfully conclude the beloved characters’ arcs — and the series as a whole — on a high note.

The Guardians of the Galaxy are still reeling from the effects of “Infinity War” and “Endgame” — the grieving Starlord (Chris Pratt) leads the team to new adventures now stationed in Knowhere. After a surprise ambush, the Guardians pursue the villainous High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) as Rocket’s (Bradley Cooper) tragic backstory is revealed through flashbacks. Consequential battles unfold and important decisions are made as the Guardians’ final journey reaches its end.

The writing is absolutely top-notch. Each character is written very realistically and has their own time to shine before the credits roll. I was incredibly impressed with how every story met a satisfying, meaningful conclusion by the end — no loose thread spanning the past few movies was left behind.

I loved every second of the movie — its directing exceeds most in its being fun, inspiring, emotional, heartfelt and high-stakes all at the same time. The way Gamora’s story continues is wholly unexpected and was much appreciated in its originality — not every love story has to have a perfect ending and this movie illustrates that perfectly. Additionally, Rocket’s perfectly-written backstory was heart-wrenching. Expect to be teary-eyed multiple times throughout — after all the time spent with these characters, their low points and subsequent sendoffs are extremely emotional.

Stakes are incredibly high in this film. Being the last “Guardians” film intensifies the fear and dread looming over “Guardians 3” — knowing any of the main characters could die at any instant makes each visceral, gut-punching action scene hold great consequence. The numerous fight scenes all feel important to the story and are very tense. One action sequence in particular stood out to me — in a three-minute-long one-shot sequence, Gunn proved his directorial chops with the best fight scene ever in a Marvel movie. The group’s teamwork is put front-and-center with some of the most epic fight choreography put on film.

A point of contention for many superhero films in this day and age is their redundant, cookie-cutter-style humor that often tramples characterization and tone. I am pleased to say that, like most of Gunn’s work, “Guardians 3” does not suffer from this same problem. The film is full of jokes, but unlike other superhero films, it doesn’t rely on crappy one-liners whenever the director is too scared to let serious moments sink in — Gunn incorporates many different facets of comedy into scenes other than zingers and gives serious moments ample room to breathe. Almost every joke lands and never detracts from the extremely important elements of the film. In fact, Gunn’s sense of humor actually allows the movie to be darker when sad moments do happen.

I found “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” to be the perfect conclusion for not only the Guardians, but for James Gunn as well. It is clear that, being his final Marvel movie, Gunn brought his A-game for this film and poured his whole heart into it. I legitimately cannot come up with any substantive critiques or any way the conclusion could have been pulled off any better — “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” is an all-around incredible film, and one of the best superhero movies of all time.

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”: ★★★★★