Review by Sean Boelman

Guardians of the Galaxy was a surprise hit, taking a relatively unknown Marvel property and turning it into one of the MCU’s most beloved. Now, nearly a decade later, we are going on our third outing with the unusual family unit. With visual and tonal shades of movies like The Fifth Element, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is visually and thematically rich, but doesn’t quite leave the impact that fans are expecting or hoping for.

Teased as the final mission of the eponymous superhero team, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 follows the group as they set out on a quest to save one of their own. It’s surprising that — even though this is the finale of the trilogy — Gunn and co. decided to keep it rather intimate rather than having them battle a threat that holds the fate of the galaxy in its hands.

Ultimately, the biggest issue with the film is that it struggles to find an effective tonal balance. Whereas the first movie — and to a lesser extent, the second — effortlessly mixed humor and heart, this finale of the trilogy attempts to take a darker tone to mixed results. Although many of the moments involving Rocket’s backstory are resonant, cutting them as flashbacks into an otherwise goofy adventure diminishes some of their impact.

The real shining star of this film is Rocket Raccoon, which should come as no surprise considering that he is the focal point of the movie from a narrative and emotional standpoint. Cooper’s voice acting performance is genuinely brilliant here, bringing a level of emotion to the character that one wouldn’t expect considering how he was mostly known for wise-cracking in the other two entries.

As for the rest of the returners, Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana really struggle here — their line delivery feeling surprisingly unnatural, Dave Bautista and Pom Klementieff are great, and Karen Gillan is doing her usual schtick. Will Poulter is added to the cast as Adam Warlock, and while he’s awesome in the role, the character feels somewhat wasted. And Chukwudi Iwuji is disproportionately great for how unevenly his role is written as the antagonist.

From a visual sense, this is likely the best Marvel has been in recent memory. The visual effects are polished and feel genuinely immersive rather than fake as many recent MCU outings have. There is also one sequence in the second act that has some of the most inventive and fun costuming and production design you will find in any film this year.

And of course, the soundtrack has always been a big part of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, and this one mostly delivers. This entry returns to some of the more populist roots of the first “Awesome Mix,” but one would be lying if they said it didn’t set the tone for a fun adventure. Sure, the needle drops are on-the-nose and a bit sentimental, but what else do you expect at this point?

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a fun time, and while there are some moments that are absolutely brilliant, it doesn’t cohere as well as one would hope. It’s still good, but it never manages to capture the lightning in a bottle that was the first film.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters on May 5.

​Rating: 4/5

Review by Adam Donato

Review by Joseph Fayed

The Eight Mountains had its premiere at Cannes last year, where it won the Jury Prize. To some degree, I understand why it would have been awarded that honor. But for a film that deals with the passage of time, there were parts of this long-term friendship that should have been left on the cutting room floor. 

Pietro is a young boy who goes on holiday to the Italian Alps with his parents. While there, he meets Bruno, a boy around his age who is working on his family's farm. The two begin a friendship, but as Pietro begins school, the two fade apart. Many years later, after Pietro's father dies, he discovers he has inherited an old shack in the village. He also learns his father grew close to Bruno, who agrees to help him transform the shack. 

The story is divided into three acts: one recounting the protagonist's childhood, an update on their teenage/college years, and their adulthood when they reconnect. Their adulthood gets the most focus, showing what has changed for the two men over the years. One course of action the film takes is to highlight the connection to the Alps Bruno has always had, while showcasing what Pietro has made for himself in the city. While younger and older versions of the two leads are shown heavily, there is a significant gap in flashbacks showing how Bruno stayed put in the village in his teenage years. The film is slowly-paced and lets the two catch up as adults, so not spending enough time on this period in Bruno's life doesn't make sense. 

The last act shows how Bruno and Pietro deal with their lives going in opposite directions. One positive thing the clumsy narrative did right was set up a fitting conclusion. This is prompted by the supporting characters, who don't have much to do or say on their own, allowing the two leads to become more developed. Other than that, it seems roughly half of the film is long takes of the Italian Alps and characters climbing them. 

The Eight Mountains is the story of friendship lost to time and the Alps. Much like the Italian Alps, it takes a long time to reach its peak. Its protagonists are simply not interesting enough to watch two and a half hours of. It wraps itself up well, but that is only after quite some time of going back and forth between narratives that would have worked better in different films. Maybe the jury at Cannes last year was too in awe of the impressive cinematography, I certainly was at various points while watching this.  

The Eight Mountains is now playing in theaters.

Rating: 2/5​

Review by Dan Skip Allen

Review by Camden Ferrell

Citadel is the new television series from Amazon Prime coming out this spring. It is the second most expensive television show ever made, only behind the Lords of the Rings show that Amazon made as well. Already renewed for a second season ahead of its premiere, this is a high budget show that is unimaginative and sluggish thus far, wasting a rather talented cast and an unfathomable amount of money.
 
Citadel is a global spy agency that has fallen. The agents have had their memories wiped, and a new agency is coming to power.  Mason and Nadia are two agents who must remember who they are in order to take down this new threat in a worldwide adventure full of action. The premise isn’t particularly creative and feels like a standard spy thriller, but it still had potential to be riveting with the right treatment and execution. 
 
From the start, the show makes no attempt at ambition, reveling in mediocre writing and setup that doesn’t feel inspired at all. The dialogue feels overly expository and full of cheap banter that you’ve probably seen in plenty of movies in the past. The show has also failed to subvert expectations, merely following the path of least resistance. This creates a story that is more predictable than one would like.

One of the few things interesting about this show is its cast. It boasts a pair of charming and visually pleasing leads in Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. While both are decent enough in their individual scenes, they have decent chemistry together that can help the show get past its slower and forgettable moments. Stanley Tucci and Lesley Manville play smaller supporting roles in the show, but both bring their reliable acting chops with them. It’s nothing remarkable, but it’s a silver lining in an otherwise mediocre and subpar spy thriller.
 
When a show of this nature lacks in its narrative, one would hope that it compensates for this with exhilarating action. There are a handful of decent set pieces in these episodes, but there isn’t anything that really justifies the price tag this show carries. The action isn’t as dynamic as you’d expect from a talented cast and crew, but it should still moderately quench viewers’ thirst for combat.
 
When all is said and done, one can’t help but feel disappointed by Citadel. It’s a genre that is ripe for energy and subversion, but it doesn’t really deliver on either. Madden and Chopra Jonas are decent enough leads, but it can’t make up for the lack of quality material they’ve been given. It’s not a bad show by any means, but it is undeniably forgettable. It’s a show that people might forget about by the time season two rolls around.
 
Citadel premieres its first two episodes on Prime Video on April 28 with new episodes premiering on subsequent Fridays. Three of six episodes reviewed.
 
Rating: 2.5/5