Trim the fat, focus on the Racoon

In ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,’ Rocket Raccoon gets his day out in the sun – though some of us have always known he’s the star.

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” is surrounded by lots and lots of hype. It's the final film of the franchise (though in entertainment and show business, I'm more of a believer in never say never).

It's James Gunn's farewell to working with Marvel (he's now co-CEO of DC Studios) and the 32nd Marvel movie to date (hype and Marvel movies, of course, go hand in hand).

This movie goes for bigness and bombast — explosions, heavy CGI, action and strange creatures constantly hurtling at you scene after scene.

Cool thing is, though, the best part of this movie is its smaller, simpler moments. All of the Guardians get ample time, and each of them gets to wrestle with personal issues and life conundrums.

But, the spotlight shines brightest on Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper). “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” finally goes deep into his backstory and how he became who he is. As he says in the first film, “Ain't no thing like me, except me!”

Rocket is my favorite MCU character, and at a time when the movies don't hit the same way anymore — law of diminishing returns, a dip in quality, blockbuster fatigue — the scenes with him were what kept me in my seat.

In fact, if you just kept the Rocket parts, you'd have a great, tight, sweet movie. As it is, the film runs for two hours and a half, a big chunk of which is excess and bloat.

Will Poulter is incredibly talented, but the movie could have functioned well enough without his Adam Warlock; he deserves better.

Elizabeth Debicki's Ayesha also seemed a bit out of place — especially after her role in Vol. 2 looked so promising.

The one new character that seems to fit a bit better in the picture is Cosmo, the space dog voiced by “Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm's” Maria Bakalova.

Some of the jokes fall a bit flat. The quips, though, where each Guardian's take that rare moment of letting their guard down and saying what's in their hearts, are most satisfying.

Actually, if you've got a busy schedule, are pressed for time, and no longer need to see every Marvel film and discuss it endlessly, you could wait for this to stream and then just watch the Rocket parts.

I don't know how many other big Rocket fans are out there, but the movie finally tells you what I knew about him. Lylla, the otter in the film, says, “My beloved Raccoon, their story has always been yours. You just didn't know it.” This fan did (wink).

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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was released last Wednesday and is out in cinemas and the IMAX nationwide.