Well, we’ve reached that junction, folks — the first reviews for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 are in and now we can rest easy knowing the MCU (or rather James Gunn) managed to plug the hole in the franchise’s sinking ship. However — and it’s an unfortunate “however” — Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock was less of a bullseye and more of a tail pinned on a bucking donkey, according to early reviews.
Between all the praise and surprising CGI compliments, reviews up and down the boardwalk are calling Adam Warlock’s highly-anticipated reveal the film’s only weak link.
Rocket is the film’s obvious selling point; he has dominated the conversation as far back as the first trailer. Plus, it’s long been rumored he won’t make it out alive. So, while we’re glad the character’s storyline lived up to the hype, unfortunately the hype that fans bestowed upon Adam Warlock fizzled before it popped. At least according to one Twitter user, who said, “Adam Warlock, for how long we waited, felt a little underserved.”
Rocket is the obvious standout in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The story here enriches the whole trilogy and is loaded with feels.
Drax and Nebula are my next faves in this one. Adam Warlock, for how long we waited, felt a little underserved. pic.twitter.com/2GFCTDAYDE
— BD (@BrandonDavisBD) April 28, 2023
Adam Warlock, as fans will remember, was teased back in the post-credit scene of Vol. 2. The character is a cosmic being who was artificially engineered to destroy the Guardians by the Golden High Priestess of the Sovereign, Ayesha. His comic book history is rich, layered, and for lack of a better word, juicy.
However, when the teaser trailer for the movie dropped back in 2022 and revealed Poulter as Adam Warlock, the initial reaction was one of hesitancy and skepticism. Sadly, early reviews now corroborate those fears.
It does suffer from trying to balance so much at once, but #GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3 still had emotional blows that made me tear up in-between all the typical MCU fun and jokes:@CACF_Critics @PRCritics #FilmCritic #FilmTwitter
🔗 https://t.co/0mne1NNU97 pic.twitter.com/UYLKsOGdGZ
— Luis A. Mendez (@MendezMovieRPT) April 28, 2023
Even the few attempts to compliment the character haven’t been unable to go much farther than “pretty good.”
It’s a sad development for a character who otherwise had (and still has) the potential to be an extremely valuable asset to the MCU, especially given how powerful he is. Then again, this isn’t truly his movie as much as it is the Guardians and Rocket’s. There could be more on the horizon for Adam Warlock; maybe even a solo movie (long shot, but who knows).
