Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Network or Service: Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV

Starring: Chris Pratt (Star-Lord/Peter Quill), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Bradley Cooper (voice of Rocket Racoon), Vin Diesel (voice of Groot), and Dave Bautista (Drax the Destroyer)

IMDb Summary: In Marvel Studios’ “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” our beloved band of misfits are looking a bit different these days. Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.

What I Found: An emotional conclusion to easily the MCU’s best and most consistent trilogy. I have a special place in my heart for the GotG movies, so I might be a teensy bit biased, but no matter what movie they’re in, these Guardians are brilliantly realized characters, and they have amazing and complex relationships. As a team, as a family, they are better together until they start to think about how even better they could be apart, which makes for a compelling story on its own and a solid ending to said story. James Gunn will be missed in the MCU, as will the actors who have played the Guardians. And even if the MCU casts a new group of them, I think this is the stop I’ll get off on this proverbial train ride. It’s been an incredible one!

Belfast

Network or Service: Apple TV, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play

Starring: Jude Hill (Buddy), Jamie Dornan (Pa), Caitríona Balfe (Ma), Judie Dench (Granny), Ciarán Hinds (Pop), and Colin Morgan (Billy Clanton)

IMDb Summary: Surrounded by sporadic violence and growing danger in 1960s Belfast, nine-year-old Buddy finds himself confronted with the ugly reality of sectarian conflict. And as the suffocating stranglehold of increasing turmoil tightens around his once-peaceful working-class neighborhood, Buddy tries his best to understand The Troubles — after all, someone must be responsible for forcing people to flee their homes. Now, Buddy’s family must come face to face with a nearly impossible, life-altering decision: stay or start packing?

What I Found: A fascinating and personal examination of a complicated time period I know very little about: the Troubles, a conflict between republicans and loyalists, Protestants and Catholics, and other various parties. Belfast is a semi-autobiographical take on director Kenneth Branagh’s childhood in Northern Ireland. It’s a love letter to his home, his family, and his people. It has witty dialogue, stinging commentary on religion, some wonderful relationships (intergenerational, peer, and spousal), and obviously, violence. Overall, it’s a heartbreaking situation shown through the eyes of a child, and it makes for a thoughtful viewing experience, no matter how old you are.

Nimona

Network or Service: Netflix

Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz (Nimona), Riz Ahmed (Ballister Boldheart), Eugene Lee Yang (Ambrosius Goldenloin), Frances Conroy (The Director), and Lorraine Toussaint (Queen Valerin)

IMDb Summary: When Ballister Boldheart, a knight in a futuristic medieval world, is framed for a crime he didn’t commit, the only one who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona, a mischievous teen with a taste for mayhem — who also happens to be a shapeshifting creature Ballister has been trained to destroy. But with the entire kingdom out to get him, Nimona’s the best (or technically the only) sidekick Ballister can hope for. And as the lines between heroes, villains, and monsters start to blur, the two of them set out to wreak serious havoc — for Ballister to clear his name once and for all, and for Nimona to… just wreak serious havoc.

What I Found: Another winner right up there with Wolfwalkers (on Apple TV+) for one of the best animated movies to come out in recent times, one that isn’t from any of the big name animation studios. It could have been a Disney property, but Netflix ended up swooping in and is all the better for it. Nimona has a stunning and original setting and wonderful worldbuilding. There’s a lot of messaging, some of it subtle and much of it overt, yet not enough to feel like you’re being preached to. It has lessons that everyone could stand to be reminded of delivered in heartfelt ways. The characters are fun and different, with Nimona and Ballister especially sharing a sibling/platonic relationship that other stories could take notes on. Studios need to keep greenlighting and funding movies like this!

A Recommendation: Well, Wolfwalkers, if you’ve never seen it! A lot of similar themes with another incredible setting, story, and group of characters.