It’s been six years since the last Guardians of the Galaxy film. The newest version, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, has tones of melancholy and fantasy. But it still has the superhero vibe and the classy tunes that make the film a positive experience.

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Chris Pratt is back as Peter Quill, Dave Bautista is back as Drax, Vin Diesel is back as Groot, Bradley Cooper is back as Rocket, and Karen Gillan returns as Nebula. All are back for a mission that somewhat lacks the excitement we expect in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film seems to have shallow character introductions and a lack of continuity for most of the first half. The film also has almost a Star Trek setting. The film did move up a couple of levels with the visuals and CGI, though.

The plot of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3picks up with Quill finding himself at a loss after the death of Gamora (played by Zoe Saldana). The film goes in much the same direction as recent Marvel Cinematic Universe films. The team still has their tough attitude and their big egos, and they still deliver the humor and joyful superhero galore that fans love. When Rocket is kidnapped by Adam Warlock (played by Will Poulter) and an emperor enemy who goes by the name The High Evolutionary (played by Chukwudi Iwuji), Quill is on a mission to get Rocket back. This journey leads to bizarre places in outer space, with many twists and surprises. But the melancholy runs throughout the film.

Though not as stellar as previous films in the franchise, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3does show that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is reaching a serious phase again, and that it’s back on track with projects about to be released and in development. There are many surprises in the film, and fans will have fun trying to put together the pieces to try to figure out what will come next. It just may be that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is taking the franchise in a whole different direction—toward bigger and better projects.

One of the issues with this film is that the enemies’ powers seem overrated. No spoilers, but I will say I was not very impressed with this aspect of the film. But of course subpar enemies mean more success for our heroes of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. And there is of course also a lot of the saying, “I am Groot,” the tagline of all the Guardians of the Galaxy films. Those three words always bring fun to the table and although they’re intended to be sarcastic, there wouldn’t be witty and fun entertainment without sarcasm in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

So will the team be able to save Rocket? Possibly, but they may take on more damage then planned. Are there any enemies or events linking to Gamora? Maybe. Is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 an amazing ride? No, but it still carries many of the gems that fans of the franchise will appreciate. Three stars for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.