I was 4 years old when the Marvel Cinematic Universe began. One of my fondest memories is standing outside of the movie theater with my mom as she took a picture of me in front of a massive Iron Man poster.

While the MCU is far from over, I can’t help feeling melancholy. “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol.3” is the third and final installment to the GOTG trilogy. As a high school senior, the end of the Guardians translates to the end of my childhood, and for that reason, I cried the entire time.

The Guardians are a group consisting of Star-Lord (a human taken from Earth, also known as Peter Quill), Drax the Destroyer (he’s kind of a brainless himbo), Groot (a talking tree), Mantis (a telepath), Rocket (an engineered raccoon), Gamora (daughter of Avengers: Infinity War villian, Thanos) and Nebula, Gamora’s sister.

Following the Blip event from “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Endgame,” Gamora (Zoe Saldan) has been AWOL. Peter (Chris Pratt) was previously romantically involved with Gamora and has now retired as a drunk.  The film kicks off when Peter and the gang get caught off-guard by Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), a genetically-engineered human who works for the film’s main villain, the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji).

The High Evolutionary’s goal is to create a perfect society of humans. It’s revealed Rocket was created and abused by the High Evolutionary, and he has kept that trauma hidden from the rest of the group. Once Rocket’s life is at risk, the Guardians assemble to find the High Evolutionary and uncover Rocket’s past to save his future.

The acting, special effects and track list of the film make this probably the best thing Marvel has done in years. They manage to couple an intergalactic space battle of epic proportions with a well-timed playlist of the ’70s and ’80s biggest hits.

Nestled between action shots and dry humor are snapshots into Rocket’s past. This is where the waterworks start.

As Rocket is genetically engineered by the High Evolutionary, the audience is forced to witness the trauma, abuse and terror that he faced and the death of his only family. While Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) has always been a sarcastic, funny character, we finally realize why he is so emotionally detached from the rest of the group.

Without spoiling the rest of the movie, I can easily say GOTG3 is an epic finale to the Guardians’ tale and a revitalizing revamp of the MCU. Recent Phase 4 releases – “She-Hulk,” “Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness,” “Thor: Love and Thunder” – have failed to impress both critics and loyal fans. With familiar characters, nostalgic pop hits and epic fight scenes, “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3” stabilizes the MCU’s shaky reputation.