GOTG 3: How Jackie Chan's Stuntwork Inspired James Gunn's Oner Philosophy

Contains spoilers for "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3"

Not only is "GOTG Vol. 3" the end of the road for James Gunn's ragtag group of heroes, it's also the most technically impressive entry in the trilogy. While the film is filled to the brim with emotional moments and cathartic setpieces, the real star of the threequel is the space opera's explosive third act. As the film comes to a close, the Guardians do their thing, saving the day with their slick weapons, killer abilities, and acrobatic moves, proving that they're the most worthy heroes in the galaxy.

What makes the final battle stand out is the one-take action sequence set in a hallway, which sees all the Guardians working together, helping one another out. The camera effortlessly glides from one hero to the next, giving audiences a beautiful and chaotic look at their favorites. "That hallway scene with each Guardian fighting was incredible, best Marvel action scene in ages," wrote Reddit user u/Daydream_machine on the sequence. Ask anyone who's seen Gunn's latest and they'll express similar sentiments.

While the final film presents the sequence as one effortless continuous take, Gunn has confirmed that the action and stuntwork in "Vol. 3" were stitched together. Making the visuals look seamless was no small task but luckily Gunn had Jackie Chan's work ethic and philosophy to take inspiration from. "I grew up watching Jackie Chan movies, and when you see a Jackie Chan movie, you're like, 'Oh my God, how can that guy do all of that stuff?'" Gunn told The Hollywood Reporter. The director continued by pointing out how Chan, an expert martial artist, typically "does things 50 times until he gets it right."

James Gunn continued by pointing out how so much of the stuntwork on a film like "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is about being as precise as possible, especially when it comes to ensuring that the camera moves as required. "The stunt people have to do their job perfectly, and the actors have to do their job perfectly until you get that in the right way," Gunn said. "So it's just repetition." Peter Quill star Chris Pratt, also speaking with THR, chimed in to remind Gunn how the scene required immense coordination from the stunt team. "There was one piece in particular where the stunt team was doing something crazy that had to be perfectly timed, and you must have done that piece 25 times because it just wasn't working," Pratt said.

Ultimately, everything that was shot had to be stitched together, which was another grueling process. How long did it take to bring that scene to life? Visual Effects Supervisor Stephane Ceretti revealed to The Hollywood Reporter in a separate interview that it took almost a full year in post-production.

Like Jackie Chan, the "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" team makes everything look easy — we just never see the hard work that goes into making the final product look so effortless.