Volume 3 of Guardians of the Galaxy shares the franchise’s penchant for fantastic visuals highlighting imaginative new worlds with recognisable rock songs to help create momentum. It also features characters that are written well within the lines. This gives things a comforting familiarity but one open for a slight expansion of backstory. This time the highlights are the details about Rocket’s (Bradley Cooper) origin story.

As with all the MCU’s big-budget productions, the film looks spectacular and tries its best to successfully mix comedy with cosmic peril. There are some clunky moments in the script that fly by without doing much damage and others that register real emotional connection. The underlining theme of the power of friendship is never far from the surface.

Recreating the freshness of the first edition would have been near impossible as the second edition showed but round three redeems itself quite nicely and brings things to a satisfactory close. It might not win many new converts but those invested in what has come before will find much to like in this final chapter.
Rob Hudson
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But it isn’t long before their lives are upended by the echoes of Rocket’s turbulent past. Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him on a dangerous mission to save Rocket’s life—a mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.

The film stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, featuring Vin Diesel as Groot and Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Will Poulter and Maria Bakalova.

James Gunn is the director and also wrote the screenplay. Kevin Feige produces with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Nikolas Korda, Sara Smith, and Simon Hatt serving as executive producers.

Marvel Studios’ “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” opens in Australian cinemas on May 4, 2023.
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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.

James Gunn writes and directs “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” which stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, featuring Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Will Poulter and Maria Bakalova.

Kevin Feige is the producer and Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Nikolas Korda, Simon Hatt and Sara Smith serve as executive producers.
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And all this for a superhero team that not many people know, and the first Marvel film not to feature one of the Silver Age group of characters created by Stan Lee.

The Guardians are a bunch of undesirables who find themselves fighting together to prevent one of the Infinity Stones from reaching Thanos. If that all sounds a little crazy, then welcome to the Marvel Universe (not just Earth, or Asgard, or wherever it is that Agent Coulson buys his suits) where universe destroying gems and intergalactic, death obsessed super villains are the norm. The preposterous synopsis hides an entertaining film.

The Guardians are in the vein of Blake’s 7 or, for the people born after the 70’s boom of more realist and thoroughly depressing science fiction or even the crew of Serenity, except they are substantially less human. Chris Pratt is Star-Lord (possibly human, maybe more), Zoe Saldana is the green Gamora (known in the comics as ‘the deadliest woman in the whole galaxy’), professional wrestler Dave Bautista is Drax the Destroyer (more than just muscle), Bradley Cooper lends his voice to Rocket (a gun toting raccoon), and the wooden acting of Vin Diesel is put to good use as he voices an anthropomorphic tree called Groot (Vin’s never been better). The big bad, Thanos (Josh Brolin moving from DC to Marvel), is seen little, leaving his minions Lee Pace (as Ronan, the least interesting aspect of the film) and Karen Gillan (as the slightly more interesting Nebula) to do the dirty work. Better villainy comes from Michael Rooker (doing what he does best as Yondu Udonta).

Director and co-writer James Gunn has a history in irreverent comedy. His early work includes Tromeo and Juliet (for the legendary Troma Entertainment) and The Specials (who as a team of less than exemplary superheroes, not the band, may have been something of a dry-run for this film). He also wrote the Scooby Doo movies, but don’t hold that against him, and that experience has helped him create a PG film from a comic that is generally anything but.

The questions I have already seen on social media include “Is it better than Star Wars” and “Is it better than The Avengers”. The answer, quite obviously, rather depends how much you like those films. Like the two films in question, Guardians has brilliant dialogue and interplay between characters hesitantly working together, coupled with enough action scenes to satisfy the teenage boy in all of us. See the film for yourself and decide which is better. I am certainly looking forward to seeing Guardians again, at my earliest convenience, and that is the best recommendation I can give it.

Fabulous Sebastian
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The story involves a man running from his past, John Thornton (a craggy looking Harrison Ford) and a behemoth of a dog, Buck. Set in turn of the century Alaska and based on the Jack London novel of the same name, it takes full advantage of the vast landscapes and the frozen winter.

Buck appears to be made up entirely of zeros and ones and at first it feels a little odd but you soon become accustomed to his appearance and then enjoy the moments of his almost human looking emotions. The other computer generated animals come across a bit more realistic but are given much less screen time and fewer emotions to convey.

Simple in plot and engaging on an emotional level, it reminds one of how easy it was to get lost in the wonders of the cinema as a youth. Almost fifty percent of the audience at the screening were very young and they remained transfixed the entire running time. More that mere nostalgia, it strikes something universal.
Rob Hudson
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The look of the animated film mixes photo realistic images, of things like cars and buildings with the overly exaggerated human features prominent amongst comic book characters. It’s a mix that doesn’t always fit together comfortably. The set designs however are often times fantastic looking.

More strongly aimed at a youth market, it works in some strange ways to make it relevant to adults. This even includes a never seen before naked tattooed Yakuza butt and some very adult levels of ego from main spy, Lance Sterling, voiced by Will Smith. His Q like offsider is voiced by Tom Holland and he is efficient as the pacifist geek inventor.

As an adult, it would seem heavy handed to dismiss this work just because it is targeted to a young audience as it should provide a good time for the little ones. It just might be best to see it more through their eyes.

Rob Hudson
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In Jumanji: The Next Level, the gang is back but the game has changed. As they return to Jumanji to rescue one of their own, they discover that nothing is as they expect. The players will have to brave parts unknown and unexplored, from the arid deserts to the snowy mountains, in order to escape the world’s most dangerous game.

Starring Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Awkwafina, Ser’Darius Blain, Madison Iseman, Morgan Turner, Alex Wolff with Danny Glover and Danny DeVito, Jumanji: The Next Level will be released in Australian cinemas this Boxing Day.
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The players will have to brave parts unknown and unexplored, from the arid deserts to the snowy mountains, in order to escape the world’s most dangerous game.

Jumanji: The Next Level stars  Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Awkwafina, Ser’Darius Blain, Madison Iseman, Morgan Turner, Alex Wolff with Danny Glover and Danny DeVito, and will be released in Australian cinemas Boxing Day!
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Stuber is Stu (Kumail Nanjiani) a mild mannered chap who drives an Uber as a second job. His OCD world is turned upside down when he has to drive Vic (Dave Bautista). Vic is an alpha male cop still ruing the loss of a partner and obsessing over finding their murderer.

Stu as the fish out of water plays a great straight man to Vic’s over the top cop tendencies and most of the humour comes out of their developing relationship. There is very little story to get in the way of the fun and that’s fine when the percentage of gags that work is so high.

The movie is quite adept at producing the kind of easy escape that only the cinema can provide. Sitting in the dark with fellow film goers and laughing uproariously while munching on empty calories and just enjoying yourself. Add Stuber to the short list of guaranteed good time films.

Rob Hudson
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In Jumanji: The Next Level, the gang is back but the game has changed. As they return to Jumanji to rescue one of their own, they discover that nothing is as they expect. The players will have to brave parts unknown and unexplored, from the arid deserts to the snowy mountains, in order to escape the world’s most dangerous game.

Jumanji: The Next Level stars Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Awkwafina, Ser’Darius Blain, Madison Iseman, Morgan Turner, Alex Wolff with Danny Glover and , and is in Australian cinemas Boxing Day!
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