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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