Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Review











Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3


Release Date: 4th May 2023 - Australia


Production Companies
Marvel Studios

Distribution
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia


Genre: Sci-Fi/Comedy

Rating: M

Runtime: 150 minutes


Budget: $250,000,000

Box Office Gross:
$845,555,777 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Still grieving the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill has to gather his team to defend the universe and protect one of their own. Failing to do so could potentially end the Guardians as we know them.


Cast
Chris Pratt - Peter Quill/
Star-Lord
Zoe Saldana - Gamora
Bradley Cooper - Rocket (Voice)
Dave Bautista - Drax the
Destroyer
Vin Diesel - Groot (Voice)
Pom Klementieff - Mantis
Will Poulter - Adam Warlock
Elizabeth Debicki - Ayesha
Karen Gillan - Nebula
Sean Gunn - Kraglin/On Set Rocket
Chukwudi Iwuji - The High Evolutionary
Krystian Godlewski - On
Set Groot
Maria Bakalova - Cosmo (Voice)
Sylvester Stallone - Stakar
Ogord
Michael Rosenbaum -
Martinex T'Naga
Tara Strong - Mainframe (Voice)
Stephen Blackehart - Steemie Blueliver
Terence Rosemore - Xlomo Smeth
Linda Cardellini - Lylla (Voice)
Asim Chaudry - Teefs (Voice)
Mikaela Hoover - Floor (Voice)
Noa Raskin - Baby Rocket (Voice)
Judy Greer - War Pig (Voice)
Miriam Shor - Recorder Vim
Daniela Melchior - Ura
Jennifer Holland - Administrator Kwol
Nico Santos - Recorder Theel
Kai Zen - Phyla
Sarah Alami - Ssssaralami
Jasmine Munoz - Hoobtoe
Giovannie Cruz - Orloni Peddler
Elan Gale - Beardy Ravager
Molly Quinn - Molly Ravager
Nathan Fillion - Master Karja
Benjamin Byron Davis - Bletelsnort
Tiffany Smith - Frinki-
Clorterborm-Zokko
Darla Delgado - Neelie
Randy Havens - Till
Sarah Anne - Latti
Lloyd Kaufman - Gridlemop (Cameo)
Christopher Fairbank - Broker
Rhett Miller - Bzermikitokolok
Murphy Weed - Murf
Michael Rooker - Yondu
(Cameo)
James Gunn - Lamb-Shank
(Cameo)
Karen Abercrombie - Grandma
Quill
Gregg Henry - Grandpa Quill
Slate - Cosmo
Dee Bradley Baker - Blurp (Voice)
Dane DiLiegro - Unsavory Octopus
Pete Davidson - Phlektik (Cameo)
Seth Green - Howard the Duck (Voice) (Cameo)

Crew
Writer/Director - James Gunn
Star-Lord/Mantis Creator -
Steve Englehart
Star-Lord Creator - Steve Gan
Gamora and Drax Creator -
Jim Starlin

Groot Creators - Stan Lee,
Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby
Rocket Raccoon Creators - Bill Mantlo
and Keith Giffen
Mantis Creator - Don Heck
Howard the Duck Creators - Steve Gerber
and Val Mayerik
Executive Producers - Victoria Alonso,
Louis D'Esposito, Simon Hatt and Sarah Smith
Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager -
Nikolas Korda
Producer - Kevin Feige
Co-Producer/First Assistant Director -
Lars P. Winther
Co-Producer - David Grant
Casting Director - Sarah Finn
Production Designer - Beth Mickle
Visual Development Supervisor - Andy Park
Supervising Art Directors - Alan Hook
and David Scott
Set Decorator - Rosemary Brundenberg
Property Master - Russell Bobbitt
Costume Designer - Judianna Makovsky
Makeup Department Head - Alexei Dmitriew
Director of Photography - Henry Braham
Second Unit Director - Guy Norris
Stunt Coordinator - Heidi Moneymaker
Stunt Co-Coordinator - Wayne Dalglish
Aerial Coordinator/Pilot - Frédéric North
Special Effects Supervisor - Daniel Sudick
Supervisors: Legacy Effects - Lindsay MacGowan,
Shane Mahan and J. Alan Scott
Visual Effects Supervisor - Stephane Ceretti
Visual Effects Supervisor: Weta FX - Guy Williams
Visual Effects Supervisor: SPI - Theo Bialek
Visual Effects Supervisor: Lola VFX - Edson Williams
Additional VFX Supervisor - Daryl Sawchuk
Animation Supervisor: Weta FX - Michael Cozens
Creative Finishing Supervisor - Evan Jacobs
Film Editors - Greg D'Auria, Fred Raskin
and Tatiana S. Regiel
Sound Designer/Supervising Sound Editor -
David Acord
Supervising Sound Editor - Cheryl Nardi
Additional Sound Designer/Temp
Re-Recording Mixer - Chris Diebold
Production Sound Mixer - Lee Orloff
Re-Recording Mixers - Christopher Boyes
and Gary A. Rizzo
Music - John Murphy
Music Supervisor - Dave Nelson


Review
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania got Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) off to a rocky start. It leaves me concerned if another entry might potentially be as lacklustre (if not catastrophic) to the superhero movie franchise. Fortunately, audiences and fans rejoiced when the third GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY movie came out in theatres recently with better reviews (though some are slightly less negative than others). I've heard that most critics considered it the best MCU movie in years since Avengers: Endgame, which had me pounding with excitement. It is a gratifying send-off for the titular heroes, as James Gunn stated it would be his last for the MCU as he stopped directing the movies before moving on to DC to restart its movie universe.

While the familiar humour is still intact, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 is the darkest instalment in the series. Even in its darkest moments, it maintains the franchise's status quo and has the same charm as the first two films. It focuses on Rocket Raccoon, who is one of the titular Guardians. His backstory is tragic and devastating, and I wish we got to see more of his origins, like how he first met Groot. The movie delves into its action without sacrificing its moments of seriousness, and incredibly, these sequences are well-coordinated. Throughout the film, there is a lot of animal cruelty. I know it is crucial to the story, but the film is dark, and the animals have changed, sometimes drastically.

In the movie, there are a whole bunch of new characters added to the plot. The High Evolutionary is a terrifying and despicable villain responsible for experimenting on Rocket. His goal was to try and create a perfect universe, but his experiments would sometimes end up being deformed or not what he expected, as he would end up destroying them and start all over. One of the best character arcs in the saga was for the character Nebula. Since we first met her, she has grown so much. The friends Rocket made during his time as an experiment were some of the best additions. Heartbreaking but essential to the narrative. Kraglin and Cosmo, seen in the Holiday Special, were also terrific additions to the cast. Adam Warlock didn't do a lot and felt underused. Still, he was a welcome addition to the team, and I hope we see more of him in the future. As usual, the acting was phenomenal.

While some may think that Marvel has lost its way, this film proves they haven't. In retrospect, the third instalment of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY lived up to its reputation and is the best of all three movies. It was a marvellous way to end an otherwise fantastic saga. It's tearfully bittersweet. It's the last time we might see some of these characters. I highly recommend it to those who have seen the previous two movies.

Star rating: (10/10) Best Movie Ever