The hit MCU space saga reaches terminal velocity with the threequel that director James Gunn calls “the big one”. From the vicious new villains to the most out-there fan theories, here’s everything you need to know about Guardians of the Galaxy 3.
Director: James Gunn
Writer: James Gunn
based on Marvel Comics
Stars: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Will Poulter, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Linda Cardellini, Nathan Fillion, Sylvester Stallone.
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Themes: Based on Comic, Marvel Comics, Guardians of the Galaxy.
Still reeling from the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill rallies his team to defend the universe and one of their own - a mission that could mean the end of the Guardians if not successful.
It is the final installment in the Guardians of the Galaxy film trilogy, the sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), and the 32nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
The film received positive reviews from critics
In Cinemas Now
MIX UP REVIEWS:
Evan (Age 11) - ★★★★★
"It's sad and really pulls your heart strings but it's also funny and filled with action. I give it 5 stars."
Daniel (Age 13) - ★★★★★
"This was an amazing film.
This is definitely one of my favourite marvel film of all time.
This film was emotional, funny, exciting and dark.
My favourite character was cosmo.
My favourite scene was when he called cosmo a good dog.
Overall this was a great movie that I could recommend to anyone."
Have you seen it yet?
GOTG 3 buzz - Why is everyone talking about Guardians of the Galaxy 3?
Any time the Marvel Cinematic Universe fires out a new film, there’s always a crackle of anticipation. But the release of Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is an event that demands a hip-shimmying Star-Lord dance.
The cosmos-roaming rabble helped take down Thanos in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame and had a bit-part in last year’s Thor: Love And Thunder. But it’s six years since the last ‘proper’ Guardians film, and we’re dying for more intergalactic questing, snarky space bants and big-picture MCU developments.
Back from his shift helming The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker with DC – and shortly before taking a permanent role with Marvel’s arch-rivals – long-standing Guardians director James Gunn will man the controls one last time. As he says: “This movie is about the end…”
GOTG 3 plot - What happens in the new Guardians of the Galaxy?
If you watched The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special, you’ll know the gang have purchased the Knowhere colony and are restoring it to former glories to serve as their HQ and a haven for refugee aliens.
“Although the Guardians are sometimes heroes, they work as mercenaries and it brings in a fair amount of money,” James Gunn explained to a fan in a tweet. “So after Thanos attacked Knowhere, they bought it from the Collector. It was a burnt-out husk and they’ve been rebuilding it.”
Don’t worry: GOTG 3 isn’t some intergalactic restoration show about Drax choosing cushions and wallpaper. While the usual MCU plot secrecy applies, the official synopsis sounds action-packed: ‘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 could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.’
Cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - Which old faces will we seen in GOTG 3?
Pumping his favourite soft-rock tunes through the subwoofers of the Guardians’ new ship, The Bowie, Chris Pratt once again plays Peter Quill/Star-Lord with a mischievous twinkle. “James Gunn has made a true masterpiece,” the actor told Digital Spy, “and I just cannot wait for people to see it.”
After her death in Avengers: Infinity War, her timeline-variant return for Avengers: Endgame – and her subsequent vanishing act – we know Avatar’s Zoe Saldaña will reprise her role as Gamora and lead a Ravagers squad. But the green goddess has no memory of her time with the Guardians – does that mean the end for her romance with Quill?
It’s the final flight for Dave Bautista as Drax, who has blocked the plumbing with his ‘famously huge turds’ for the last time. “I’m so grateful for Drax,” the former wrestler told GQ of the role that made him pull over his car and sob when he heard he’d won it in 2014. “But there’s a relief. It was hard playing that role. The makeup process was beating me down.”
Nebula (Karen Gillan), Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and a growing Groot (Vin Diesel) all return, as does action icon Sylvester Stallone (Rocky) as veteran Ravager Stakar Ogord. Meanwhile, this time around, Bradley Cooper’s performance as Rocket has a little sorrow stirred into the snark. “He’s got to be the saddest creature in the universe,” Gunn told Comic-Con. “And that’s what this movie is partly about.”
Why is Rocket so important to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?
James Gunn has always said he identifies with the sardonic cyborg raccoon and the director’s comments – along with Guardians Of The Galaxy 3 trailer footage – suggest Rocket’s backstory will be key.
“I feel like Rocket’s story has not been completed,” Gunn told Deadline. “He has an arc that started in the first movie, continued into the second and goes through Infinity War and Endgame, and then I was set to really finish that arc in Guardians 3.”
GOTG 3 Villains - Who are the bad guys in the new MCU movie?
Nigerian-British actor Chukwudi Iwuji (News of the World) will play the High Evolutionary: a rogue scientist obsessed with conditioning his unwilling test subjects into a super-race. Based on the Guardians Of The Galaxy 3 trailer – which sees him forcing his prisoners to tramp a hamster-style treadmill – Rocket’s creator is likely to make trouble for the Guardians.
“Shady doesn't touch it,” Iwuji told Collider of his character. “He is narcissistic, sociopathic, but very charming. There's something very Shakespearean about him, there's something very emotionally dark about him, and he's a lot of fun on top of all that.”
We know the Guardians’ betrayal of the Sovereign in Vol. 2 will spark deadly payback in the form of Adam Warlock (Will Poulter - The Maze Runner, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader). He’s seen pounding Nebula in the Guardians 3 trailer, but this synthetic superbeing isn’t a black-and-white villain (in fact, he’s gold). Gunn says that calling Warlock a hero “might be pushing it”, adding that the character makes “an interesting juxtaposition with where we've been so far”.
GOTG 3 fan theories - What do Marvel-heads think will happen in Guardians 3?
Stick a pin in the web and you’ll find an MCU scholar predicting GOTG 3 curveballs. While some theories are too out-there to take seriously, a few seem more credible. Some believe the High Evolutionary will restore Quill’s powers after he lost them in Vol. 2. Others insist Drax’s supposedly slain daughter will return, having in fact spent years in the villainous scientist’s laboratory.
The most popular fan theory of all is that at least one major Guardian will perish by the close of play, with most fingers pointing at Rocket after a film that puts him front and centre. “The increased interest in his story and the fact that he survived so many deadly incidents might spell doom for one of the MCU’s most unique characters,” wrote the WatchMojo site.
If you’ve been following the MCU’s smash-hit space saga since 2014, you can’t miss saying farewell to your favourite dysfunctional family.
“This is where things really happen,” James Gunn told Entertainment Weekly of his threequel. “This is where we get to know the truth about who these characters are, and we face the biggest stakes. This is the big one…”
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