st226

MOVIE FEATURE

visit jbhifi.com.au/stack

the story is that emotional centre of Rocket and the other characters, who are all outsiders who don’t feel as if they really belong. Eventually, the cracks start to open up a little bit between some

In the immortal words of Bradley Cooper’s raccoon Rocket, “Let’s give the galaxy something to remember us by.” And the Guardians gang give us just that in their bittersweet farewell, . Words Gill Pringle N ow based in their new HQ on Knowhere, the Guardians are attacked

• Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3 is out on Aug 9

of the characters, and they start to love each other.” In undertaking the gang’s final mission, Pratt is nostalgic. “It’s really special to be reunited with the Guardians family for Vol. 3 ,” he reflects. “It’s rare to have a rapport like we have, and for as many years as we’ve put in the trenches together. We’re still very much a family. What makes it different this time around is we know it’s coming to an end, so I think each of us is processing that in their own way. For me, I know it means just trying to be ultra-present, and drink the moment up and lick the plate clean. It’s been a blast.”

by Will Poulter’s Adam, a Sovereign warrior created by their high priestess Ayesha (portrayed by Australia’s own Elizabeth Debicki), in her bid to destroy the Guardians. With Rocket critically wounded, the team set out to find a way to save his life. Director James Gunn says he’d always hoped to find a way to give “legendary outlaw” Rocket his big moment. “I knew that the core of the story, for me, was Rocket and his story: where he came from, and who he was,” he explains. Having directed all three films

that, because he’s really scared. That loneliness is the centre of the Guardians of the Galaxy. “It’s funny, because people think of these films as lighthearted, fun movies. But everything that drives

James Gunn, director

of the MCU franchise, Gunn adds, “When Marvel first approached me about Guardians of the Galaxy , I wasn’t sure it was something I wanted to do. I never wanted to make a movie that I couldn’t sink my teeth into, that I really didn’t care about with every fibre of my being,” he reflects. “But on my way home from that first meeting, I thought: ‘What if there was a real talking raccoon, and where did that raccoon come from?’ It seemed like the saddest creature in the universe to me. This is a little animal who was taken and turned into something he shouldn’t be, and felt completely ostracised and alienated from every other life form in the galaxy. And [he’s] angry because of

THE ORIGINAL GUARDIANS

The Guardians as we know them are relatively new on the scene, with the first publication of their adventures appearing in 2008. Each of the team members originates from elsewhere in the Marvel universe; Groot made his debut in issue #13 of Tales to Astonish in 1960, Star-Lord first appears in issue #4 of the 1976 comic Marvel

Preview , followed by Rocket Raccoon in issue #7. But did you know that there was another Guardians of the Galaxy team? They exist in an alternative timeline of the Marvel Universe and first appeared in issue #18 of Marvel Super-Heroes (1969). The crew included the characters of Vance

Astro, Martinex T’Naga, Captain Charlie-27, and Yondu Udonta, and they were given their own short

lived series in 1976. Continuing to make appearances throughout other Marvel properties, the original Guardians have since popped up to join the new gang for several adventures.

10 AUGUST 2023

jbhifi.com.au