Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 just as touching, funny and fast-moving as the first two films

Film review: Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 (12A) – seen at The Light Cinema, Wisbech

Starring: Chukwudi Iwuji, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Sean Gunn, Chris Pratt, Sylvester Stallone, Zoe Saldana and (voices) Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel

Running time: 2 hrs 30 mins Director: James Gunn

So, after smash hit successes with the first two films, released in 2014 and 2017, can our loveable crew win our hearts and save the Galaxy all over again? You bet they can.

Yes, Star Lord, Gamora, Groot, Rocket, Nebula, Mantis and Drax are back for one final outing and, believe me, it’s every bit as moving, funny and entertaining as the first two films that made us all fall in love with them in the first place.

It’s accompanied by another of the franchise’s brilliant soundtracks too, sandwiched by two of my favourite tunes of all time.

At 150 minutes, it’s a tad longer than its predecessors but believe me, it’s all thriller, no filler as so much is packed into that two-and-a-half hours.

When we first meet the team, Peter Quill (Pratt) is in a drunken stupor, reeling from the loss of his timeline’s Gamora (killed in the Infinity Wars film).

However, when the evil ‘High Evolutionary’ (Iwuji) tries to take back his former protege Rocket (voiced by Cooper), Quill rallies his team once again to defend the universe and one of their own.

We then embark on a non-stop, high octane roller coaster of action, interspersed with touching flashbacks of Rocket’s youth, spent as a lab animal.

There’s all the laughs we’ve come to expect from Drax (Bautista), Mantis (Klementieff) and Groot (voiced by Diesel), Nebula partially thaws off her Ice Queen image as she integrates more into the group and there are some genuinely touching scenes between Quill and Gamora as he mourns the love the two once shared.

The whole film is pretty near perfect and, having refreshed my memory by watching the first two installments again in recent days, I can happily confirm it more than matches them.

The ending is very satisfying too and, although you never dare say never in the movie business, this does look like a triumphant end for the Guardians, with no need or reason for a Volume 4.

By Jeremy Ransome

Rating: 9/10