GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOLUME 3 : Tuesday 9th May 2023.

I saw the M Rated 'GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOLUME 3' at my local Odeon earlier this week. This hotly anticipated American superhero film is based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy, and is the sequel to 2014's 'Guardians of the Galaxy' and 2017's 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' and serves as the 32nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the second film in Marvel's Phase Five and more than likely the final instalment in this particular series. Written and Directed once again by James Gunn who recently jumped ship and now heads up, with Peter Safran, DC Studios as Co-Chairpersons and joint CEO's. Gunn's next Directorial outing is slated to be 'Superman : Legacy' due in July 2025. The film saw its World Premier screening at Disneyland, Paris on 22nd April and was released in the US, China, here in Australia and other territories last week. It has garnered generally positive critical reviews and has so far grossed US$366M off the back of a production budget of US$250M. 

At their new home base on Knowhere, the Guardians of the Galaxy (Chris Pratt, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel) are attacked by Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), a Sovereign warrior created by their High Priestess Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki) who seems to answer to the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji). After Adam overpowers them and seriously wounds Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), he is stabbed by Nebula (Karen Gillan) and forced to flee the scene. The Guardians are unable to tend to Rocket's wounds due to a kill switch attached to his heart, made by the company Orgocorp. They travel to Orgocorp's headquarters to find the override code, having at best 48 hours before Rocket dies. 

As Rocket lies unconscious, memories of his past life come flooding back. As a baby raccoon, he was experimented on by the High Evolutionary, an alien geneticist who sought to take what he viewed as lower life forms and enhance them into a perfect anthropomorphic species in order to create a Counter-Earth. 

After being modified Rocket befriended the High Evolutionary's other test animals: the otter Lylla, the rabbit Floor and the walrus Teefs. The High Evolutionary perfected the anthropomorphisation process with Rocket's advice but ordered Rocket's brain to be extracted for further research, and his friends incinerated. Rocket was able to free Lylla with an improvised electronic key card, only for the High Evolutionary to kill her, upon walking in and discovering Rocket's ruse. Rocket, enraged, mauled the High Evolutionary face and head and shot his guards, but Teefs and Floor were killed in the exchange of gunfire. Alone, angry and despondent Rocket steals a spaceship and flees. 

Meanwhile, the alternate version of Gamora (Zoe Saldana) who has joined the Ravagers led by the high ranking Stakar Ogord (Sylvester Stallone), helps the Guardians infiltrate Orgocorp, which is owned by the High Evolutionary. 

They retrieve Rocket's file, but discover that the code has been removed. The group speculates that Theel (Nico Santos), one of the High Evolutionary's advisors, has it, so they depart for Counter-Earth. They are followed by Ayesha and Adam, who are ordered by their creator, the High Evolutionary, to capture at all costs Rocket for his brain.

Arriving on Counter-Earth the Guardians are helped by a family of local residents in tracing Theel to the High Evolutionary's ship. Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) remain with Gamora and Rocket as Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), and Nebula (Karen Gillan) travel to the High Evolutionary's ship. Nebula is forced to wait outside by guards as Quill and Groot board. Drax and Mantis chase after Quill's group. 

The High Evolutionary sets off the destruction and planned recreation of Counter-Earth, which ultimately kills all life on the planet, including Ayesha. As his ship enters orbit, Quill and Groot leap off with Theel, landing back on Counter-Earth and retrieving the code from the computer implanted into the side of his head, just as Gamora arrives with their ship. In the meantime, Nebula, Mantis, and Drax board the High Evolutionary's ship in order to rescue Quill and Groot, not knowing that had recently and literally jumped ship. As Quill's group attempts to access the code, Rocket flatlines and has a near-death experience, where he is reunited with Lylla, Teefs, and Floor. Lylla tells him that his time has not yet come and that he still has work to do, as Quill uses the code to disable the kill switch and save Rocket's life. 

On the High Evolutionary's ship, Nebula, Mantis, and Drax come across hundreds of imprisoned humanoid children, before being captured. Quill's group sets out to rescue the three, who are placed in a chamber with monstrous Abilisks. Mantis connects with the Abilisks saying they only eat batteries, and so allowing the group to escape and reunite with Quill's group, together overcoming the High Evolutionary's army. Kraglin (Sean Gunn) and Cosmo the Spacedog (voiced by Maria Bakalova) arrive back on Knowhere, and Cosmo creates a telekinetic bridge connecting Knowhere to the High Evolutionary's ship to free the captured children. Rocket discovers imprisoned animals on the ship before being attacked by the High Evolutionary, but the rest of the Guardians help subdue him, remove his mask revealing the seriously disfigured face of the man and leaving him to die on his ship. The Guardians rescue the animals and lead them aboard Knowhere. Quill nearly dies by freezing in deep space trying to cross over but is saved by Adam, who had a change of heart after being saved by Groot. 

Once the dust has settled, Quill announces that he intends to leave the Guardians, bestowing the captaincy to Rocket before leaving for Earth to reunite with his grandfather Jason. Mantis embarks on a journey of self-discovery with the Abilisks, Gamora reunites with the Ravagers and is welcomed back by Stakar Ogord, and Nebula and Drax remain on Knowhere to raise the saved children. 

There is no doubt that Director James Gunn has wrapped up his final instalment of the 'Guardians' trilogy with a lot of heart, a good dose of emotion, action set pieces aplenty, some witty dialogue, a thumping soundtrack, all the colour and grandeur of the galaxy that you could ever imagine, plus a whole zoo load of animals that would make any self respecting PETA advocate squirm in horror. And for the rag tag bunch of space heroes Gunn sees them all go off in their own directions to seek out new challenges and adventures, and as for some of them if you remain in your seat for a mid-credits sequence and right until the end credits have rolled you'll catch a glimpse of what the future (possibly) holds. My only criticism of this film, and it seems that thirty-two films in now, of the MCU at large, is that the CGI action spectacles are often so beautifully rendered that their screen busyness leaves the viewer wondering where to focus the attention for fear of missing out on something happening on another part of the screen. 

'Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3' warrants three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 4th May 2023.

The 54th Visions du Reel International Film Festival took place between Friday 21st April and Sunday 30th April in the Swiss town on Nyon on the edge of Lake Geneva, about 25kms north east of Geneva's city centre. Held over the course of ten days, the Festival turns Nyon into a focal point at which several generations of filmmakers and artists from all over the world find a loyal audience on a voyage of discovery. Recognised globally as one of the major festivals dedicated to non-fiction filmmaking, it presents a majority of films as World or International Premieres, and constitutes an essential platform for creation for the thousands of film professionals who meet there every year, according to the synopsis on the official website.

The International Feature Film Competition celebrates contemporary non-fiction filmmaking. The films are presented in World, International or European Premieres. Those fourteen films are :-

* 'While the Green Grass Grows' - from Switzerland and Canada and Co-Produced, Co-Edited, photographed and Directed by Peter Mettler, this film won the Grand Prix Award and saw its World Premier showcasing.

* 'Defectors' - from South Korea and the USA and Co-Produced, Edited, photographed and Directed by Hyun kyung Kim. World Premier screening.

* 'The Bilbaos' - from Argentina and Co-Written, Co-Produced, photographed and Directed by Pedro Speroni. World Premier.

* 'Hours of Ours' - from Thailand and Co-Produced, photographed and Directed by Komtouch Napattaloong. World Premier.

* 'Al Djanat - The Original Paradise' - from France, Burkina Faso, Benin and Germany and Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Chloe Aicha Boro. International Premier.

* 'In Ukraine' - from Poland and Germany and Written, photographed, Edited and Directed by Piotr Pawlus and Tomasz Wolski. International Premier screening.

* 'The Forgotten of the Beautiful Star' - from France and Co-Written and Directed by Clemence Davigo. World Premier.

* 'Grasshopper Republic' - from the USA and Co-Produced, Co-photographed and Directed by Daniel McCabe. World Premier.

* 'Fauna' - from Spain and Co-Written and Directed by Pau Faus. World Premier.

* 'Mashtat' - from Lebanon, Tunisia, France and Qatar and Directed by Sonia Ben Slama. World Premier showcasing.

* 'Antier noche' - from Switzerland and Spain and Written, Edited and Directed by Alberto Martin Menacho. World Premier.

* 'My Father's Prison' - from Venezuela and photographed and Directed by Ivan Andres Simonovis Pertinez. World Premier.

* 'O auto das animas' - from Spain and photographed and Directed by Pablo Lago Dantas. World Premier.

* 'Pure Unknown' - from Italy, Switzerland and Sweden and Directed by Mattia Colombo and Valentina Cicogna and Edited by Velentina Cicogna. World Premier screening.

The Burning Lights Competition is an international competition of medium length and feature films dedicated to new, free, adventurous and contemporary perspectives in cinema. 'Knit's Island' won the Grand Prix Award within this section, which also comprised the following titles : 'Filming', 'Natalia', 'Caiti Blues', 'Dreamers', 'Still Film', 'An Inhabited Volcano', 'This Woman', 'Mother Saigon', 'Astrakan 79', 'Apocryphal County', 'Taxibol', 'Landshaft', 'An Owl, a Garden & the Writer' and 'Gulan'. 

The National Competition is dedicated to feature and medium length films (Co)Produced in Switzerland. 'Sorrow Valley' won the Grand Prix Award within this section, which comprised of the following titles also : 'The Hunters Son', 'Full Tank', 'Hawar, Our Banished Children', 'Floating Islands', 'Hello France', 'The Wonder Way', 'On Remembering', 'The House', 'Female Dog of Red', 'Follow the Water' and 'Ruach - A Journey Into Yenish Europe'.  

For the full synopsis of these aforementioned films, plus the full line-up of films showcased at this years Visions du Reel, you can go to the official website at : https://www.visionsdureel.ch/en/

Turning back to this weeks slate of new released movies, of which there are six, we kick off with the third instalment and the 32nd offering in the MCU that sees the leader of this band of beloved intergalactic misfits rallying his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. Then we turn to an Arabic language film telling the story of a young man who is offered a place at a prestigious Cairo University which is also the centre of power of Sunni Islam, but he soon becomes a pawn in the battle between Egypt's religious and political forces. This is followed by an American drama telling the true story of a young, gay Black man with few options for his future decides to join the Marines, willing to do whatever it takes to prove himself to his estranged mother and triumph in a system that would otherwise cast him aside. Next up is an Aussie film that is an allegory for racism, as it follows BlackWoman, who is abandoned in a cage on a trailer in the middle of the desert - her escape leads to a city, recapture and tragedy. Following on, we have a Swiss sports drama film about a talented young Ukrainian gymnast living in exile in Switzerland who has to stand by and watch as the Euromaidan protests unfold in her native Kyiv in late 2013, all the while training for the European Gymnastics Championships. And closing out the week we have a French comedy crime drama film about a young gigolo and an attractive con artist plot a devilish scheme on the French Riviera. 

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the six latest release new films as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the coming week.

'GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOLUME 3' (Rated M) - this hotly anticipated American superhero film is based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy, and is the sequel to 2014's 'Guardians of the Galaxy' and 2017's 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' and serves as the 32nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the second film in Marvel's Phase Five. Written and Directed once again by James Gunn who recently jumped ship and now heads up, with Peter Safran, DC Studios as Co-Chairpersons and joint CEO's. Gunn's next Directorial outing is slated to be 'Superman : Legacy' due in July 2025. 

The Guardians of the Galaxy (Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Sean Gunn and Maria Bakalova) are adjusting to life on Knowhere when parts of Rocket's (Bradley Copper) past resurface. In order to protect him, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) must lead the Guardians on a dangerous universe defending mission that could lead to the team dissolving if they fail. Also starring Elizabeth Debicki, Sylvester Stallone and Will Poulter. The film saw its World Premier screening at Disneyland, Paris on 22nd April and is released in the US, China, here in Australia and other territories this week.

'CAIRO CONSPIRACY' (Rated M) - aka 'Boy from Heaven' is an Arabic language French, Swedish and Finish Co-Produced political thriller film Written and Directed by the Swedish film maker Tarik Saleh, whose previous feature film credits are his debut in 2009 with 'Metropia', then 'Tommy' in 2014, 'The 'Nile Hilton Incident' in 2017 and 'The Contractor' in 2022 being his first English language film. Adam (Tawfeek Barhom), the son of a fisherman, accepts an offer to study at the prestigious Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. Shortly after his arrival, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar suddenly dies and Adam becomes a pawn in the power struggle between the country's political and religious elites, to replace him. The film saw its World Premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where it was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or. At Cannes, Saleh was awarded Best Screenplay and the film received the Francois Chalais Prize. The film was also selected as the Swedish entry for the Best International Feature Film at this years Academy Awards, and made the December shortlist. It has received generally favourable Reviews and has so far grossed US$4M at the Box Office.

'THE INSPECTION' (Rated MA15+) - this American drama film is Written and Directed by Elegance Bratton in his feature film making debut. This film saw its World Premier screening at TIFF back in September last year and was released in the US in mid-November, having garnered generally favourable reviews and so far recouping just US$407K from its modest US$3M production budget. Here then, Ellis French (Jeremy Pope) a young gay black man with few options in life, enlists in the US Marine Corps and is sent to boot camp on Parris Island, South Carolina. Initially he meets the physical requirements, but is not as successful in disguising his sexual orientation, making him the target of a near-lethal hazing from training instructor Leland Laws (Bokeem Woodbine) and a fellow recruit, Laurence Harvey (McCaul Lombardi). Also starring Raul Castillo and Gabrielle Union. It has picked up twelve award wins and a further twenty-nine nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit. 

'THE SURVIVAL OF KINDNESS' (Rated M) - is an Australian drama film Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Rolf de Heer, whose previous film making credits take in the likes of his feature film making debut back in 1984 with 'Tale of a Tiger', then 'Bad Boy Bubby' in 1993, 'The Tracker' in 2002, 'Ten Canoes' in 2006, 'Twelve Canoes' in 2009 and 'Charlie's Country' in 2013. Seen as a metaphor for racism, the film follows BlackWoman (Mwajemi Hussein), who is abandoned in a cage on a trailer in the middle of the desert. Once she escapes the cage, she walks from desert to mountain to city, to find more captivity and tragedy. It saw its World Premiere at the October 2022 Adelaide Film Festival and had its International Premiere in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival in mid-February where it competed for the Golden Bear and won the FIPRESCI Award for Best Film. 

'OLGA' (Rated M) - this Swiss sports drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Elie Grappe in his feature film making debut that saw its World Premier showcasing at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival in July 2021 and was selected as the Swiss entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 2022 Academy Awards. The film tells the story of a fifteen year old Ukrainian gymnast, Olga (Anastasiia Budiashkina), living in exile in Switzerland and who is working toward securing a place at the country's National Sports Centre and who is also preparing for the European Gymnastics Championships. When Euromaidan protests begin in Kyiv in late November 2013, anxieties come to the fore as her family gets involved. The film has generated eleven wins and another nine nominations from around the awards and festival circuit and has taken just US$97K at the Box Office. 

'MASQUERADE' (Rated MA15+) - is a French comedy crime drama offering Written and Directed by Nicolas Bedos whose prior film making credits take in his feature debut in 2017 with 'Mr. & Mme Adelman', then 'La Belle Epoque' in 2019 and then 'OSS 117 : Alerte Rouge en Afrique Noire' in 2021. This film was screened out of competition at last years Cannes Film Festival in May. Here, Adrien Saillard (Pierre Niney), an attractive dancer whose career was shattered by a motorcycle accident, squanders his youth in idleness. His life changes when he meets Margot Hansen (Marine Vacth), who lives off scams and amorous manipulations, as they set about plotting a devilish scheme on the French Riviera. Also starring Francois Cluzet, Emmanuelle Devos and Isabelle Adjani. The film has so far recovered US$7M off the back of a production budget of US$15M. 

With six new release movie offerings this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere at your local Odeon in the week ahead.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-