Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, Nebula, Mantis and Groot, the most beloved family of misfit heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, bid farewell to their space adventures in style with an emotionally charged third installment. spectacle and humor that the American director and screenwriter James Gunn, creator of the two previous films, released in 2014 and 2017, has managed to balance in a difficult balance.
This was confirmed by the press who attended the European Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 gala at Disneyland Paris last weekend, where the protagonists of this fun saga walked their hearts out in a surprise photocall surrounded by music, a spaceship and final fireworks fireworks at the Avengers Campus. A farewell in style that has taken James Gunn, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff and Vin Diesel –the voice of Groot– on a world tour that includes destinations such as Seoul or Los Angeles.
They have not been able to join the appointment Dave Bautista, who plays Drax, nor Bradley Cooper, who lends his voice to the charismatic Rocket. And it is precisely the figure of the endearing raccoon and his origins in the form of flashbacks that is the focus of the plot of this film that will hit Spanish theaters on May 4.
Sean Gunn, brother of James Gunn, handles Rocket's motion capture and returns as Kraglin with a new companion, Cosmo the dog, who has telekinetic powers. The parade of familiar faces is fueled by Sylvester Stallone as Stakar Ogord and Elizabeth Debicki, Will Poulter and Chukwudi Iwuji as villains Ayesha, Adam Warlock and the scientist known as High Evolutionary.
The filming of the film, how could it be otherwise for its protagonists, was full of moving moments. "It was a very bittersweet feeling. On one hand, we were excited to be back playing our characters and we knew we were part of something big because James Gunn had written a wonderful final script for all of us. But knowing that it was going to be the last Once with everyone together I felt sorry. However, I feel enormous gratitude in my heart for what this trip that has lasted almost ten years has meant," Saldaña said in an interview in Paris with La Vanguardia. The actress transforms into a Gamora that has nothing to do with the one in the other two installments. A tougher woman who has forgotten her love for Quill after the events of Avengers: Infinity War and returning from another multiverse.
"I tried to capture every moment of the shoot in my mind to live it to the fullest. James didn't let us have our phones on set and it was a way for us to focus and support each other. I remember it as something very special and I really had fun making this film a lot", comments Pratt, who in this story suffers doubly from both Gamora's love rejection and the fact of having to lead the mission to save his dear friend Rocket, whose complicated past we will witness in a story that will invite to drop the occasional tear.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) marked the triumphant entry of James Gunn into the Marvel superhero genre, which he impregnated with a carefree pop-style humor and a soundtrack in which Hooked On A Feeling, by Blue Swede, stood out. The critics applauded the ingenuity of some of the most peculiar characters who immediately won the affection of the public, which boosted it at the box office. Saldaña maintains that he never thought that the tape would reach so high. "I wanted to participate in it because I believed in its message and I felt that it was special. And you always hope that the public feels the same. I remember that during the tour of the first Guardians of the Galaxy all our expectations were exceeded. It was a very nice surprise to feel the great reception it had".
Pratt was only concerned with "doing my character well, staying in shape and not getting fired right away," he says with a broad smile. "The success of Guardians of the Galaxy completely changed my career, my life and that of my future grandchildren," he adds. And where lies the secret to the success of this franchise? "With hard work and dedication," says the Jurassic World star, "it's really hard to pull off a good movie, but James' ability to write good scripts, all the preparation that goes into it, is on display from day one of shooting. He already knows how the film is going to turn out because he's been working on it for years, which is why I feel so lucky that they hired me and witness his entire work process, from casting to production design, the special effects or the costumes. He has everything under control and he knows how he has to appear on the screen."
Returning to Gamora's trademark green face after appearing in blue as Neytiri in Avatar 2, Saldaña praises Gunn for "his dedication to every detail, his generosity to the actors, accompanying them on their own journey with the character, and it's something he does with every team involved in the film. It's a joint collaboration and everyone comes to set feeling protected and loved. I love working with him."
Despite the fact that both actors say goodbye to their characters in this third story, they do not close the possibility of returning with them in other Marvel superhero productions. "I'm totally open but I'm not going to get into something just to make money. It has to be a story that makes sense," Pratt replies. "You have to know when to say goodbye. Things have turned out well. I think James has managed to ensure that all the characters maintain their integrity in an epic finale," confesses Saldaña.
Some tweets with offensive jokes published some time ago by James Gunn caused Disney to fire him in 2018 as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3, when he had already written the script. Given the protests of the fans and the main cast, the studio hired him again a year later. This third and last part of the franchise that he created in 2014 also marks his official farewell to Disney, since the director of The Suicide Squad has signed up for the competition as co-president and CEO of DC Studios with which he is preparing a new Superman movie facing to 2025.
During the press conference in Paris to present the latest installment of the super cosmic group, he assured that he has dedicated a large part of his life to this trilogy and that now he feels a bit "strange" as well as "relieved" for having given him an ending "of which we are proud because all the characters get the dignity they deserve."
The director, who has had a free hand to shape the film as he sees fit, says: "The reason I came back to make this movie is because I felt a deep need to finish Rocket's story. His story is the heart of this trilogy. for me. I think the film is really, ultimately, about empathy. An empathy for all living creatures on this planet."
For Gunn, the work of his brother Sean has been essential. "He's been the hero of our lives in this movie. He's brought a lot to Rocket. A lot of his emotions are based on Sean's performance. In this movie, he's actually the voice of young Rocket, so he's got a role much more important. That doesn't take away from the work of Bradley Cooper, who is an incredible actor and conveys so much emotion through his voice. We both worked incredibly hard going through the scenes over and over and over again.
And it is that, in the words of the director, "the three films are about compassion, about the need to open ourselves up." "It's about the way we shut down, maybe out of selfishness, maybe because of our own experiences in life that haven't been so good, whether they're traumatic or just negative experiences, and how we use that as an excuse, or just something deeply embedded in us not to open up to our fellow men.
