Once more into the Galaxy go the Guardians

Yes, the gang’s all here for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 , the latest mammoth Marvel Comics bigscreen blow-out, with writer/director James Gunn still evincing an appealing affinity for these characters and their misadventures.

Goodwill goes a long way here, because the franchise has lost some of its initial freshness, but there’s an air of conviviality to the proceedings that manages to shine through the bombast and spectacle.

Here again, we have Chris Pratt (as Peter Quill/“Star-Lord”), Dave Bautista (as Drax), Karen Gillan (as Nebula), Pom Klementieff (as Mantis), Vin Diesel (as Groot), Bradley Cooper (as Rocket), Gunn’s brother Sean (as Kraglin), Maria Bakalova (as Cosmo), and Zoe Saldana (as Gamora), whose seemingly dire fate in the last film hardly precludes an encore here. They remain an engaging bunch, their incessant bickering perennially tinged with affection and true bonhomie . Each character has a moment or two in the spotlight, committing some sort of heroic deed, and there’s the obligatory slow-motion shot of all of them walking en masse toward the camera.

Our heroes are pressed into action once more when Rocket is critically injured by the mysterious Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), a futuristic Frankenstein monster of sorts created by the (typically) despotic dastard known as the “High Evolutionary” (Chukwudi Iwuji), who fancies himself as a sort of god bent on creating scientifically evolved societies. Should those societies not measure up to his standards — whatever those may be — he’ll simply destroy them and start afresh. The High Evolutionary was responsible for creating Rocket and later trying to destroy him, so there’s no love lost between them.

If Guardians Vol. 3 follows a predictable narrative trajectory, it’s at least a fun ride, and Beth Mickle clearly had a ball dreaming up the film’s outrageously trippy production design. The themes of friendship and loyalty, which have held the series in good stead through all three films, are still prevalent, and the playful sense of humor is still there, too. Resident baddie Iwuji is a flamboyant nemesis but not a particularly threatening one, and the film does have a tendency to run on too long — all the better, one supposes, to give the audience its money’s worth. Sylvester Stallone pops in briefly as Ravager leader Stakar Ogord (don’t you just love those names?), but it’s little more than a glorified cameo.

Die-hard mavens will likely lap up every bit of Marvel minutiae on display — and there’s plenty of it. Guardians Vol. 3 won’t disappoint the fans, but whether it wins over new converts is another matter. Then again, the fans have (predictably) lined up in droves to see it, some — if not most — more than once. After all, ‘tis the season of the summer blockbuster. !

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BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

AWESOME!

Even with declining occurrences of tornadic storms, Kansas is famous for its twisters (thanks, Dorothy). Some cause extensive destruction, but on May 9, one tornado took precise aim on an unexpected target: a coconut cream pie. KSNT-TV reported that a baker in Clay Center, Nancy Kimbrough, filed an emergency report with the details: Her son was delivering baked goods to the Clay Center Country Club when the storm boiled up. The wind was so strong that it ripped the meringue right o the pie and splattered it across the parking lot. The club repaired the pie with Cool Whip and served it to guests anyway, and Kimbrough got a good laugh out of the incident. “It’ll probably never happen again,” she said, therefore inviting another pie-eating storm.

Suspicions Confirmed

A tourist identified as Mr. Zhang checked into a hotel in Lhasa, Tibet, on April 20, only to discover a foul smell in his room, CNN reported. He stuck it out for half a day, thinking it might be his own feet or the restaurant downstairs, but finally he asked to be moved. Two days later, he was informed about the source of the bad odor: a dead body under the bed. Police o cers questioned Mr. Zhang but said he was not a suspect because the body had been there before he checked in. He cooperated with police and then took his leave of Tibet, saying he was su ering from the shock of the incident. “I stay up until 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. every morning, and the slightest movement would wake me up,” he said. “It left me in a bad mental state.” So yes, Billy, there really IS something scary under the bed.

The Fetishists

— David Neal, 52, is the night manager at the 4th Avenue South Hilton Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee — or he was, until a bizarre incident on March 30. WKRN-TV reported that around 5 a.m. that day, Neal allegedly made a key card to enter an occupied room and suck on the toes of the sleeping guest. When o cers arrived at the hotel, Neal admitted entering the room but said he had done so because he smelled smoke and wanted to check on the occupant. He was arrested on May 5 at his home and charged with aggravated burglary and assault.

— A cyclist and a hunter came to the rescue of a 51-year-old man who had been tied to a tree near the German town of Bueckburg on May 3, KRQE-TV reported.

The situation was the unfortunate outcome of a sex game he had been playing with a woman; he told police that after she tied him up, she got a phone call and suddenly fled. He was fully dressed and had pantyhose over his head when he was found, but the box cutter he had brought “for such situations” was unreachable. The man was unharmed and refused to identify the woman for authorities.

DON’T HEAR THAT OFTEN

Beth Bogar of West Chesterfield, New Hampshire, was just finishing up a trip with her husband to Bali when things took a turn. WMUR-TV reported that the couple ended their tour at Mason Elephant Park & Lodge, where she got to swim with and ride an elephant. But when she posed with the pachyderm for a photo, her arm got “pushed” into the animal’s mouth. “I couldn’t get my arm out. I could just hear cracking and I just started to panic,” she said. Bogar was rushed to a hospital an hour away, where the surgeon was able to reassemble her arm with plates and screws. “It’s gonna be a long road,” Bogar said. She noted that she knew the risks going in and doesn’t blame the elephant.

The Neighbors

— Ninety-two-year-old Colette Ferry of Frontenex, France, was surprised to answer her door recently and find two police o cers, The Guardian reported. The o cers informed Ferry that they would have to remove three large frogs who lived in her garden pond and had been croaking loudly enough to keep Ferry’s neighbor awake. Ferry said the frogs didn’t belong to her but were squatters. “They’re in and out of the water playing with my fish,” she explained. “There’s always someone ready to complain about someone else.” She’s looking forward to watching o cials try to catch the frogs. “That’ll be fun ... They jump.”

— In the Burns Beach community of Perth, Australia, a dispute has arisen between a woman named Sarah and her neighbor, Perth Now reported. “Could you please shut your side window when cooking please,” Sarah wrote on behalf of her family. “My family are vegan and the smell of the meat you cook makes us feel sick and upset.” On the front of the envelope, she wrote, “PLEASE TAKE SERIOUSLY.” But no such luck: The letter was posted to Facebook on May 5, where commenters were merciless: “I’m o ended by the smell of the kale she always cooks,” one said, while another said they’d be “firing up the bbq and inviting the entire street.” !

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12 Range of the Appalachians

13 Actress Hedy

14 Composer Khachaturian

15 — Reader (magazine)

16 Turn a — ear

17 Hence

18 Hair colorer

20 “I love you,” to Juanita

27 — Christian Andersen

28 Opposite of old, in Germany

32 Plummer of “Pulp Fiction”

33 How cards are some times dealt

34 Gasoline rating

35 Exalting verse

36 Lower leg part

37 Feudal toiler

38 Source of some bran

39 Goose sound

40 1980s Dodge

41 Supermodel from Somalia

42 Hong Kong’s Hang — Index 48 Catering coffeepots 49 Vigoda of “Fish”

50 Tries to hit, as an insect 51 Cat variety 52 Sluggers’ stats 54 DJ Casey 55 Fall chill 56 Bear, in Baja 57 Gas in an atmospheric layer

59 Hayworth and Moreno

62 Certain garden worker 63 “The Simpsons” storekeeper

64 Sleuth, in old slang