'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' Animal Cruelty Scenes Trouble Early Viewers

'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' Animal Cruelty Scenes Trouble Early Viewers,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 premieres nationwide next week, and many early viewers are concerned about how fans will react to the graphic and emotionally-charged material when it comes out. Critics and influencers who have seen the movie in early screenings are warning that the depictions of [...]

‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Animal Cruelty Scenes Trouble Early Viewers

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 premieres nationwide next week, and many early viewers are concerned about how fans will react to the graphic and emotionally-charged material when it comes out. Critics and influencers who have seen the movie in early screenings are warning that the depictions of animal cruelty, in particular, push the envelope when it comes to the PG-13 rating. Some are saying that the movie might not be a good fit for those sensitive to such subjects.

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 has to answer some lingering questions from throughout the franchise, including the backstory of Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper). Rocket has made ominous hints to his past throughout the MCU so far, but the trailers have already shown us that this movie will take us even deeper into those origins. Without spoiling anything, viewers from early screenings say that this plotline is extremely heavy and may be difficult for some fans to process. YouTuber Dan Murrell even warns parents to do some research before bringing young children to the theater.

Several early reviews for the movie make mention of this as well, and some complain that the movie strays too far from its irreverent, silly beginnings into an emotional roller coaster. The movie even earned itself an entry on DoesTheDogDie.com, though reading the warnings there entails reading major spoilers for the content of the movie.

Content warnings have become a hot topic over the years, and many fans resent these dire warnings from critics and influencers. Others say they are glad to go into the movie prepared for a potentially difficult experience. Here’s a look at what people are saying about animal cruelty in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on social media.

Trailers

Just that trailer hurts so much. 💔

— Susan Lingle Ŧ (she/her) (@susan_lingle) April 28, 2023

Many fans were not surprised to hear that animal cruelty would be an issue in this movie after seeing the trailers. They could tell that the subject would be prominent just from the way the movie was advertised.

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Powerful

#GotGVol3: To elaborate on GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3, I could not stop crying throughout. Surprisingly moving and heartwrenching. It’s rare to see a mainstream film expose animal cruelty and condemn animal testing in such a sensitive, thoughtful way. I loved it.

— Megan Kearns (@OpinionessWorld) April 28, 2023

While the depictions may be graphic, fans reported that the overall message of Rocket’s storyline is a powerful statement against animal testing and animal cruelty. They felt that the context helped justify the difficult scenes.

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Be Prepared

James Gunn’s GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 is beautiful & badass – an awesome conclusion to a damn epic trilogy. The pacing, the music, the heart, the humor, the sadness, the lovable lunacy – Gunn delivers his finest work yet. It’s perfect. #GotGVol3 pic.twitter.com/MOy0RQeREQ

— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) April 28, 2023

There is animal cruelty in the film and audiences should be prepared for it. I thought the film balanced it well, but yes it is harsh at times

— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) April 28, 2023

Even positive reviewers warned about the depictions of animal cruelty here, acknowledging that people have varying degrees of tolerance for that kind of material.

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Skip It

The amount of talk about the pictured animal cruelty in GOTG3 is really turning me off ever wanting to watch it tbh.

— Liam Brazier (@liambrazier) April 29, 2023

Some fans were so wary of these warnings that they thought they might hold off on seeing the movie when it first comes out. If the warnings remain serious, they thought they might have to skip the movie altogether.

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Bracing

I absolutely love the Guardians of the Galaxy, and cannot WAIT for Tuesday. But man, I love animals, and animal cruelty is so, so hard for me to watch. I hear there is quite a bit of it in the film, so my anxiety is raised. I’m going to be a wreck after sitting through it.

— The Carter (@TheGeekLeague) April 29, 2023

Other fans knew they couldn’t skip the movie after investing so heavily in its predecessors and in the MCU in general. They simply braced themselves for a difficult watch.

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Kids

PSA. #GotGVol3 features some pretty upsetting scenes of animal abuse. Brace yourselves, and really check it out in advance if you’re thinking of taking young kids along.

— Jon Partridge (@Texas_Jon) April 28, 2023

Word of warning though: I would *not* recommend #GotGVol3 for families with small children. This chapter earns its PG-13 rating with some bleak, disturbing imagery (body horror with animals/ animal cruelty with a pro-animal rights purpose).

— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) April 28, 2023

Fans have become accustomed to bringing children to Marvel movies, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is not the first one to be rated PG-13. Some early viewers worried that fans would ignore the rating out of habit, potentially upsetting children. Many said that anyone with sensitivity to animal cruelty should do some research on the movie in advance – possibly even subject themselves to spoilers just to make sure no one is traumatized.

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Comparisons

Many people asking how disturbing #gotgvol3 is. Think classic Disney, jeopardy to animals, Bambi, Lion King, Old Yeller. You know, the classics. Also Twilight Zone like imagery. I wouldn’t take small kids unless you want them to be very upset.

— Heidi MacDonald (@Comixace) April 28, 2023

When searching for a spoiler-free explanation for the animal cruelty in Guardians 3, some fans actually compared it to decades-old Disney movies, including Bambi and Old Yeller. This helped fans contextualize it and plan for it when it comes to their own families.

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