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MOVIE REVIEW

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

also known as “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3,” “A galaxis őrzői: 3. rész,” “Galaksinin Koruyucuları 3,” “Galaktika qo'riqchilari 3,” “Galaktikos sergetojai 3,” “Guardianes de la Galaxia Vol. 3,” “Guardianes de la Galaxia volumen 3,” “Guardiani Della Galassia Vol.3,” See more »
MPA Rating: PG-13-Rating (MPA) for intense sequences of violence and action, strong language, suggestive/drug references and thematic elements.

Reviewed by: Eric Tiansay
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Very Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Teens Young-Adults Adults
Genre: Sci-Fi Action Adventure Comedy Sequel
Length: 2 hr. 30 min.
Year of Release: 2023
USA Release: May 5, 2023 (wide release—4,450 theaters)
DVD: August 1, 2023
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Relevant Issues
Aliens (extraterrestrials)

What does the Bible say about intelligent life on other planets?

Are we alone in the universe?

Does Scripture refer to life in space?

Questions and answers about the origin of LIFE

Creation SuperLibrary.com
Top choice for accurate, in-depth information on Creation vs. Evolutionism. The SuperLibrary is provided by a top team of experts from various respected creationist organizations who answer your questions on a wide variety of topics. Multilingual.
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Featuring Chris PrattPeter Quill / Star-Lord
Zoe SaldanaGamora
Dave BautistaDrax
Vin DieselGroot (voice)
Bradley CooperRocket (voice)
Karen GillanNebula
Sylvester StalloneStakar Ogord
Pom KlementieffMantis
Elizabeth DebickiAyesha (voice)
Will PoulterAdam Warlock
Maria BakalovaCosmo the Spacedog
Daniela Melchior
Michael RosenbaumMartinex
Sean GunnKraglin / On-Set Rocket
Mikaela Hoover … Floor
Chukwudi IwujiThe High Evolutionary
Linda CardelliniLylla (voice)
Asim ChaudhryTeefs (voice)
Mikaela HooverFloor (voice)
See all »
Director James Gunn
Producer Marvel Studios
Marvel Entertainment
See all »
Distributor

“We were gone for quite awhile. But no matter what happens next, the galaxy still needs its guardians.” declares Peter Quill/Star Lord (Chris Pratt) in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.”

The galaxy may still need its guardians, but do media-wise families really need to watch the final installment of the intergalactic superheroes?

Maybe, but extreme caution is advised for the superhero film, which has a questionable PG-13 rating.

The 32nd entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU), Vol. 3, which has a $250 million budget, was written and directed by James Gunn, who is now tasked to help revive rival DC Studios.

Gunn, who also directed the first two installment of the franchise, has contrived a quirky trilogy that seemingly throws everything at the audience—lots of action, tear-jerking emotion, laugh-out loud humor, goofy dialog, self sacrificial heroism, jump scares and jarring violence, as well as over the top profanity.

In short, the film could be described as the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

The movie begins with the beloved band of space misfits—Quill, Rocket the Racoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Drax (Dave Bautista), Nebula (Karen Gillan) and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel)—settling into life on Knowhere, a galactic outpost…

But then their lives are upended by echoes of Rocket’s turbulent and horrific past when they are attacked by Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), who was teased at the end of 2017’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” as a gold-skinned super being created to kill the ragtag group.

The attack badly injures Rocket, a genetically designed mammalian who the group discovers has a kill switch in his body that prevents him from receiving any medical help.

To save their friend, the guardians must figure out where he came from and confront his ominous creator and the film’s bad guy who calls himself The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji).

The turn of events reunites the team with Gamora (Zoe Saldana), whom Quill fell in love, died in “Avengers: Infinity War,” but then came back as a different version of herself in “Avengers: Endgame.”

Did you catch all that?

The movie’s absurd plot features plenty of good, including talk and displays about love, friendship and family. Vol. 3 has a really big heart as each main character is shown doing their part to save Rocket and each other.

In addition, Rocket’s quasi-family of animals—Lylla, an anthropomorphic otter voiced by Linda Cardellini; Teefs, an anthropomorphic walrus voiced by Asim Chaudhry; and Floor, an anthropomorphic rabbit voiced by Mikaela Hoover—live in horrific conditions and are subjected to terrors, but endure through it all by their love and support for one another.

The film also firmly espouses standing up against evil and aiding the helpless.

“Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will stand for me against those who practice iniquity?” —Psalm 94:16

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” —Proverbs 31:8-9

Additionally, one of the guardians says everyone deserve a second chance, which is biblical. “Everyone who comes to Him can receive another chance at a better, eternal life, by believing in His Son Jesus Christ and washing away their sins through repentance and baptism in His name.” Acts 2:38

Although there is talk of Evolution by The High Evolutionary, the theory isn’t presented in a positive light.

“My sacred mission is to create the perfect society,” extols the villain, who kills his creations, including people or planets, if they are not “perfect” according to his view.

But Rocket later dispels that notion by noting that: “He didn’t want to make things perfect, he just hated things the way they are.”

In another scene, The High Evolutionary tells someone: “There is no God! That’s why I stepped in!”

Q & A

How can we know there’s a God? Answer

What if the cosmos is all that there is? Answer

However, the movie proposes that he is wrong as even his loyal subjects threaten to overthrow him.

There are other positive though subtle references to God. Despite being the victim of experimentation, Rocket is reminded by Lylla that “there are hands that guide the hands.”

On the downside, Vol. 3 also features plenty of bad and ugly content.

The action results in a high body count (the population of an Earth-like planet is annihilated by explosions) and there is intense and gory violence shown (a character is disintegrated by Warlock and his fried skeleton is shown in full view).

Perhaps the most wince-inducing violent imagery comes from the animal cruelty. Animals are transformed into humanoid creatures, and there are distressing scenes of animals being experimented and operated on, leaving them as robotic-animal hybrids.

A dad who watched Vol. 3 with his 11-year-old son during my screening perhaps said it best:

“I noticed Brody had his hat over his head a few times during some of the violent scenes that disturbed him. He also is an animal lover. We had a chat about it before the movie, and he did not like the animal abuse part at all, even though he understood beforehand that it was not real.”

Another down side of Vol. 3 is the more than 25 obscenities, including an “f” word used for the first time in a MCU film.

Unfortunately, the particular harsh vulgarity and a few other strong expletives are spoken by Chris Pratt, who is a professing Christian.

The Bible is clear about cursing.

“But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.” —Colossians 3:8

With its Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer currently at 81 percent and an Audiencescore of 95 percent, Vol. 3 is projected to have a domestic opening of $110 million, which is on the very low end of expectations and well behind the last film in the standalone Marvel Studios franchise according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The movie’s initial performance isn’t welcome news for Marvel or Gunn, who now run rival DC Studios, and is sparking further concern that superhero fatigue has settled in at the box office, the publication observed.

The bottom line for Vol. 3 is it’s a mixed bag for families that’s full of questionable content. For Christians who are fans of “Guardians of the Galaxy,” the movie is a bitter pill to swallow, one that will likely leave a semi-sick feeling in their gut.

CONTENT WATCH: Vol. 3 is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, strong language, suggestive/drug references and thematic elements. There is strong language. Most of the other obscenities are “s***,” “h***,” “d***” and “a**” words. There is a playful homosexual joke. There are moments of innuendo about “touching” someone, and oblique references to promiscuity. Scenes of violence include laser gun fights, stabbings, slashings, characters being blasted by fantastical powers, and crunchy fistfights. There is occasional sight of blood—primarily from aliens—and a woman largely comprised of robotic parts contorting her broken limbs as she reforms. Another woman’s arm is broken during a fight. Characters sustain various injuries, including sight of blood, burn wounds and a man’s disfigured face after he has been mauled. A person is reduced to a charred corpse after being blasted by fantastical energy. Aliens are briefly seen dealing an unnamed drug. Later, a man refers to dealing “meth” in a clearly condemnatory manner. A man appears drunk, and there are references to it being a pattern of behavior. There are sustained scenes of threat during action sequences in which ships explode and people avoid falling debris. Sequences also include gun threat, and people being blasted or held by fantastical powers. There are occasional jump scares, including from monsters and aliens.

  • Violence: Extreme
  • Profane language: Very Heavy
  • Vulgar/Crude language: Very Heavy
  • Nudity: Minor
  • Sex: Minor
  • Drugs/Alcohol: Moderately Heavy
  • Occult: Minor
  • Wokeism: None

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive
Positive—It’s Hollywood, so yes, it’s full of Hollywood sinfulness. It’s not for children.

That part ASIDE, this was a great movie! Guardians 1 was an intro of the characters and was hilarious in its own way with a great mix of oldies music. Guardians 2 was by far my least favorite of the three because of the whole “I’m a god-planet” garbage, but it also had great music. Guardians 3, although the music was a lot more modern and not my vibe, was a heartwarming story of love, friendship, and family—no matter the color, race, or in this case, species.

The entire movie was about putting others’ needs ahead of your own wants, in stark contrast to what the bad guy was doing—who also saw himself as a god, but not in the same way that the Guardians 2 guy did.See all »
My Ratings: Moral rating: Very Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 5
Chrystal, age 46 (USA)
Positive—I liked this one, I thought it was great. Another one of those movies that makes no sense, what is happening while you are watching it, but its entertaining and graphics are great. They made this one very emotional though with the story lines going on with different characters. Overall, I thought this was a great movie.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
Stephanie, age 48 (USA)
Neutral
Neutral—This final (?) Guardians of the Galaxy film is a lot deeper and more emotional than the other installments, as we learn more about Rocket’s traumatic past as a lab animal in a deranged scientist’s delusional ambition to “create” nirvana (a perfect planet full of perfect creatures). I thought it contained an interesting allegory about the nature of sin (no matter what he tries to create, the fallen humanity inside it, even in animal form, becomes corrupted and starts abusing each other; because he is also flawed – he actually says at one point that God doesn’t exist, which is why he stepped up to fill the void), but the film itself is incredibly violent and somewhat emotionally traumatic, particularly for kids.

Mini me, a sweet animal-loving girl, would have been traumatized seeing animals abused, have their limbs removed and robotics put in their place, or wind up dead. Some of the flashbacks are hard to endure (Baby Rocket’s first words are “it hurts” after he’s been experimented on).

But the theme of family (not being “born” into one, but creating one of your own) is very strong here. It’s funny in places, but does seem a little long.

I’m not sorry I saw it, but I wouldn’t watch it again.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Charity, age 40 (USA)
Neutral—This is not a children’s movie! Violent, vulgar, and not a family movie. Chris Pratt who claims to be a “christian’ uses the “f’ word, and I have seen some of his other movies where he curses. Not sure how he would define the word “Christian’ but his behavior is not it!

The movie is funny in places, but the violence really “negates’ any true storyline. This is closer to an “R’ rated movie than a PG-13.

The character, “Rocket’s history is here and even though there are minimal dramatic moments, the movie is really just a “violence fest.’ I know the movie is making millions of dollars which only shows how far mankind has fallen.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 2½
Wayne, age 68 (USA)
Negative
Negative—Unlike the first two Guardian movies, which were genuinely witty and endearing, this is a huge disappointment. There is nothing wholesome or uplifting about it. It is over the top violent and everyone screams angrily at each other thru the entire movie. It is dark and boring.

Hollywood these days thinks they can push out a production that is full of outlandish special effects, non-stop action without any kind of an intelligent plot and we’ll be happily entertained. Wrong.

This movie is mindless, offensive and an insult to the paying audience. Please don’t even think of doing a sequel. Sad.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 3
Janene, age Adult (USA)
Negative—My wife just reviewed this movie and forgot to mention “this movie is NOT for children.’ A young boy, about 8 to 10 years old, sat next to us and looked sad and frightened thru the entire movie.

Please parents, use some discretion, do some research, before just submitting your children to gross violence and vulgarity. It is rated PG-13 but uh, uh. More like R for violence and vulgarity.

Couple sitting behind us brought a couple of small children, looked to be about maybe 3 and 4 years old. Really? What were they thinking?
My Ratings: Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 3
Bret, age Adult (USA)

PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.

Secular Movie Critics
…It’s not a disaster, and it doesn’t lack for ambition. But it’s wildly uneven and kind of blah, if that can be said of a movie with nonstop, often incoherent action, self-aware needle drops and not nearly enough smart-aleck quips from a cast we’ve seen deliver plenty of them in the past. …Some of the scenes with the animals are genuinely gruesome, and sad. …
Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic
the most empty, brutal MCU movie yet… The full-on assault on the audience’s tear ducts in much of “Guardians 3″ may be sincere, but the rhythms and pacing of the film never find the beat. We end up waiting for the reductive punchline, or for another round of wanton slaughter. …
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
I was taken aback by the unpleasantness of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” …Kidnapped as a tiny, wide-eyed kit, Rocket is experimented on by a deranged scientist known as The High Evolutionary (a screaming Chukwudi Iwuji) who dreams of populating a utopian planet with his “genetic upgrades.” This means frequent flashbacks to baby Rocket and other animals being tortured (his cage-mates are an otter with robot arms, a rabbit with metallic spider legs, and a walrus with wheels instead of flippers). Much of Vol. 3 feels like a combination of those exploitative ads from animal shelters and the Japanese body-horror endurance test “Tetsuo: The Iron Man.” …
Josh Larsen, LarsenOnFilm
the plot is a mess, the film irritable and frazzled. …with little sense of meaningful cause and effect behind its wrigglings. And it’s also wildly overlong… [2/5]
Robbie Collin, The Telegraph [UK]
…GOTG 3 is a blahbuster that, like other recent Marvel disappointments… jogs along from one visually extravagant, strenuously jokey set piece to another without offering much in the way of either dramatic engagement or actually funny ideas. …
Kyle Smith, The Wall Street Journal
…mired in the same bag of tricks with a bit more slime on it…
Conor O'Donnell, The Film Stage
…grimly cruel animal testing… These pictures have grown less cute, less charming and less fun with each passing installment, and this one just drags as it meanders towards its over-hyped lump-in-throat finale. …[2/4]
Roger Moore, Movie Nation
…Big bang, little payoff… You know, there was a time when “Guardians of the Galaxy” was fun. That time was 2014, when the first picture came out… Now here’s “Vol. III.” And it’s no fun at all. …Its excesses make this a punishing picture in all regards. [2/4]
Soren Andersen, The Seattle Times
A grotesque, exhausting adventure… This chilling paperweight clocks in at 2 hours and 30 minutes, making it the fourth longest Marvel film so far. And it’s wildly self-indulgent. …[2/4]
Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post