Story
The ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ have set up on planet Knowhere. They are attacked by Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), the powerful son of the ‘Sovereign’ who is intent on destroying the Guardians. During the attack, Rocket (Bradley Cooper) is seriously injured and the Guardians are unable to revive him because of a ‘kill-switch’ in his chest. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is determined to save him and so the Guardians attempt to reach the Orgosphere. There they believe that Theel (Nico Santos), a top scientist of the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), holds the file to override the kill switch in Rocket’s heart. The Guardians ask the Ravagers to help them penetrate the Orgosphere. Gamora (Zoe Saldana) is included in this group, but she has no memory of being a former girlfriend of Peter.
During the attack on the Orgosphere, Rocket recalls how, as a baby racoon, he was picked by the High Evolutionary for one of his experiments to create a perfect world. His victims are subjected to painful laboratory tests that usually turn the poor creatures into giant monsters of their former selves. Rocket, while growing large, also becomes highly intelligent and a great asset to the High Evolutionary. Rocket is treated very badly, however, and he befriends his fellow inmates, an anthropomorphic Otter called Lylla (Linda Cardellini), Teefs the Walrus (Asim Chaudhry) and Floor the Rabbit (Mikaela Hoover). Rocket eventually manages to escape from captivity and finds the Guardians, who take him in as one of their own.
Meanwhile, the Guardians manage to enter the Orgosphere. They find Rocket’s file but are attacked by guards and barely escape with their lives. They then go to Counter-Earth to track down Theel. There they discover that Counter-Earth looks very similar to Earth but the inhabitants are humanised pigs. Peter takes Nebula (Karen Gillan) and Groot (Vin Diesel) to the High Evolutionary’s ship. They are allowed to enter but Nebula must remain outside. Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) stay with Rocket who has been brought along by Gamora. Eventually, they all board the ship where they find lots of imprisoned children. The Guardians have a mighty task ahead of them to defeat the High Evolutionary and to free not only all of the children but also many captured animals.
Themes
Sci-fi; action adventure, genetic engineering
Violence
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has a lot of violence, including many battle scenes using swords, axes, electrical pulses, guns, automatic weapons, bombs, explosions, and heavy punch up. For example:
- Peter is drunk in a pub and smashes bottles onto the floor.
- Rocket is blasted through a building and suffers a gaping wound to his chest.
- Several small animals are placed inside a glass structure and subjected to painful treatments. During the treatments they grow huge while screaming and clawing at the glass.
- Adam destroys a man who disintegrates into a burning skeleton.
- The High Evolutionary orders that Rocket and his friends are exterminated. Rocket manages to escape but Lylla, Teefs and Floor are all shot dead.
- Adam destroys a War Pig. He pulls its head off and is seen carrying it around.
- Peter cuts the metal hard drive out of Theel’s head.
- A final, large battle scene is played out in slow motion. Men are thrown about and there is shooting, punching and sword fighting.
Sexual references
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has some sexual references. For example, a romance between Peter and Gamora is briefly mentioned but Gamora doesn’t acknowledge it.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has some substance use. For example:
- Peter is seen drunk in a pub and has to be carried out.
- Mention of selling meth to guys with cockroach heads.
Nudity and sexual activity
There’s no nudity and sexual activity in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Product placement
There’s no product placement in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Coarse language
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has some coarse language and name calling.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the third in the Marvel series. It’s an action-adventure, science fiction movie. It’s fast moving, but the running time of 150 minutes makes the movie quite long for children. There’s also a lot of violence in the movie and some of the punch-up scenes look quite realistic. In addition, the movie is full of scary characters and environments. For these reasons the movie is unsuitable for children under 13 and we recommend parental guidance for children from 13-14 years.
The main messages from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 are to look after those who are dear to you, and not to bow to the influence of evil.
Values in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 that you could reinforce with your children are bravery, courage, loyalty, empathy, teamwork, perseverance, and forgiveness.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 could also you the chance to talk with your children about real-life issues, such as:
- Why do some people want to rule the world with their own ideologies?
- The importance of standing up to evil and not giving in to it.