Parents' Guide to

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Movie PG-13 2023 150 minutes
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: Movie Poster: The crew stands in front of a pinkish-orange space backdrop

Common Sense Media Review

Sandie Angulo Chen By Sandie Angulo Chen , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 13+

Trauma, teamwork at heart of darker MCU threequel.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 13+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 15+

Based on 71 parent reviews

age 14+

Lots of Animal Abuse - Know before you go

I read reviews and warning about the animal abuse in this movie, but I was not prepared for how much of it there was in this movie. I have an almost 11 year old who enjoyed the other GoG movies, and can take the action and people killing, but has a very tender heart when it comes to animals. The movie left her sad and shook. Even though Rockets "friends" have nice personality the way they are treated is hard to watch. My daughter was saddened that someone even "thought that up". I did open the door for us to have a deep conversation. The other elements of the movie were okay and I can see a lot of people enjoying it. But please beware if your kids are animal lovers.
age 13+

Too sad and violent and not very good or funny.

My whole family absolutely loved the first two. This one wasn’t as funny, didn’t have much of a story, was super violent and just really, really sad and emotional. There were super young and adorable / sweet animals that you get to know and love that then get killed. My kids were both so sad.

What's the Story?

In GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3, the Guardians, having (mostly) survived the events of the previous MCU films, are living in Knowhere in a state of low-key PTSD. That's particularly true for Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), who's still mourning the death of his Gamora (Zoe Saldana). Then Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) -- a killing machine genetically engineered and raised by Sovereign leader Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki) to destroy the Guardians -- ends up surprising the gang and leaving Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) near death. Nebula (Karen Gillan) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) discover that Rocket has a "kill switch" inside him that needs to be overridden if they want to save his life, so the whole gang -- including Groot (Vin Diesel) and Drax (Dave Bautista) -- head off to track down the code. Their search ultimately leads to the ultrapowerful High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), who's trying to create utopian societies throughout the universe. Rocket's past -- and his connection to The High Evolutionary -- reveal how he came to be, what kind of creature he really is, and even how he got his name. Meanwhile, Peter must come to terms with the reality that the Gamora who's from the other timeline introduced in Endgame never lived through the love story he shared with the Gamora who died in Infinity War.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (71 ):
Kids say (89 ):

Surprisingly heartfelt, this movie is the darkest and most personal of the three Guardians films -- but also the most uneven. Writer-director James Gunn knows how to make this ragtag bunch work, but there's a layer of sadness that envelops the proceedings, despite the many laugh-out-loud moments. On the one hand, this mission has the established camaraderie of the second movie, one of the most ruthless villains in the entire MCU (The High Evolutionary is memorably terrifying with his perfection obsession), and a decades-spanning soundtrack that includes everything from Radiohead's "Creep" and the Beastie Boys' "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" to Bruce Springsteen's "Badlands" and Florence and the Machine's "Dog Days Are Over." On the other hand, the extensive flashbacks to Rocket's past, while illuminating, have such a different pace and character development that Vol. 3 sometimes feels like two stories smooshed together. The introduction of Adam Warlock is also uneven, and Poulter, who's a talented and funny actor, isn't given much to do except preen, kill, and whine for most of the movie.

Then there's the Gamora factor, which is necessarily complicated because she's not the same Gamora audiences have grown to love. It's difficult to feel invested in this Gamora, and her presence is sometimes more unpleasant than humorous. Like Peter, many viewers are likely to miss the old Gamora too much to enjoy Saldana's performance here. Pratt knows how to continue to make Star Lord lovable and messy and a bit of a wreck, and Cooper does a lovely job of conveying the trauma that Rocket experienced, as well as his core desire to belong to a found family. Bautista gets a great moment to shine when he forms a bond with a group of genetically engineered children, and Gillan's Nebula has her biggest role in the group to date, stepping up as a real leader. The visual effects focus on hybrid creatures created for potential utopias and sequences of violent whole-world destruction. The hybrids are purposefully uncanny and unsettling. It's unclear whether there will be more Guardians films in the future now that Gunn has left the MCU, so this is a good time to enjoy his final contribution to the franchise -- and be thankful for the questions he finally answered here.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the violence in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. How does it compare to the two previous movies? To other MCU movies? What's the impact of violence on kids?

  • Which characters do you consider role models? How do they demonstrate teamwork, perseverance, and courage? Why are those important character strengths?

  • Talk about The High Evolutionary's vision: What's wrong with his way of thinking? What does he lose by viewing Rocket and his friends as failed experiments? Can you think of parallels to real life?

  • What did you think of the soundtrack to Vol. 3? Kids/teens: Does the movie make you interested in music from the 1960s, '70s, '80s, and '90s?

  • What do you think happens next? Is the franchise done, will it continue as-is, or will it follow only a couple of the main characters?

Movie Details

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