Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - Review! (No Spoilers) 

Guardians 3 was great. 1 of 2 MCU films from the last 4 years I actually want to see again. I could actually feel stakes. Happy for James Gunn and can’t wait to see what he does for DC

You know, I once saw a video in which Roger Ebert said that a movie critic has to review a movie by saying his feelings about it, but has to make the movie seem like someone in the audience might enjoy it. I think Dan does that spectacularly well here. Even after Dan sharing his incredibly mixed thoughts about it, I still think I might go in and really like it.

I just finished watching an fan advance screening Guardians of Galaxy vol 3. I will say that it comes full circle. Rocket was truly the heart and soul of this movie.

Man I gotta say, while I don’t agree on a decent amount of points - this review solidified that you are arguably the best critic not just in this RU-vid space but critics overall. Completely understand where you’re coming from on this film ONLY because you’re that articulate of a communicator. Can’t recall last time I listened to a review where I was like “felt very different about that point” but still was able to see it through your lens. I will say your Gamora point actually did dawn on me and High Evolutionary points, yeah I felt those too. Anyway, fantastic review!

Yondu's last scene in the movie alone makes GotG 2 exceptional!

It really is pleasing to see Dan get to review a movie before the majority of RU-vid for once. Hooray for Dan!

All the rocket racoon origin stuff I think was done really well and didn't go too far, there are parts of the flashbacks that are him and his friends finding a place of comfort amongst the misery which I think a lot of people may find inspirational

I really appreciated when a critic says why they didn't like a movie or show qithouth sounding like a hater or saying to people "dont go watch this, is garbage" You expressed perfectly why you didnt like it without trashing the movie or taking away my excitement for it. This is what a critic should do, explain why they didn't like the thing without beliting the audience that does

I am also very sensitive to animal cruelty, but thankfully it is just a movie. And maybe it is a good thing for the movie to put a spotlight on it! Greater horrors happen to animals everyday in real life. I don’t mind the audience empathizing with the animals in this movie, in fact I welcome it. Thank you for your review Dan!

Not liking the animal scenes isn't a good point to dislike the movie. Those scenes served 2 purposes. To make you absolutely hate the Evolutionary and to show Quill everything Rocket kept secret to motivate him even more. They made the movie resonate in a very real sense, something you can't get from generic "aliens" like Marvel has been doing for a decade. Also, the humor is inherent to the characters, they are a team from totally different planets and upbringings, their infighting is an expression of those differences, and they always manage to pull it back together. It's how many people exist in their own relationships and families. This stuff is next level writing. You definitely missed it here!

I really appreciate the honesty. Advising parents really to do research before seeing a film is not a bad thing, nor does it mean the movie is bad, but it is definitely a lost message among so many fans and critics. My kids are practically adults, but I'm definitely going to advise them as they love animals as well. Might be better to wait for Blu Ray or streaming.

Twitter is a cesspool of garbage people. Thank you Dan for sharing your honest, nuanced take on this film.

2:40 Vol 1 is my favorite MCU movie, I had rewatched it several times. I thought Vol 2 was quite different from that, and I didn't quite appreciate it as it's own thing until I rewatched it again a year or so later. So I like the fact that Vol 3 is a change in tone again.

I'm not sure if he'll ever see this, but ive been following since the early Honest Trailer days and i wanted to take a chance to just say thabk you for all the work you do Dan! It's from your videos that ive really come to love movies in such a different way than i have when i was younger. Ive went to see movies I never would have thought about checking out and it's really become a cathartic thing for me through some tough times through life! Thanks for always putting in such hard work for us all! All the best!

The scene were Groot covers wipes off the tear of Rocket and covers everybody to protect them remains one of my most favorite scenes in MCU history. Its a classic scene that will be remembered for ages. From I am Groot to We are Groot.

The rocket storyline is a full origin story; it’s not random cutaways to animal cruelty. It fully develops racoon backstory and the characterization of the high evolutionary. It also supports the main plot about saving racoon; you feel the need to save him grown stronger as both plots Progress. This is also the funniest film. A lot of great bits that flesh out plot points like peters longing for agamora that doesn’t exist. A+ film making fun Gunn

Guardians Vol. 2 is my favourite MCU film, which I don't think is a common opinion, but yeah James Gunn can sometimes be "too much" for me. Slither, for example, or even parts of The Suicide Squad. I was actually really disturbed by the scene where the birds in the aviary were burned. And Starro's backstory... bruh. Children and animals will die in his films. I don't get the commentators who find Zack Snyder unbearably grim then act like Gunn is the polar opposite (they've even worked together in the past). Having some of the most fucked up stuff imaginable in your comic book film is fine as long as there's also jokes? It's all subjective and context based, but man... as bleak as Batman V Superman got, I didn't see any baby raccoons get tortured.

The first movie reviews I watch on RU-vid are Dan’s and Grace Randolph’s because they’re usually diametrically opposed to each other 😆 and wow! That’s the case here too…more than ever! Combined they usually give me an overall balanced perspective of what to expect before I go see said movies, and I appreciate that because it keeps things real. Mostly though, I do find myself in the end agreeing more with Dan’s view than Grace’s.

I couldn't disagree more with Dan's mixed feelings on the movie, I thought it was just an absolute Masterpiece in an amazing sendoff, and that's okay you don't always have to agree 100% with every reviewer, as long as they're consistent in what they do you can always rely on their opinion whether you agree with it or not!

Very interested in what parts you thought were too disturbing in your spoiler review. The way you describe it here and on twitter, I was half expecting them to show animals literally be torn apart limb from limb or something. While emotional and heavy, I'm really struggling to understand your perspective. I needed more Rocket and Groot, that's true. They stripped Groot of so much personality this movie sadly.

I absolutely loved this review... You share your thoughts and your feelings in your own earnestnesss. I love it

Thanks for your personal take Dan I agree that the ‘Disturbing’ moments were a surprise, and definitely something to be aware of if children go to see it. Having said that I enjoyed it very much and am looking forward to a re-watch. Love your channel 😊

Always appreciate the candid thoughts and opinions. Still really excited but will definitely prepare myself emotionally. My girlfriend and i adopted an older dog at the beginning of the pandemic that clearly wasnt taken care of properly (and we unfortunately had to put her down last summer due to cancer) and when i see videos of people harming dogs i tend to get angry, so thanks for the heads up.

Real happy to hear about this. I'm that much more excited to check it out seeing that this is a Marvel film that is really working to make it's "PG-13" feel like "PG-13" and not a slightly edgier "PG". Super glad to see Gunn is really making the best of this end and whatever other usual Superhero films come this year, he is really showing to have been the most consistent in keeping a unique sense of style across 3 films. Also not surprised that this isn't the goodbye for them. This is the MCU, and they are training us now more than ever to understand that there is no goodbye if they have anything to say about it. You're only being put back on the shelf until you are needed or another version is needed.

I completely disagree that this movie was grim. It's certainly dark, but i think "grim" implies a lack of hope. Its not the humor in the movie that saves it from being grim, but the themes of compassion and redemption from past failure. Rocket's backstory is grim, but this isn't just Rocket's origin movie, it's also his finale. He conquers the darkness of his past. I think that is what makes the reveal of his origins being held off until the final film so perfect. We know he has had this in the back of his mind all along, but we weren't saddled with that trauma until the story was ready to deal with it.

Dan’s face in this thumbnail is already a spoiler 😂

Thank you as always Dan for your honest and thoughtful review. I hope you know how much many of us appreciate that you always give your genuine thoughts and criticisms on film and not just what you think will get your videos seen. I'm still looking forward to seeing this film but it does help to know a little better what to expect.

The GotG game from 2021 balanced tragedy with the humorous Guardians tone extraordinarily well. It has a great version of Adam Warlock too. It's an underrated game.

I will say this: the GOTG films (especially the second) are films that do take time to fully appreciate. When I first saw the second, I didn’t like it. I though it was too slow, revolved too much on jokes, and didn’t have enough of a story. Now after a couple of rewatches, it’s my favorite in the MCU.

As someone who sometimes cries at nature documentaries, I appreciate the heads up Dan!

Opening on the 3rd in the UK (we have a little something happening on the Saturday so there may be fewer people in the cinemas that day). It seems to be getting fairly good reviews over here, so I'm hopeful. As for Adam Warlock - just remember that most of the audience won't know him from Adam.

Thank you for being transparent Dan. I am sensitice to all suffering, human and animal alike so not even sure if i will watch on D+. Grateful for the heads up.

It throws me off when you don't do a joke in the beginning. It instantly made the review feel more serious lol.

I loved this film. Top 3 MCU. Its dark. Yes, very much so. It may not be for everyone. Thats fair. But I'd also say everyone should be able to look at this film and say its done well and see why things are the way they are. If that makes sense. I loved how it ended. And exited for whats coming next. Edit: Dont disagree. I think Gunn took it a bit further than I expected and I'm sure alot will feel this way.

Thanks for the animal sensitivity heads up. Our daughter was excited to see Cosmo, but - because of your review - I decided to have her stay home for my first viewing just in case. It was the right call for us.

Finally!! Finally an honest review! Thanks Dan for sharing your thoughts. I feel to the ups/downs emotions between humour and sadness would kind of make it a uncomfortable watch. Disappointed to hear about Adam Warlock not making a better impression.

Thanks for the insightful review. I don't really enjoy dark movies, largely because I tend to sympathize so much with characters that I often briefly internalize the tone of whatever I watch. It sometimes takes me several days to shake it off sadness or feelings of being disturbed from a movie I have seen. I suspect that this is fairly uncommon, but if, out of the corner of your eye, you notice that someone in the audience winces and flinches when an on-screen character gets hit... well that's me.

Adam warlock is the last character that needs to be a comic relief...

Finally! A review that properly addressed the animal cruelty and disturbing imagery. Without going into spoilers, there was one scene that made me almost leave the theatre, and honestly I kinda regret staying. I can admit this film has good stuff in it, but I never plan on rewatching because of the effect it had on me. Most other reviews I’ve seen have either briefly mentioned that stuff, or just say that it’s edgy but not too bad, but you’re the first to admit that Gunn took it a step too far. I’m certain Disney paid off the MPAA to get that PG-13 rating. I mean, they made Happy Meal toys for this film, so you can’t knock parents for thinking it’s child friendly. Annnnyway, this was a really great review, and you’ve earned yourself a new subscriber, Dan 😊

Thank you so much for your detailed review, because I am so sensitive to animal cruelty, though I wouldn’t have expected this much depiction of it in a Marvel movie. I am very grateful for your honest review because I was going to bring my friends two children with me who are 13 and 11, though the elder child does have some learning disabilities that might make this too overwhelming for him. Thank you so much I love your reviews usually agree with you 98% of the time so this might be something I watch on Disney+ when I can fast forward through the animal cruelty scenes.

Thanks for the heads up on the animal cruelty aspect of the film, so I can prepare myself. The whaling sequence in A2 was really difficult for me to watch, no matter how many times I saw it. I can't remember the last time I was that disturbed by the treatment of an imaginary creature that I can rationally acknowledge as a completely digital creation, but am still unable to emotionally detach myself from.

Did they use the MCU de-aging technology on Rocket's origin story? He must have looked significantly different.

I might be misremembering but I feel like Dan had a similar 50/50 take on Vol. 2. Which is kind of good news, since that turned out to be literally my favorite film in the MCU (not counting Avengers IW & EG) :)

I've seen a lot of people bashing your opinion on Twitter, and it honestly baffled me. I get that they're happy that the movie is more serious, I mean, I am too and am also still hyped for it, but I totally get why the dark gruesomeness, especially if it's to cute animals, are too much for someone. That take is perfectly fine and reasonable, and there is absolutely no reason for you to get hate for it.

So…let me get this straight. Movies can showcase all kinds of violence, torture, killing, and death of actual human characters in order to serve the purpose of the story is perfectly fine. But showing violence towards CGI animals to serve the purpose of the story is crossing the line and way too much??? Interesting…

finding a critic you trust is such a benefit in life. my partner is also really sensitive to depictions of animal cruelty (me too, but less so), so i really appreciate that Dan always lets the audience know when they need to brace for this. much appreciated!

I watched the movie today. I completely agree to all the points you mentioned. I felt the exact same after watching the movie.

I had a hard time watching the new Avatar and nearly walked out during the "whaling" scene. I was also surprised that this wasn't brought up in reviews or discussions I saw/read about the film. I appreciate the warning about this one.

Saw that Twitter post and I was, not surprised but, dissappointed at the replies... Love ya Dan, thanks for being you.

This is Gunn's "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy".

It's pretty ironic, but I find people talking about emotional exhaustion to be the only actually emotionally exhausting thing.

I am simultaneously looking forward to this film and dreading it. The schizophrenic tonal shifts are hinted at in all the promo material. The longer online clips highlight the banter we've come to expect from, but the trailers also show several characters screaming, crying, or severely injured. What to expect? Idk. I love these actors and characters. I hope I can appreciate the darker plot points more than you did, Dan. Keep up the awesome reviews

Thank you for this review. I have 3 young children that I probably would have taken them to this, but now I think I will be leaving them at home.

I've been watching you for a while now. This is one of the most honest reviews I've seen from a reviewer. You always have been, but I just thought that you were particularly on point. I, too, am sensitive when it comes to animal cruelty - so this one might be a pass. Either way, I appreciate all that you do. Thanks man!

Wait, Adam Warlock is “comic relief”? Fuck me, how hard is it to take a character seriously these days?

I like how everyone’s first instinct is to tell Dan he’s wrong when they haven’t seen the movie

I'm sure Vol 1 made Warners think that Gunn could manage the DCEU. Vol 2 should give them pause. Vol 3 should scare the hell out of them.

The final insinuation of the "will return" of at least one of them left me on SUCH a sour note after high I had from the film's end proper. Let stories finish. "Part of the journey is the end."

Thank you as always for your nuanced and thoughtful reviews, Dan. For me the issue with quips in the MCU has been *how* and *when* they've been used. Too often quips are used to undercut an emotional scene, rather than allowing an emotional scene to sit with us and breathe for a bit. It's really made it feel as if the MCU, overall, is allergic to allowing both the characters and the audience feel and explore deeper emotions. Hence the constant jokes and quips. It's as if the head MCU folks think, "Oh the audience love quips! We gotta add more of those!" So again, the quips on their own aren't inherently an issue, it's just that they have made so many scenes and stories feel like a bit of a joke, and not in a good way. (I hope this made sense)

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Dan. My wife and I can go into this movie better prepared for some of the darker moments/experiences.

Vol 2 is actually my favorite MCU movie, but my biggest criticism is that too many emotional moments were undercut by awkwardly placed humor. I thought that Suicide Squad (which isn't as good as Guardians in my book) actually did a better job of letting emotional moments breathe. I'm now a little worried this movie makes that same mistake as Vol 2. Maybe it's an editing problem, or even a Marvel Studios mandate.

Per the animal cruelty thing: That's actually how I felt about the infanticide in Vol 2. I had a 3.5 year old and a one year old when the last movie came out, and seeing all those tiny skulls hit very hard, especially having experienced a miscarriage as well. I can't understand why people say Vol. 2 is fluffier than the first movie. I left feeling disturbed and unsettled.

“I’m okay with darkness” never something I thought I’d hear you say Dan.

I'm not sure what to do. We bought IMAX tickets for this in advance (including tickets for our 13 year old son). But this week we learned we most likely will have to put our dog down very soon. I'm not sure this movie is going to help cheer us up 😢

!SPOILERS! So.. I walked out for a moment to go pee? I'm thinking maybe a scene I missed was the bit people are saying was too far. Because I just didn't see anything that lead me to believe this was pushing a PG-13. In fact after watching 1-2 a matter of hours before this one this seemed like the most family friendly of the bunch. The only things that stood out were 1. The F bomb 2. The you should touch him joke 3. The high evolutionary losing his face. And none of these things by themselves felt like they were extreme for a PG-13. Not saying this to be a contrarian or tell Mr. Dan he's wrong. I genuinely think I missed a key moment and don't want to have to wait for a rewatch to know what everyone's talking about.

Just watched it. I don't know what movie you saw ? This was an absolute triumph, the best of the series and the best Marvel film since endgame. Congratulations to James Gunn.

11 hour's?!!! admire the dedication to the grind

I’ll definitely recommend my friends watch this review before taking their teenagers to see it. They’re both over 13, but I suspect the animal cruelty scenes might be too much for them. Honestly, it may be too much for one of the adults too.

Vol 2 my favorite MCU movie "he might have been your father, boy..." hits so hard. Animal cruelty is a bit of a trigger for me, might have to close my eyes or look away during some of the rocket flashbacks

Based on Dan's reviews so far this year I'm getting the sense that the movies that seemed like a sure bet and the underdogs in theaters that you'd wait to watch for free on streaming sites are now reversed. Maybe the rest of the year I'll see the $20 million dollar movies in theaters and see the $200 million movies at home. Thanks Dan!

Excessive animal cruelty is too much for me. I balled when I saw john wick. I can’t imagine having to see this movie. I loved the first movie and rhe second one was good but not great. The holiday special I really enjoyed, so needless to say I’m disappointed it’s not as great. From holiday special I really had thought it was going to be as good as one.

Thanks for the heads up I am also very sensitive to animal cruelty, CGI or Not. I will try to steel myself for this one

Been following you for many years Dan, just saw the movie last night and I completely disagree with almost all of your negative opinions on this movie which is wild because you are one of the few critic's voices that matters to me. Feels like when my favorite band puts out a dud of a song. This is the best marvel movie for me since infinity war. I'm still going to keep enjoying your opinions but as a fan of you I wanted to share.

After hearing this… I just know I’m gonna love this movie

Good review, highlighting some of the weaknesses of the implementation. It's a movie I am glad to have seen =once=, and on the big screen, but had it been a little shorter, a little tighter, a little less off-putting in certain scenes, etc. etc., it coulda woulda shoulda have been the mega movie a Rocket origin/fate of the Guardians movie deserved to be

Best marvel movie ever in my opinion. Every character development was spot on.

As a comic fan I just can't take Polter seriously as Adam Warlock.

So I’m always looking at how many views each one of your videos have after time because I’m always rooting for you Dan! But I noticed this video broke 100k views and that hasn’t happened for a second so I just wanted to say congratulations Dan but also it really does just put things in perspective 😂 just the size of interest in the MCU over any other film franchise today even though feelings are becoming more mixed since endgame. Is the MCU to big to fail? Or will the hype die through time?

Appreciate the review, even if disagree in the main. I am always troubled when people have more empathy for animals than they do human characters. The same amount? Okay maybe. More? Yikes. I found the High Evolutionary a decent villain, mostly thanks to the performance. He's purely evil and hissable but that's fine, it was executed well unlike say Ronan or Malekith. Gamora's arc felt true to the character, even if we'd rather she had not died. Whilst Gunn does sometimes try to tug on the heartstrings a little cheaply, there are many more moments where the pathos feels properly earned. Sure the humour doesn't always hit and the pacing isn't perfect. But after so many films where the audience could not care less about what was going to happen, it was nice to feel invested in an MCU film once again. We actually care about these characters and after stuff like Eternals that shouldn't be taken for granted.

Oof forgot about the Holiday Special. Thanks for the heads-up!

I tried to watch the holiday special and bounced right off of it, which makes me worry about being able to enjoy this movie. :(

The future of the MCU appears to be relying on this movie being a big success in terms of box office and winning back the trust of the audience. - I have seen a few reviews that are mixed on this movie, so it could spell major trouble for Marvel if this movies is not a major hit like Spiderman No way Home-. Will the general audiance still be invested to see the likes of the Marvels, Secreat Invasion, Thuderbolts if this movie is not a home run? This does feel like the last chance for Marvel to keep a lot of the audiance who are on the fence about whether to stick with the MCU.

Twitter should be labeled as animal cruelty.

Great review Dan! This reminded me how the Guardians game really captured the characters very well and, despite dealing with loss and some heavy stuff, still manages to nail tone overall. If you haven't played the Guardians game yet, it's a really solid addition to the Guardians collection!

Movie’s tone being serious, funny never was a problem. Problem is writing, mcu writers suck mostly and blame audience generally

GOTG 3 should have been the 1st of the new GOTG which allows the focus to go to Rocket. GOTG should have focused more on Quill's journey back to Earth to reconnect and Adam Warlock should have been the big baddie. Leave the High Evolutionary to the 4th movie (if they wanted one)

Thank you Dan for your warnings about the animal cruelty. I have warned a few friends about it who just aren't interested in such an emotional cost.

I just came back from the movie theatre and i really enjoyed it… I’m only “but” i think it’s Adam Warlock, I’m not familiar with him so i can’t compare him to anything but it felt kinda unnecessary like he was fun to watch but there wasn’t much more than that, if he wasn’t there it would’ve been fine… kinda seems like “well we kinda introduced him at the end of the last movie so i guess we have no option”

I’m not in a place to watch animals in extended peril so I really appreciate the heads up! A little I could have sat through but definitely not multiple scenes. Thank you Dan! You’ve saved my day haha (I’ll catch the movie at a later date)

Is the animal cruelty more or less harsh than in Avatar 2? Sounds like more

Dave Bautistas Drax is my favorite since Vol.1 and i'm surprised in Holiday Special where Drax is finally given the spotlight as also the main character, they did not nerf him this time around and i watched Vol.3 and all i can say is i like what they did with Drax, they showed more sides to him than before and finally put his physical powers and fighting abilities to good use

Mr Dan I am glad you are one of the few film critics to keep it real. This is not a billion dollar hit. It will be the 2nd movie in Phase 5 to disappoint.

Thank for your honest review Dan. I always appreciate that you give your honest thoughts and feelings while trying to respect others outlooks

Dan talking about the Animal Cruelty is important. I don’t care about seeing it on film because it’s fake. But that doesn’t mean we should disregard how other people feel. Other people having a moral issue still has no impact on how you view a film unless you are unsure of your own morality.

You are one of the best at what you do Dan- keep up the great work.

I'm more concerned about how Gamora is still in the girlfriend zone instead of being allowed to develop into the amazing character she could have been and how Peter is still acting like an angry man-child. I doubt any of these characters will work nearly as well without James Gunn though.

Oof any animal cruelty is going to make this a hard watch for me.

I just don’t like James Gunn’s directing style. He’s too on the nose “Look at me, I’m so punk rock, look how meta my humour is.” He’s simply just a one note director, in exactly the same vein as Taika Watiti, to the point where you can instantly sipher out the ego of the director in the dialogue, instead of it being about the actual characters themselves. Gunn & Watiti’s schtick has run dry…. & I’m pretty sure Gunn’s Superman will be a fairly forgettable entry into that characters lore, in the grand scheme of Superman’s legacy. I hope I’m proven wrong…. & it turns out to be amazing.

Animal cruelty to a CGI talking raccoon?? Seriously...

The reason i never, ever watch slasher movies like Friday the 13th and similar ones, is because i find the mindless killing of teenagers very disturbing. A lot of people laugh at me for that, so i am certainly not going to be the one who would call people who can't stomach the depiction of animal cruelty "oversensitive" or something similar. If something disturbs you, it disturbs you. There is no need to explain why and how. We all have our limits and red lines.