although Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has come under fire for its disturbing scenes where animal cruelty is too much for young audiences to handle, animal rights group PETA has praised James Gunn’s latest Marvel film for “putting a face” to the plight of animals used for testing purposes. The organization has given the director a Not Just a Number Award for depicting scenes of “animal cruelty” in the MCU’s latest film.
The new Guardians of the Universe movie hasn’t held back when it comes to scenes where franchise favorite Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper in the movie, among others) is tortured and experimented on by the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), while Gunn delves into the character’s traumatic past. Some of the disturbing scenes have led to calls for the film to be given a higher rating than PG-13, as it may all be too much for younger kids. However, it seems that Peta believes that the huge audience the film will see means more people will be forced to think about how some animals are treated when it comes to testing human products.
In a statement released by Lisa Lange, PETA Senior VP, praised Gunn’s film, praising the film for showing animals as individuals with feelings. She said:
“Through Rocket, James Gunn has given a face, a name and a personality to the millions of vulnerable animals currently being cycled through labs. Peta is celebrating this as the best animal rights film of the year for helping audiences see animals as individuals and suggesting that just because we can experiment with them doesn’t mean we should.”
James Gunn wanted Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to tell Rocket’s story.
Although there was a short time it seemed James Gunn couldn’t complete his Marvel trilogy, the director has spoken a number of times about how this movie was always about Rocket. Discussing how he believed he had to go back to the franchise to tell this particular story, Gunn previously said:
“The most important thing to me was the story of Rocket, and then everyone else. Rocket is the secret protagonist of the Guardians of the Galaxy and has always been the center of it for me; and this is truly the fulfillment of that. The reason why I came back and decided to make this movie was because I really felt that Rocket’s story needed to be told – and it stuck after part 2. So that’s the main thing. It’s also the end of a trilogy. movie is about the mother; the second movie is about the father; and the third movie is about the self. And that’s what this journey is…”
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has received many positive reviews and has also brought a new, more mature take on the MCU in general. It seems that regardless of how the movie ends up in terms of box office success, James Gunn has left a bigger mark on the MCU than theater achievements can match.