PETA has given James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy 3 the seal of approval, hailing it the “best animal rights movie of 2023.”
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 has been a resounding success for the MCU so far, perfectly bringing the story of the ragtag space bandits (at least this iteration of them) to a close.
In our review, we described Guardians of the Galaxy 3 as “one of the best MCU movies,” adding that it’s “a triumphant, beautiful closer for a team we’re devastated to lose.”
And an unlikely source has pitched in, with PETA – the outspoken animal rights group – joining in with the praise.
Warning: spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 to follow…
PETA says Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is “best animal rights movie of 2023″
PETA has acknowledged Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 as an “animal rights masterpiece,” saying that it takes moviegoers “on an emotional rollercoaster while exposing the evils of animal testing.”
Much of this is owing to the backstory of Rocket. Viewers learn that he was a creation of the movie’s antagonist, the High Evolutionary, whose goal is to develop so-called “perfect” life forms to populate his “Counter-Earth” – using any means necessary.
We see him tinkering with all sorts of animals, torturing and incinerating them in aid of his mission. During his experiments, he kept Rocket locked up in a dark and dingy cage alongside three other creations: Lylla, Teefs, and Floor.
All four of them became best friends, hoping to break free and enjoy their lives on Counter-Earth. But Rocket later discovers that they were only ever meant for experimentation, with the High Evolutionary ordering them all to be “incinerated” after he was done with them.
You can see the parallels between their story and the millions of animals that are tested on each and every day. It’s for this reason PETA awarded James Gunn the ‘Not a Number Award’ for Guardians of the Galaxy 3.
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The animal rights organization explained: “James Gunn’s screenplay doesn’t back away from the tough (but often true-to-reality) subject matter, and we’re thrilled by a story about having empathy for all living, feeling beings.
“For his kind and compelling portrayal of Rocket and his friends and reminding moviegoers that animals tortured in laboratories are sentient beings and not the numbers tattooed on them, PETA is honoring Gunn (who is also the director of the film) with the Not a Number Award.”
How does Guardians of the Galaxy 3 expose animal testing?
PETA went on to outline the various ways Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 exposes animal testing, including that the High Evolutionary’s test subjects “are given ID numbers, like 89P13, instead of names.”
“Their ID numbers are typically tattooed on their chests, like both Lylla’s and Rocket’s, or inside their ears,” it added.
“While both Rocket and Floor and both Lylla and Teefs are housed together in the movie, that’s often not the case in the real world. Workers keep many species of animals in small, separate cages. But like in the film, cages are small and the animals have little or no enrichment.
“As a baby, Rocket is shown strapped into a restraining device while The High Evolutionary and OrgoCorp scientists experiment on him. The device in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 is eerily similar to real-life ones that experimenters use to restrain primates in laboratories.”
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 is in cinemas now. You can read our review here, while for more on the movie, head to our dedicated GOTG page, or check out the below articles…
Best Easter Eggs | Pete Davidson cameo | Who dies? | Counter-Earth explained | Number of post-credits scenes | Avengers: Infinity War reference | Phyla-Vell explained | Is Yondu in GOTG 3? | Chris Pratt wants to return | Lylla, Teef and Floor explained | Does Rocket die? | Doctor Moreau influence | Adam Warlock, hero or villain? | High Evolutionary explained | Soundtrack details | Description of post-credit scenes | All actors and characters | Runtime explained | Why Rocket is the MVP | Is it streaming? | What is Blurp? | Ending explained | GOTG movies ranked | Will there be a Vol 4?
