MovieChat Forums > Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) Discussion > That final flashback scene is emotionall...

That final flashback scene is emotionally brutal (Spoilers)

posted 2 years ago by VectorOfTheMoon (183)
19 replies | jump to latest

Just watched the movie recently, and damn. That final Rocket Raccoon flashback is probably the most emotionally brutal moment I've seen in a movie. And I say that as someone who doesn't even get emotional watching movies, lol. But I actually started tearing up.

The otter being murdered in cold blood, Rocket screaming, High Evolutionary mocking him, Rocket running for his life in the hallway and escaping in the ship, etc. That whole scene was just...I was speechless. They tried to lighten it with humor back in the present, but my theater audience wasn't even laughing.

I enjoyed GOTG3, but it's pretty much a "one and done" movie for me because of that scene. And yes, I know it's just fictional characters, but something about that scene fucked me up.

[–] WhereIsRent (1080) 2 years ago

This film resonated with me on an emotional level that I'm still trying to comprehend lol.

I've watched it twice and I don't know if I can watch it again any time soon. It's both one of the best comic book supehero films I've ever seen whilst also being something that I will only watch every once in a while to have a good cry. In terms of MCU films I'd say that Spider-Man: Homecoming, The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor: Ragnarok are the most fun to rewatch but Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is by far the most emotional. I thought James Gunn was going to kill off one of the Guardians and break my heart that way but it turns out that Rocket's backstory was one of the most devastating and heartbreaking things I've ever seen in a film.

[–] leader (1959) 2 years ago

That evolution guy was unnecessarily cruel. He could have just let his imperfect experiments live out their lives, he didn't have to murder them.

[–] Dogiswhite (1288) a year ago

But he felt that they were imperfect so they must be destroyed. If not for Rocket's
"Beautiful brain" he would have destroyed him too.

[–] SolarisPatchwork (280) a year ago

We murder every research animal at the end of their usefulness to us.

We have the money to raise them and experiment on them, but not to give them happiness and peace after they've unwillingly served us. At least farm animals (from good sources) mostly get to enjoy their lives prior to slaughter.

The NIH recently funded a study that wanted to test the effectiveness of a vaccine against sand flies. So they restrained beagle puppies, zipped their heads into mesh cages, and had them slowly get bitten to death by hundreds sand flies over the course of days. The ones that survived were suffocated to death. It was designed by numerous people and signed-off by officials, up to and including Anthony Fauci. Dozens if not hundreds of similar experiments are continuing to happen even now.

[–] liscarkat (18367) 4 months ago

Not "We". I have nothing to do with that stuff.

[–] SolarisPatchwork (280) 4 months ago

You might not have power to change it, but you (and I) bear responsibility insofar as you're aware of it happening and know it's wrong. A sin that our modern society creates, but it would be more sinful to pretend you're entirely disconnected from it.

That kind of guilt can maybe one day be harnessed to create change, when the right circumstances arrive and we do have some power over it. Similar to how the Christian Western world^1 became more and more aghast at the sin of slavery, and how finally they could stop it in our societies.

It is sinful that we torture animals for our progress. We know it's happening, we know it's not even limited to the most necessary of situations, and maybe we're even making progress towards outlawing it.

^1 Specifically Protestant Christians in the Religious Society of Friends, founding and popularizing the abolitionist movement

[–] mrbnk (419) 2 years ago

It was very difficult to watch. They were tortured and disfigured but still they had dreams and hopes, which were ended just because. And the movie is full of those moments, like the alternate Earth people who helped the heroes but all of them were killed.

That lunatic should have been stopped way earlier.

[–] FilmBuff (7232) 2 years ago

That's what happens when a filmmaker takes the time to get the audience invested in a story, and doesn't rush through anything. It's clear that Gunn had that moment in mind even while filming the first Guardians film. Most films shoehorn emotion in at the last minute, or take shortcuts, but that doesn't work for most audience members. I agree that it was a painful scene to watch, but it wasn't just because of what was done. I can list dozens of films with more brutal moments, but very few with moments that were built towards so carefully, and that's where the impact is born.

[–] Ticketsplease (4024) 2 years ago

The failed escape scene was very hard to watch. It took the audience to a dark place of humanity. I'm sure it wasn't lost on many Jewish people the parralles between someone wanting 'the perfect creation' and 'the pure race', ie caging people, experimenting on people, murdering people when done because they're useless, etc.

But many megalomaniacs end up like High Evolutionary.

[–] Moonglum9 (11267) a year ago

He had a very sad backstory, that's for sure!

[–] Galactus03 (4373) a year ago

You could not have watched many good movies if it's the most emotionally brutal scene you have seen in a movie. This is what happens when a generation was completely raised on superhero films. Not saying it wasn't a good movie. But come on... 😂

[–] Kowalski (75520) a year ago

MULTIPLE WELL MADE FILMS WITH THESE CHARACTERS PLUS THE OP IS CLEARLY AN ANIMAL PERSON...IT'S EASY TO SEE HOW THE SCENE COULD HAVE HIT THEM THE WAY IT DID...INSULTS AND SNOTTY FALSE SUPERIORITY ARE NOT NEEDED.

[–] VectorOfTheMoon (183) 6 months ago

Oh, look. Yet another person who pulls this idiotic garbage.

One thing I've noticed is how often this happens. Whether it's a sad movie, scary movie, a hard video game, etc. There always has to be that ONE idiot who slithers out of the woodworks and goes on to say - "You must have watched only five movies if you think this is scary" or "you clearly haven't played a lot of video games if you think this is hard" or "you've clearly only seen one movie if you think this is sad". Wow, you're the master of pure fucking originality. Screw off you desperate Internet rando. Let people have their opinions, and take your pathetic attempts at "originality" ("you clearly haven't seen a lot if you think XYZ is sad/scary/challenging') with you. How embarrassing for yourself.

[–] Galactus03 (4373) 6 months ago

Here's the thing....IM NOT WRONG.... 😂

As for opinions you are welcome to them and I AM WELCOME TO HAVE AN OPINION ON AN OPINION(even a weird one like yours)..... 😂

[–] VectorOfTheMoon (183) 6 months ago

Yeah, you're right. You're not wrong...that's putting it way too nicely. If anything, you're *dead wrong*. Since you're literally just making random assumptions about how many movies a person has/hasn't seen based on them thinking a movie is sad or not. Like...do you seriously lack *that* much common sense? Yikes. Yeah, just forget it.

The more people like you that continue to exist on this planet, the more I realize why Noah only let animals on the ark.

If you attempt to reply back again, I won't even read a single reply. But since you've proven that you like to advertise your own stupidity, I'm sure you'll waste your own time by replying back and expecting me to read it. I give less than zero fucks. Bye.

[–] Galactus03 (4373) 6 months ago

😀

[–] ExTechOp (2770) a year ago

Yep

I'm still amazed at the whole concept. I thought the MCU was finished when they announced the introduction of a talking raccoon.

Turns out the raccoon was one of the best characters in the entire set of films

Gunn did the same with Peacemaker - made a sympathetic protagonist out of a douchebag zealot with a toilet on his head

Can't wait to see what he pulls off with DC

[–] HarlemEagle42 (17730) a year ago

Yeah, just finished this. Good finale for the trilogy. Makes me more hopeful about his DC reboot.