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THE BOWIE — Kids and adults the world over are anxious to get to the theater to see "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3." The movie will make somewhere between a sickening amount of money and an absurd amount of money. But is it OK for your kids? Is it OK for you? I don't know; all I know is, I saw it, and I can give you a few hints as to what you'll see in the movie.
As always, I am not here to tell you what you should or should not let your kids see or what you will be comfortable viewing. I'm here to offer some education on the content and subject matter so you can decide for yourself and your family.
Here is what parents need to know about "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."
Sex
Nothing is ever shown on the screen regarding sex in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3." Still, there are some jokes and innuendo about casual sex and a specific joke about someone "touching" themselves. The jokes are not constant, and the talk is minimal.
Language
All Marvel movies have a few curse words here and there, and they like to joke about dropping the F-word, but have not used it up to this point in Marvel Cinematic Universe. While the MCU has been knocking on that door in movies like "Spider-Man: Homecoming" "Iron Man 2" and "Avengers: Infinity War," this movie is the first time they throw it open. "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3." has the F-word, and it's pretty prominent when it happens.
The rest of the language is similar to the first two Guardians movies.
Violence
While I don't think as many people are killed in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" as in other MCU movies, I can say this one feels more violent. The killings feel more graphic than in earlier installments. There is no human blood but plenty of alien blood, entrails and gore. One fight scene, in particular, gets surprisingly gory, but it slides by the censors because it's not human gore.
Disturbing
"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" has multiple moments that may feel very disturbing for younger viewers and some older ones. Without giving much away about the movie's plot, there are experiments on animals that are uncomfortable and sometimes hard to watch. The experiments themselves can be graphic, but it's the aftermath that can be difficult to handle for some. This is a darker corner of the MCU and will be too much for some audience members.
Conclusion
"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is the closest an MCU movie has crept to an R rating. That's not saying it should be rated R but that it's a harder PG-13 than any other titles in the catalog. In addition to crude jokes, harsh language, violence and disturbing images, there is also substance abuse, genocide, animal cruelty and child endangerment in the movie.
I'm uncomfortable giving an age level for the movie, but this is different from the other Marvel movies, and I wouldn't make the decision based on the fact it came from the MCU.
"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is officially rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, strong language, suggestive/drug references and thematic elements.
