April 28, 2023
If you weren't expecting to sob over a CGI raccoon next weekend, well, guess again.
Marvel closes out its current "Guardians of the Galaxy" story with the final installment in writer/director James Gunn's trilogy, which opens on May 5. "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" centers on the shortest, furriest and crankiest member of the group of intergalactic warriors, Rocket Raccoon, and it gets emotional — just ask the actor who voices him, Bradley Cooper.
"I cried hard," the Jenkintown native told "Access Hollywood" at the movie's world premiere, recalling his first viewing of the film. "I mean like, hard. I texted (Gunn) and was like, 'Bro I am weeping."
The movie delves into Rocket's origin story as the test subject of a cruel scientist with a serious god complex. Rocket, who insists throughout the trilogy that he's not a raccoon, started life as a normal baby animal before the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) performed a series of painful procedures on him, genetically engineering him so he could talk, walk upright and even understand complex science.
The latest movie sees the creator coming back for his prize pupil, but Rocket's friends — including Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Drax (Dave Bautista), Nebula (Karen Gillam) and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) — won't let him go without a fight.
"You know what's so weird, is James said when we first started talking about Rocket, he was like, 'And the end game is...'" Cooper said. "You never know if someone's really going to do that, and then lo and behold, the script came out, and I couldn't believe it."
Marvel teased that story in a clip posted Tuesday, which shows a young Rocket talking with an otter, a rabbit and a walrus, all outfitted with metal appendages. The four critters come up with names for one another while lying on the floor of a cage.
"It really is good to have friends," the otter (voiced by Linda Cardellini) says.
Cooper clearly isn't the only one who had an emotional response to the movie. Early reactions on social media indicate this will be a tearjerker, especially if you're an animal lover:
My official review of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is that I cried somewhere in the range of 3-5 times
— evan romano (@EvanRomano) April 28, 2023
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 3 has James Gunn telling his final MCU tale with a self-contained finality. It trades epicness for heartfelt character drama with Gunn’s colorful Troma -infused paint smeared all over it. It’s overlong and tonally messy at times but damn it I cried. pic.twitter.com/qTPuCTaz6X
— Rendy Jones (@rendy_jones) April 28, 2023
Cried like a baby multiple tims during Guardians 3. I have a soft spot for raccoons.
— Ryan Arey 🇺🇦 (@ryanarey) April 28, 2023
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 is easily the best MCU film since Endgame. That is how you do a trilogy! I laughed, cheered, sang along, & cried so, so many tears. The stakes were high this time around. What a perfect ending. What a perfect new beginning. #GuardiansOfTheGalaxy3 pic.twitter.com/J86rfFmhBw
— Tessa Smith - Mama's Geeky (@MamasGeeky) April 28, 2023
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