Guardians of the Galaxy 3 viewers hit out at age rating because of 'disturbing' scenes

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 viewers have hit out at the film’s age rating after noticing a number of ‘disturbing’ scenes.

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3

The third instalment of the franchise, which was released earlier this week, sees Chris Pratt, Zoë Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillian, Pom Klementieff and Vin Diesel reunited for a mission that could possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.

Things pick up where The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special left off, with Peter Quill (Pratt) still reeling from the loss of Gamora (Saldaña) while adjusting to his life on Knowhere.

We also find out more about Rocket (Cooper), whose dark past resurfaces to reveal how he was transformed from a normal raccoon into a cybernetically-enhanced mercenary during an experiment by the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji).

As part of Rocket’s backstory, we are faced with a number of difficult scenes involving animal abuse throughout the movie – something many fans found too ‘disturbing’ for a PG-13.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

One tweeted: “This movie goes into the origins of Rocket, as all of the movie trailers show depictions of Animal abuse, intense PTSD, familicide, genocide, and a very explicitly mangled face are all things that this movie will treat you to, despite it being under family friendly Disney.”

Someone else said: “I love #GOTG but as an animal lover, I found it way too disturbing. There're animal abuse scenes all through the movie, and while I anticipated Rocket's backstory would be difficult, this was too much. As a mom, I'd never take a young child to go see it.”

Another argued the film ‘definitely pushes its rating’, while a fourth wrote: “So Guardians of the Galaxy vol 3 definitely earned its PG-13 rating and I would advise caution if you’re planning on taking kids under 13. It is violent, dark and brutal.

"They definitely push the PG-13 rating as far as possible. Disturbing imagery and thematic elements.”

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

However, some have praised the movie for tackling such heavy topics within the bounds of a PG-13 rating.

One viewer said: “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 f**ked me up dude. Great f**kin movie. Perfect conclusion to these characters. Rocket Raccoon, man.

"I was a wreck during the flashback scenes and when No Sleep Till Brooklyn hit, it made me realize that these movies can actually have heart/emotion.”

Another agreed: “The story to this film is as heart wrenching as I think you can probably get, and it’s perfect. Rocket’s backstory may not be for the faint of heart, but it’s told with so much care it’s a thing of beauty.

"James Gunn pushes the MCU PG-13 rating to its limit and it pays off.”

UNILAD has reached out to Disney for comment.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is out in cinemas now.