Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 made a splash in theaters, with the final entry in the Guardians franchise likely to hit $1 billion by the time its theatrical run is over. It got close to $700 million worldwide after just three weekends, and it’s not like Marvel is in a hurry to send Guardians Vol. 3 to Disney Plus streaming just yet. Whether you’ve seen the film already or plan to, you can watch the full Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opening scene right now.
That’s because the VFX studio Safrosky, which worked on the project, released the entire four-minute clip online. Mind you, some spoilers will follow below.
The opening sequence is similar to what we saw in Vol.1 and 2. We have a song playing in the background while our attention focuses on one of the Guardians. This time it’s Rocket (Bradley Cooper), which is only expected. After all, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a movie about Rocket, so the opening scene might as well reflect that.
But the sequence can be very misleading in case you avoided Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 trailers, teasers, and spoilers these past few months. You might think the third episode in this mini-saga is about Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and his love for Gamora (Zoe Saldana). But that’s hardly the point of Vol. 3.
Before we watch the new opening, let’s check out James Gunn’s previous intros.
Here’s Peter Quill in the opening scene of Guardians Vol. 1:
And Groot (Vin Diesel) had an even better opening scene for Guardians Vol. 2:
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opening scene
Unsurprisingly, the Guardians Vol. 3 opening scene takes place on Knowhere, the Guardians’ new home. We know that from The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special that debuted on Disney Plus in late 2022.
We see that Guardians-managed world through Rocket’s eyes and all the Guardians around him. This looks like a regular day in the Guardians’ lives when they’re not defending the galaxy from new threats.
However, Radiohead’s Creep is definitely gloomier than the opening songs for Vol.1 and 2. James Gunn wanted us to know from the minute the film started this isn’t going to be just another Guardians comedy.
And now that we know the whole Rocket story, that overall sadder thematic choice for the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 scene makes sense. At the time of that scene, Rocket was still dealing with his childhood drama, a trauma he never shared with his newfound family.
What’s also very exciting about this sequence, and something you’ll only see in theaters, is the amazing action-packed continuation. Gunn may have wanted us to acknowledge the change in tone from the moment we sat down in theaters. But he’s equally interested in shocking us with an incredible action scene from the start.
You’ll have to go to theaters to see what happens after the opening sequence below or wait for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on Disney Plus.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – Main Title from Sarofsky. Beautifully made. on Vimeo.
