Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 may still be playing in theaters, but the MCU film's opening scene is available now to watch online now.
James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy openers are always memorable and highlight a specific tune from his curated soundtracks.
However, for Marvel Studios' Vol. 3, the director chose to begin his final Guardians film by reintroducing his cast in a different way.
Guardians Vol. 3's Emotional First Scene is Free Online
The VFX studio Safrosky released the incredible opening scene of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 online for fans to watch.
The studio's video caption suggests it worked on the motion graphics for the film's opening text, describing the animation as needing to feel light and ethereal due to the deeply emotional and reflective nature of the scene.
For instance, the opener begins with a close-up of baby Rocket which transitions into the present-day version of the character, seemingly remembering while listening to Radiohead's "Creep."
It's a huge departure from the original film's footage of Star-Lord, dancing on Morag, and Vol. 2's opener of Baby Groot busting a move to "Mr. Blue Sky," and that emotional weight is maintained throughout the entire scene.
The full sequence can be watched below:
As Rocket walks through Knowhere, the next member of the Guardians of the Galaxy audiences see is Mantis.
While she's more upbeat than Rocket at this moment, her swaying dance moves are subdued and don't change the tone of the scene.
Rocket eventually encounters the rest of the Guardians team, including a drunk and depressed Peter Quill.
After he passes out, Nebula and Rocket are joined by the rest of this crew to take care of Peter, all while the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 title card gently materializes in an alien language, before a soft transition into English.
The scene then cuts to Nebula, tucking Peter in bed and realizing that he hasn't gotten over Gamora when he murmurs her name.
So while the first shot of the scene revealed Rocket's struggle, the last shot reminds the audience of Peter's.
New Insight Into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
For fans of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, this scene being made available now is a huge deal as it's more than four minutes of a film that's still playing in theaters, along with some new insight for audiences to pour over.
Speaking of which, it's definitely interesting to note how the scene's tone influenced how the text was animated. It goes to show that it's not just the actors who contribute to the overall feel of a scene.
Also, the VFX studio's comments truly highlight how different this Guardians of the Galaxy opening scene is, a fact that audiences probably didn't grasp on their first viewing.
In the coming weeks and months, Marvel fans are sure to learn more about the decisions behind Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, especially once the hit film becomes available for digital release and on Disney+.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is playing in theaters worldwide.
