Lest we ever forget how much movies influence the minds of children, Walt Disney once said, “Movies can and do have tremendous influence in shaping young lives in the realm of entertainment towards the ideals and objectives of normal adulthood.”
This is a wonderful thing, as long as children are being influenced toward the right faith and values. If children are encouraged to have a childlike faith from Pete’s Dragon or learn the value of hard work and ingenuity from The Queen of Katwe, movies are serving the purpose Walt Disney intended. Sadly, Disney’s Marvel property Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 misses the mark in a big way in this regard, and it’s a crying shame. While Marvel has released some great superhero movies, many of which are Movieguide® Award-winners, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 fails miserably at being family-friendly, and here are three reasons why:
1. It has too much foul language.
At about 40 cuss words, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has the most cursing of any of the movies in Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, the most foul-mouthed of the characters being Rocket Raccoon. Somehow, the filmmakers thought it’d be a good idea to give a funny talking raccoon a bunch of punchy lines with cusswords that children will obviously repeat, especially since these characters are being heavily marketed toward children through merchandising, games, rides, clothing and costumes. Movieguide®’s own managing editor visited a friend whose 6-year-old son was a huge fan of the Guardians of the Galaxy Lego set and desperately wanted to watch the movies, but wisely wasn’t allowed to because of the foul language. Not all parents are as aware or discerning, however, when it comes such Disney movies.
2. It glorifies lawlessness.
While a few superheroes in the Marvel movies are criminals who find redemption and become heroes, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 implies you can be both a lying, thieving, criminal and a selfless hero simultaneously. In the beginning of the sequel, Rocket Raccoon steals from a group of people who hired them, and that sets in motion a chain of events that ultimately results in their salvation.
3. It makes light of death.
In a scene that involves Yondu, Rocket and Groot escaping from some mean and cruel Ravagers who betrayed Yondu, Yondu brutally kills them all in a scene that meant to be comical. The scene is both morally reprehensible and contradictory. It’s especially bad because Yondu’s character really is just as evil as the men he murders, yet the killing is okay since Yondu is a bit more likable and has a few redeeming qualities. Why is it okay to laugh at the death of 50 men but cry over the death of one?
These are not the “ideals” Walt Disney would’ve wanted children moviegoers to be taught, and they are not ideals we want either. Marvel, along with Disney, have made some terrific movies, but Movieguide® encourages all families to avoid Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
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This article originally appeared on Movieguide®.
