It’s Totally Fine If ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Makes You Cry, You Soulless Bastard

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 just hit theaters, and, somewhat shockingly, much of the concluding chapter of this trilogy — you know, the one predicated on fun outer-space adventures set to classic rock tunes — focuses on the literal torture of several adorable animals. Without spoiling anything, let’s just say that we learn a lot more about Rocket’s backstory, and it is Beethoven-levels of upsetting.

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Judging from what we’re seeing on social media, a lot of people are going full “James Van Der Beek GIF” in theaters multiple times throughout the course of Vol. 3.

And you know what? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. 

We get that some people might think it’s more than a little silly to shed tears over a talking raccoon that’s made entirely out of 1s and 0s (not to mention voiced by the co-star of All About Steve). But all of the Guardians of the Galaxy films have been weirdly emotional, from Groot's sacrifice at the end of the first one to Star-Lord's mom's illness to the death of Yondu. Yeah, these movies somehow found a way to make us all care about a whistling Blue Man Group cosplayer portrayed by a grizzled former Mallrats villain.

This isn’t to say that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is great, or even good, but when we watch characters that we’ve followed in multiple movies for nearly a decade get put through the emotional ringer, you can’t argue that these ugly-crying sessions haven’t been earned. 

And guess what? Crying in movies is a good thing. Studies have shown that crying in movies illustrates a “strong empathy response” and is, therefore, a sign of “emotional intelligence.” Also, when you cry, “your body releases oxytocin and other endorphins associated with pain relief.” Meaning that having a good cry at the movies can make you feel even better than an extra large bag of butter-soaked popcorn and an overpriced box of Milk Duds. 

We have already debunked most of the toxic BS that people try to justify being emotionally stunted with, and so, cringing at cinematic crying is one of the lingering shackles to shed. So the next time Red meets Andy on that beach or an alternate world husband ponders a life doing taxes or basically anything happens in a Pixar movie, don’t feel ashamed at letting the waterworks flow. It’s honestly more embarrassing making the “trying not to shit yourself while simultaneously sucking a lemon” face when you’re holding it back.

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