Is The Film's Depiction Of Animal Abuse Too Brutal?

Yes, it's pretty horrifying to see Floor (Mikaela Hoover), a cute bunny rabbit that has been inexplicably equipped with mechanical spider legs and a muzzle to go with her improved intellect. Yes, seeing the wheels and eye contraptions of Teefs (Asim Chaudry) or the mechanical arms of Lylla (Linda Cardellini) can be disconcerting. That being said, the horror lies largely in their character design, and apart from Rocket's initial pain, the other Batch 89 members seem to be largely unbothered by their extensive modifications. They're a friendly, positive, and optimistic bunch right until the very end — and if Rocket's cardiac arrest vision is any indication, the fun very much continues beyond the veil. What's more, Rocket and his team later go out of their way to rescue every single animal from the High Evolutionary's doomed ship, so the movie's overall tone is very pro-animal across the board. It's the movie's antagonist who isn't.

Apart from the obligatory friendship, one of the film's most obvious central themes is that it takes a truly vile person to torment animals. The High Evolutionary is one of the very few MCU villains who have no redeeming features whatsoever. He's a cruel and ruthless man who devotes every single moment of his waking life to playing god. He cares so little about others that he treats his creations as wholly disposable intellectual property, and openly mocks Rocket during the worst moment of the young raccoon's life. This villain isn't just a bad guy — he's the worst guy. 

As such, graphic as Batch 89's modifications may be, it's completely clear that only a civilization-destroying madman like the High Evolutionary would do such things to them and his other experiments. As a result, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" isn't so much a movie that features animal abuse as it is a passionate commentary against animal abuse.