James Gunn Does NOT Want Audiences Watching 'Guardians of the Galaxy 3' This Way, on Disney+

James Gunn has preferences for a reason.

Related: Multiple Marvel Stars Talk Jumping to DC, Leaving Marvel Behind

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, directed by James Gunn in his final Marvel universe project and scored by John Murphy, was the last ride for the Marvel Studios’ Guardians, with some (if not most, or even all) of its members bidding the MCU farewell. The film, released on May 5, 2023, followed the Guardians’ latest adventure in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, a Marvel Studios Special Presentation on Disney+. This followed the space-roving team’s appearances in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) and the Avengers series of films within the Infinity Saga.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, produced by The Walt Disney Company’s Marvel Studios, marked the farewell of former Marvel director James Gunn from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) — as he’s now transitioned into becoming Marvel Studios’ biggest rival, DC Studios‘ CEO over at Warner Bros. Discovery. The movie featured a host of familiar characters reprising their roles from the previous Guardians of the Galaxy films, namely Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 (2014) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017). Fans once again encountered the gun-wielding human (and former part-Celestial), Peter Quill, known as Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), the daughters of Thanos, Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) and Nebula (Karen Gillan), the tree-like alien Groot (Vin Diesel), the adorable yet dangerous Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), the vengeance-driven Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), the empath Mantis (Pom Klementieff), the Ravager Kraglin Obfonteri (Sean Gunn), Stakar Ogord (Sylvester Stallone), and even the presence of Cosmo the Spacedog (Maria Bakalova).

Related: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Post-Credit Scenes Explained

Confronting a fresh array of challenges, these space-faring heroes encountered the resplendent Adam Warlock, played by newcomer Will Poulter, alongside Elizabeth Debicki’s portrayal of Ayesha. Chukwudi Iwuji assumed the role of the High Evolutionary in the new Marvel movie, accompanied by his confederate Theel (Nico Santos), while Daniela Melchior embodied Ura, and Kai Zen played Phyla-Vell. Additionally, Linda Cardellini made her debut as Lylla the Otter, Asim Chaudhry took on the role of Teefs the Walrus, and Mikaela Hoover appeared as Floor the Bunny — all being former cellmates and companions of Rocket.

James Gunn has opinions about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on Disney+

Recently, the Guardians 3 director and writer came forward to share his minor scruples with a variant of his beloved show that’s available to watch on The Walt Disney Company’s streamer, Disney+.

On his Threads account, Gunn opened up about the best way to watch his movie — and it isn’t what you think!

Many viewers would expect the IMAX edition aspect ratio to be the superior way to watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 — but in fact, Gunn believes that using this option on Disney+ might actually do a slight disservice to the film. In fact, the way that Gunn suggests his final film be watched is in the Widescreen aspect ratio: yes, the one with the black bars. Gunn says that this is because the Widescreen option is a “mixed aspect ratio”, and therefore his preferred viewing experience:

The ‘widescreen’ version is mixed aspect ratio and would be my preferred way to watch in your home.

But what does “mixed aspect ratio” even mean, and why is this important? Well, simply because according to Gunn, the aspect ratio actually switches in order to better facilitate the storytelling:

Lots of directors shoot in 2.35. Those sections in ‘Vol. 3’ were composed for 1.90 and 2.35 respectively, and the changes come at specific points in the storytelling, so it’s my preferred way of watching the film on TV. But it’s fun to watch the different versions. I liked the 3D version too!

He then goes on to clarify that the IMAX version is not actually “cropped” — but in fact including new content added to the “top and bottom” to fill out the screen:

Yeah the IMAX version isn’t cropped. It’s all new stuff top and bottom.

Despite this, it appears that Gunn still prefers Widescreen — probably because it was crafted to best suit his story and characters. So what if the top of Groot’s head can’t be seen when he’s in the background? Other shots might offer wider shots for a more dramatic effect, or perhaps even be composed slightly better.

Either way, the home viewer’s experience is up to the home viewer in question. However it would be remiss to dismiss the director’s preferences as inconsequential!

What do you think about James Gunn’s opinions about how you should watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on Disney+?