A warning going in: this is the most brutal MCU movie to date. Its physical, emotional, and mental brutality pushes the boundaries of a PG-13 movie. This is especially true if the viewer has any trauma associated with animal abuse. There was more than once that I questioned whether the level of violence (usually committed by the villain, but sometimes by our heroes) was really necessary. There were also a couple of moments of senseless destruction which were not fully addressed that are made more horrifying when one thinks about them.
Still, Rocket's story--although painful (tissues might come in handy)--is amazingly well done, giving more context to one of my favorite Guardians. His character arc through the above-listed movies and show has been the best--with Nebula's coming in a solid second. This movie feels more like an intended sequel than any other trilogy of movies since Nolan's Dark Knight Batman films.
In the end, I not only want to watch this movie again, but I want to watch through the whole series.