


The movie is not 100% Gunn - it still operates within the MCU’s constrictive rules, saddled with the pressures of worldbuilding. Guardians is dynamic and charming, and it’s all thanks to Gunn’s distinctive voice behind the camera. Almost every modern superhero movie seems factory produced and soulless, deprived of any ounce of creativity or artistry in favor of delivering mass content, a “four quadrant” product designed to be consumed without being savored.īut Guardians of the Galaxy is the opposite, a movie full of life with something to say. Its triumphs are particularly notorious on a rewatch, especially given the current mediocre state of the MCU. It’s not an overstatement to say Guardians of the Galaxy is among the best MCU movies the trilogy is by far the best and most consistent in Marvel, but the first film remains a highlight of complex, layered, and satisfying storytelling. Future films in the Guardians of the Galaxy series would expand on this concept, introducing elements such as trauma, legacy, and atonement to strengthen the franchise’s core theme, but family was always the foundation of this cosmic ride. Family is a family, and according to the film, everybody needs one.

However, Guardians is a sweet and quite sentimental story about the importance of family the one you had and lost or the one you find along the way, it matters not. There are massive action setpieces, lots of talk about Infinity Stones, and enough varsity jokes to make a college frat house combust. More importantly, Guardians was heartfelt and earnest, qualities that often get lost in the crowded, flashy, and often superficial world of comic book adaptations.Īt its core, Guardians of the Galaxy is a story about family. The film was wacky, embracing the source material’s camp sensibilities and blending them with a healthy dose of sci-fi, crafting a one-of-a-kind superhero movie that wasn’t afraid to mix and match. Fun, funny, clever, and with a genuine emotional core not shared by previous Marvel entries, Guardians was a game-changer for the MCU. Guardians of the Galaxy was a breath of fresh air. Gunn dived in head first, submerging into the Guardians’ cosmic corner and finding the heart within. The team in question, the Guardians of the Galaxy, was an obscure comic book property comprised of a space cowboy, the most dangerous woman in the galaxy, a sentient tree, a talking raccoon, and a very angry destroyer. James Gunn received a tough task in 2014: to launch one of Marvel’s D-list groups into the A-list, creating a new franchise that would lay the grounds for the MCU’s so-called Infinity Saga.
