10 Years Later, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Doesn’t Cut It

Marvel changed superhero movies when they put out the original Guardians of the Galaxy. That doesn’t mean the film was any good. In fact, Guardians of the Galaxy only became popular because it stood out from the pack in 2014. In 2024, it just feels like another superhero movie.

‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ is an unimpressive movie that came out at the right time

During a 2007 interview with Total Film, Tim Burton unknowingly recapped the history of superhero films leading up to Guardians of the Galaxy. “I was lucky when I made Batman because, at the time, it felt like new territory,” he revealed. “We went back to the traditions of the comic and they were usually light and cartoony. It was exciting. Then, all of a sudden, every comic book hero is a tortured soul in a funny costume. [Laughs] 

“I think the genre’s always having to reinvent itself and, obviously, comics are a kind of modern folk tale that can stand to be re-told and re-looked at in many different ways,” he added. “But I think the dark tortured comic-book hero… Well, I think it’s time for a new angle. Maybe it’s time to go back to the brightly colored cartoon.”

That’s exactly what happened when Marvel made Guardians of the Galaxy. The studio found a way to make superhero movies lighthearted and fun again. The film felt fresh in 2014 because of its tone and use of pop songs. However, with time, it’s become easier to see that the movie is mediocre overall. Nothing about the comedy, story, or characters is affecting, and using pop songs in movies hasn’t been revolutionary since Kenneth Anger worked it into his underground short films. 

‘Deadpool’ learned a lot of tricks from that movie

While it’s a tad ridiculous to say this about any Marvel movie, Guardians of the Galaxy seemed a little countercultural in 2014. That year was dominated by the moody, lowkey sounds of Lorde, Tove Lo, and Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space.” Star-Lord and company blasting The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” was entirely out-of-step with the times and we loved the movie for it. All these years later, it’s clear that Guardians of the Galaxy went from a little rebel going against the system to becoming the system.

Now, we’ve gotten a Guardians of the Galaxy sequel and three Deadpool movies that each mimic the colorful, fun approach of Guardians of the Galaxy and shove pop songs down everyone’s throat. Star-Lord dancing around to Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love” in the opening credits of Guardians of the Galaxy felt new. Deadpool doing the same to NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” in Deadpool & Wolverine feels just as prefabricated as NSYNC itself. 

‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ isn’t relevant anymore

Some works of art are timelessly great. On the other hand, Guardians of the Galaxy was a movie that we all needed to see in 2014 that doesn’t seem as novel anymore. Perhaps it’ll seem better once Hollywood abandons the James Gunn approach to superheroes and starts going dark again. Or maybe Guardians of the Galaxy was just a middling movie that came out at the right time.

Regardless, I want to listen to “Come and Get Your Love Again.”