10 Lessons Comic Book Movies Can Learn From Guardians Of The Galaxy

9. Pacing Is Everything

Ever been utterly gripped by the first forty five minutes of a film only to suddenly become more bored than Harrison Ford looked in Indy IV? Well that's because the pacing of whatever film you watched was broken. While script and direction are obviously pretty important, good pacing is utterly key to making an immersive film. Recent superhero films like Thor and Captain America have fallen victim to poorly paced mid and ending sections, a curse that seems to be especially present in Marvel films. Yet by doing away with the typical Marvel formula of exciting set up, middle 'discovery' section and drawn out ending fight scene, the film was free to strap you in and take you on one hell of a crazy ride. Forgoing the convoluted set ups, Guardians instead moves at a blistering pace; taking the viewer from an emotionally devastating intro into bombastic comedy action. The great thing about this film is that it never really lets up, with the film jumping from location to location before you ever have a chance to tire of what's happening. The film is a masterclass in the art of balancing exactly the right amount of fight scenes, comedy and character insight which is something most blockbusters fall completely flat on. While it's a cliche often used, there really never is a dull moment in this film - and Gunn has accomplished this by throwing the Marvel Studios rule book straight into hyperspace.