7) Thankfully, It’s Not Twilight
Nowadays, any superhero “male-oriented” film that has any taint of a love story is immediately labeled too “Twilight-y.” One such undeserving victim is The Amazing Spider-Man, which actually made the romantic plot somewhat real – no unrealistic and creepily abusive relationships present. Romantic ploys should not be dismissed at the mere sight of them, but for an ensemble film, a bit of love might translate to a lot of rust.
Thankfully, there is no romantic subplot – yet – in Guardians of the Galaxy. There’s a bit of fooling around and falling in with Quill and Gamora, but Gamora quickly retracts it as she refuses to be one of Quill’s “waifs,” a smart and intentional decision as it gets the possible leading man and lady romance out of the way and blasts it to pieces.
Director and writer James Gunn continues to avoid any mention of romance as the second half of the film couldn’t be more friendship heavy. In doing so, the attention isn’t completely one-sided, as we now care for the group as a whole.