Just a fun ride all the way through.

The humor and slapstick nature of the group never detracted from the urgency of their plight. The perfect amount of obstacles kept them on their toes. The only Marvel movie that was focused on high energy fun all the way through.

Iron Man 3 tried to be a fun ride all the way through but only ended up taking possibly the most serious storyline in it's publication (the Extremis virus, which should have been the focus because of the moral controversy of Tony Stark using it to weaponize himself and essentially become the Iron Man suit) and making it so that no one gave a shit about the villain or plot. It was the RDJ slapstick show, which was a waste because Don Cheadle showed he was 100% capable of taking the reigns as comic relief giving room for RDJ to be the vehicle for the urgency of the story.

Ronan was a palpable threat the entire film, he never felt like less of a threat at any moment regardless of the tomfoolery of the Guardians.

James Gunn injected these weird purgatory like friendship moments right in the middle of the cacophany and it worked everytime. (SPOILERISH AHEAD) Groot's glowing spores lighting the room while on the flaming warship heading towards Xandar and his eagerness to know he did good when waylaying enemies, Rocket revealing his character vulnerability in the middle of an alien brawl. Quill getting excited to have his outlaw name recognized in the middle of a massive gunfight. It all was great.