Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 vs Vol. 2 vs Vol. 3 (Versus)

With Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 finally here, it’s time to find which of the three Guardians of the Galaxy movies is the best. In the 3-competitor versus, there will be 5 rounds. Each round is based on a different component of the movies. The Guardians of the Galaxy film that does that category the best gets 2 points, 2nd place gets 1 point, and last place gets no points. After 5 rounds, the movie with the most points wins. So, here is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 vs Vol. 2 vs Vol. 3. Of course, spoilers if you haven’t seen Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 or the other two movies.

Round 1: Story

Story is a hard category since all three films have a pretty great plot. Guardians of the Galaxy was a great origin story, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 did a great job showing the characters more in-depth, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 was a nice ending for the Guardians along with the story of Rocket’s past. However, I did find Guardians of the Galaxy to have a more involved story along with introducing the characters very well, while Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 lacked a lot of the charm of the series with its story. So, for those reasons, I put Vol. 1 at #1 and Vol. 3 at #3. 

Vol. 1 – 2 pts.
Vol. 2 – 1 pts.
Vol. 3 – 0 pts.

Round 2: Soundtrack (Vol. 1 Lead)

One of the things that the Guardians of the Galaxy movies are most notable for are their incredible soundtracks. Vol. 1 has some great songs like Come and Get Your Love, Hooked on a Feeling, Escape (The Piña Colada Song), and O-o-h Child. However, for me, the songs chosen for Awesome Mix Vol. 2 are more catchy, more frequent in the movie, and overall a better lineup. Mr. Blue Sky, Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl), My Sweet Lord, Come a Little Bit Closer, and The Chain. Plus, even though it isn’t 80s, Guardians Inferno is awesome. So, Vol. 2 wins this round with Vol. 1 in 2nd.

Vol. 1 – 3 pts.
Vol. 2 – 3 pts.
Vol. 3 – 0 pts.

Round 3: Comedy (Vol. 1/2 Tie)

Of course, Guardians of the Galaxy has the laughs. While there were only a couple of funny moments in Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3, the first two movies were much funnier. Guardians of the Galaxy introduced us to the witty characters that make up the Guardians, while Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 expanded even farther with the characters as well as taking full advantage of a little character called Baby Groot. Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 are both laugh-out-loud movies with lots of comedic charm. However, just barely, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 takes the win for round 3 with Guardians of the Galaxy coming in second and Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 still with no points. At this point, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3’s scoreless record means that it has no chance of winning even if it wins rounds 4 and 5. 

Vol. 1 – 4 pts.
Vol. 2 – 5 pts.
Vol. 3 – 0 pts.

Round 4: Villain (Vol. 2 Lead)

Guardians of the Galaxy isn’t particularly known for its villains, but both Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 have pretty great antagonists. Ronan the Accuser and Ego are both great and mediocre villains for different reasons. Ronan is a scary, world-threatening villain that gives the times he’s in the film a very scary tone, but he isn’t much of a ‘character’ since all he does is betray Thanos and try to desecrate Xandar. Ego from Guardians of the Galaxy does a great job of making us think he’s a good character that just wants to be a father to his long-lost son until he reveals that he wants to connect himself with Peter and, as celestials, rule the world. While Ego has more of an incentive, Ronan does a better job of being a first villain for the Guardians with a devious expectation. So, Vol. 1 takes this round to tie the versus.

Vol. 1 – 6 pts.
Vol. 2 – 6 pts.
Vol. 3 – 0 pts.

Round 5: Final Battle (Vol. 1/2 Tie)

Of course, we have to end this versus with the final battle. Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 have very different final battles, but both are fantastic. In Vol. 1, the NovaCore comes to help the Guardians in stopping Ronan from destroying Xandar, while Vol. 2 includes all of the Guardians and new characters fighting the forces of Ego and Ayesha at the core of Ego’s Planet. Guardians of the Galaxy’s final battle feels more epic with better fighting scenes (along with a touching sacrifice and a dance-off to save the universe) while Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2’s final battle feels very simple including a lot of firing at Ego from the ship and guns. Plus, I wish there were more they were fighting instead of just Ego. However, both battles are fantastic, but Guardians of the Galaxy wins this round to lead its successor 8-7.

Vol. 1 – 8 pts.
Vol. 2 – 7 pts.
Vol. 3 – 0 pts.

Winner: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Although it was very close, the original Guardians of the Galaxy wins due to a better story, villain, and final battle. Guardians of the Galaxy comes in 2nd due to a surprisingly better soundtrack than its predecessor and funnier moments. Unfortunately, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 gets no points, but that doesn’t make it a terrible movie. For my thoughts on the newest Guardians adventure, check out my Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 Review.

 

What Guardians of the Galaxy film is your favorite? Let me know in the comments.

Twitter: @RyansFortress