A Recent LA Times article accuses Guardians of the Galaxy of lacking a substantial plot. Granted, it has a clear MacGuffin but that doesn't necessarily make a story perfect; as a recent episode of The Big Bang Theory pointed out even the greatest MacGuffin movie of all time has an major flaw in its plot:
I suppose you could argue that Raiders isn't about what happens to the Ark but about the characters but, really, what effect does the quest have on Indy? Is it really transformative in any way? How is he different in any way by the end of the film? In that respect the first two sequels, Temple of Doom and Last Crusade, are clearly more successful. However, what Guardians does share with Raiders that I think is worth mentioning is this: they both introduce us to the characters and their world.
I think that what the author fails to realize about Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers and most of the Marvel movies is that they are not stand alone films--- nor are they meant to be. When viewing a fresh addition to the franchise, it is best to view it more as the first episode of a TV series. Yes, the first Avengers can also be guilty of the absence of plot that was noted in Guardians as can Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor --- however, once we get to the films in what is being called Phase Two of The Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, there is clearly a plot developing for each of these characters. In fact, as I have pointed out before, Iron Man 3 works as a sort of 'season finale' for Tony Stark and, when viewed in the context of the first two Iron Man films, you get a fully realized story-arc.
So, I guess what I'm saying is this: don't dismiss the Guardians yet--- as the franchise develops (as all the Marvel Cinematic Universe films develop) so will their plots. They're not absent, they're just decompressed; an entire story doesn't have to fit in one film anymore... or even within a single franchise. As we see more films, we will see more grounding in plot. Perhaps I'm more used to this idea because I grew up on comics--- I know what it is like to follow characters and see them develop over months or, even, years. I also know how seemingly disparate plot points in different titles can lay the groundwork for concepts that payoff in a culmination of sorts among different franchises. In fact, the practice has become downright exhausting in recent years. However, thus far the Marvel films have done an excellent job of providing films that work by themselves but also feed into a larger world that they are building.
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