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The 1938 Adventures of Robin Hood is still one of my favorite films, and holds up remarkably well against adventure movies of today, in large part thanks to Errol Flynn's ridiculous charisma.
It has a lightheartedness and desire to be fun that I just don't see anymore. I don't know if filmmakers (directors, writers, and actors alike) feel the need to be serious in order to be taken seriously, or if they are just afraid of putting themselves out there in that way.

A good recent example is The Hobbit. It should have been a lighthearted adventure (like the book), but was instead dragged out into a overwrought, heavy, 10 hour bore.

In contrast, while not an adventure, I really enjoyed Stranger Things because it just went for solid entertainment, not trying to make statements or be deep or whatever. And since Spielberg won't make movies like that anymore...

Maybe if filmmakers realized that the Oscars are a joke and not having one puts you in as fine a company as having one (Hitchcock, anyone?).

Guardians of the Galaxy was an attempt at such lightheartedness, in my opinion mostly successful.
I had the same thought, before I saw your response.

Combined with the grandparent comment, I realize that, in this way, it wasn't (just) new but also, refreshingly, old-school.

Helping it technically is the glorious, sharp, bright three-strip Technicolor print that leads to the blu-ray having scenes that look like they were shot yesterday.

Although even on VHS on a 13" screen, I still remember the chills every time I heard "...he split Phillips' arrow!"