In a battle of the blockbusters, Marvel Studios is sitting on some serious money makers. In one corner we have Joss Whedon's The Avengers, the jewel of the Marvel Universe, what every other film before it had led up to. In the other, we have James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy, a surprise hit both critically and financially, spearheading Marvel's cinematic cosmic universe. Both surprised audiences and critics alike with just how good they really were, but one question remains in the minds of fanboys everywhere: which film is supreme? Now this isn't to take away from either film or suggest one is bad. They are both entertaining, smart spectacles. Lets look at the pros and cons of both, though:

THE AVENGERS

Pros: The Avengers as a concept was largely considered impossible. On paper, it sounds just as successful as it turned out to be. But back, say, seven or so years ago, before anyone knew Iron Man would be the catalyst for all of this, if someone had said that an Avengers film could be done properly, we would have looked at them and laughed. And Joss Whedon, having never really been involved with such a major project before, was an interesting choice. But Whedon's hugely popular sci-fi TV projects and his dive into comics with "Astonishing X-Men" prepared him for one of the biggest films ever. Whedon not only proved that the Avengers could come together on the big screen, he added his own personal wit and charm to the film. If the film failed, everything Marvel had been working towards would have failed. But in hindsight, the studio has been pretty successful thus far, and they knew they had a winner in Whedon. Even Mark Ruffalo turned out to be the perfect Hulk. It's action-packed, funny, has more fanboy geek-out moments than you can shake a Loki at, and speaking of which, Tom Hiddleston is great...

Cons: ...but while Hiddleston's performance is acclaimed in all of his appearances throughout the Marvel Universe as Loki, the character himself is a tad, how should I put this, overrated in his villainous ways. Turns out he was basically a puppet in The Avengers, and he gets thrown about like a rag doll by the Hulk. And speaking of the Hulk, one of the biggest complaints with the film is that he's not very consistent. In the Hellecarrier scene, Banner loses control and Hulks-out but during the New York City attack, he seems to be in full control of his rage. While many legitimate theories can be made about this, and I admittedly usually defend Banner's characterization with them, it's still a question that leaves many fans curious. Finally, the film doesn't give some characters their proper due. Some of the best moments involve Iron Man and Hulk, while Hawkeye is given really nothing to do the entire film.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Pros: Where do I even begin? Unlike The Avengers, Guardians had no momentum going in. Marvel's cosmic universe had been teased but never fully explored. It was a huge gamble to lay it all on the shoulders of such a lesser-known property. But then the reviews started spilling in, and it was apparent that the film is much more than meets the eye. We should have known: how can you go wrong with a foul-mouthed raccoon with a walking tree as his body guard? You just can't, you really can't, and director James Gunn proved that and so much more. Guardians is a near-perfect movie. Unlike The Avengers, every character could have easily stolen the show. Vin Diesel's Groot, while having a limited vocabulary, is heart-warming; Bradley Cooper's Rocket is addictingly sarcastic; Zoe Saldana's Gamora is seductively brutal; Dave Bautista's Drax is easily the biggest, most enjoyable of surprises; and last but certainly not least, Chris Pratt shines as Star Lord, proving he can be a leading man in a big budget movie. Perhaps what makes these characters so enjoyable is that they are less-known; we get to take this ride with them, learning about them, without any sort of expectations. Everything about Guardians is enjoyable, from its high octane action, to its smart, hilarious script, to its more heart-warming moments.

Cons: Like most of Marvel's films, the villain could have been more engaging. It seems like Thanos was the big bad even though he wasn't supposed to be, at least not in this film. But besides that, there's really not much more to say about the cons of the film. Could we have learned a bit more about Star Lord's past? Probably. But the mystery surrounding his character is what makes him so interesting. That could be said about any of the characters, even.

So in the end, I have to give the victory to Guardians of the Galaxy. Again, not to take away from The Avengers and Whedon's efforts, but Guardians is easily the more enjoyable, smarter, and funnier film. Agree? Disagree? Sound off in the comments below!