Merry Christmas! The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is finally upon us!After a bit of a hiatus, writer and director of the Guardians of The Galaxy films, James Gunn, makes his triumphant return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with an interesting play, a Christmas Special! Yes, out of his twisted mind came a heartwarming mini-adventure that’s sure to become a mainstay in many peoples holiday watchlist for years to come.
Firstly it’s important to recognize that Marvel Studios Special Presentations should be the future of the MCU on Disney+, they’re fun little looks into this ever-expanding universe that allow side-characters to really spread their wings and fly, something like Werewolf By Night is the perfect example, and this holiday special proves that fact even further. Make more of these, Kevin Feige, we love them!
Mantis and Drax Take Centre Stage in ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special”
On the topic of side characters, Gunn has an absolute field day with the quaint 40-minute runtime for what feels like a recess period. Pom Klementieff’s and Dave Bautista’s characters, Mantis and Drax, are thrown into the spotlight, and boy do they have a great time. To get straight to the point, Klementieff is the star of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, bringing such a whimsical charisma and joy to the character in a season already full of it.
She and Bautista are absolutely a joy to watch together as they both try to understand the winter customs of Terra, better known as Earth. Watching the two of them react to their surroundings of earth, especially on Hollywood Boulevard and Kevin Bacon’s front lawn, is some of the funniest stuff we’ve seen from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The actual plot of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is quite simple, as the two set off to Earth to bring the holiday season to Knowhere, now owned by the Guardians of the Galaxy and acting as their base of operations. Many years ago, when Peter Quill (Chris Pratt)was just a boy, he met a Grinch of his own, except this one was not furry (and he was not green) he was Yondu (Michael Rooker), who told the boy that the holiday went against Ravager customs and was seen as weak. Having done so much for everyone else, Mantis and Drax set off to get Quill the best present of all, his childhood hero… Bacon, Kevin Bacon.
A Joyful Detour From the MCU Blueprint
What follows is a fun, albeit brief, journey to Earth. It just feels like it’s living in the moment; it doesn’t take the time to worry about the extended universe that it belongs to. The special uses its time well and tells a heartwarming story with a great ending.
Of course, it would not be a signature James Gunn project without a NICE list of tunes, pun intended. Perfectly obscure holiday music that’s perfect for the Guardians of the Galaxy. Gunn even goes a bit further here to include some great original and fitting music from the Alternative Country band, “The Old 97’s”.
While many of the others don’t have much to do for most of the runtime, this special is a great starting point for the upcoming third instalment in the franchise, as Gunn will make his big screen return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Guardians of The Galaxy: Vol. 3, so get in all the happy memories with the Guardians while you can, because this next one is sure to hurt based on what we know.
The Guardians of The Galaxy Holiday Special will stream exclusively on Disney+ on November 25th. Check out the trailer below:
