‘Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ is Wacky Fun for MCU Fans
The new owners of Knowhere bring good tidings and the gift of a movie star in the fun and sweet Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
The Guardians of the Galaxy are a rag-tag bunch of criminals and aliens, but they care about one another. They care enough to kidnap Footloose and Tremors star Kevin Bacon to make their friend feel better during the holidays. Peter Quill is down after being removed from the holiday traditions he grew up with. Drax and Mantis go to Earth in search of the best gift ever, and it goes hilariously sideways in the most GotG way ever.
Spoiler Free Review
Marvel’s second-holiday special presentation (the first) is from James Gunn and the Guardians of the Galaxy. The special was filmed simultaneously with GoTG 3, so everyone had a part in it and the sets are top-notch. It also has one of Gunn’s great soundtracks with bands from The Pogues to Fountains of Wayne and that horrible Christmas song by The Smashing Pumpkins you occasionally hear piped through the speakers at Target.
A new member has been added to the group, a pup that was part of the Collector’s collection – Cosmo the Spacedog (voiced by Maria Bakalova). One of the few things I disliked is that she has very little screen time; she’s a confirmed part of the guardians in GotG 3, so we can hope she’ll get more.
via Marvel
The crew has purchased Knowhere from the Collector and is trying to revamp and organize the place. Peter has thrown himself into work to keep his mind off of missing Christmas, though the aliens around him keep reminding him in unhelpful ways. Mantis decides that the only thing that will make Peter happy is Kevin Bacon.
Drax and Mantis’ trip to Earth takes about half of the 45 minutes. Their exploration of humans in Hollywood during their hunt for Kevin Bacon has an abundance of PG-13 James Gunn humor. It gives the pair a spotlight they haven’t gotten in the movies, especially Mantis. When they get what they’ve come for, they return to Knowhere. Everyone gets in on the festivities – there are lights, big blow-up lawn elves, and giant candy canes. And there’s a box with an actor in it. When Peter opens his gift, everything goes wrong – then it goes very right, and it gets a warm, special holiday ending.
via Marvel
The Last Word on The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
I’m not a big Christmas or holiday person, but I enjoyed watching the big-hearted Guardians of the Galaxy crew work together to bring Peter Quill some joy. It’s fun, short, and has everything great about the guardians wrapped in miles of twinkle lights. It also has some adorable and touching moments. If you’re already a fan of the GotG, this is a great way to spend 45 minutes. Kevin Bacon is pretty good, too.
Here’s the Common Sense Media review for parents.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is streaming on Disney+ now.
