‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Review

Stars: Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Kevin Bacon | Written and Directed by James Gunn

The last time we all saw our favourite group of ragtag superheroes – the Guardians of the Galaxy – was in this year’s absolutely abysmal Thor: Love and Thunder. That film left an extremely sour taste in my mouth and even though it was nice to see the Guardians again, they didn’t add anything to the movie.

So, really, the last time we see the team in a good project was all the way back in Avengers: Endgame, which came out over three-and-a-half years ago. Thankfully, James Gunn is back to deliver some more awesome Guardians goodness while we wait for Vol. 3 in the form of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

Easily my favourite aspect about this special is just how wholesome and funny it is, while also not containing any real stakes for our superheroes. Had this tried to be a zany action thrill ride set during the Christmas season, it wouldn’t have had that same magical touch.

Here, Gunn ensures that we are always just following these characters doing mundane things that are made funny because we’re watching the Guardians do them. There are also a ton of musical numbers scattered throughout this project that are sure to be stuck in your head for days on end.

We mostly follow Drax and Mantis, two of the members of the team, who try to go to Earth to kidnap legendary actor Kevin Bacon in the hopes of bringing him back to the planet of Knowhere to surprise Peter Quill / Star-Lord as a Christmas present. Of course, hilarity ensures and mishaps abound and it’s all good fun.

Bacon feels like he’s having a complete blast playing himself here and he’s almost always smiling here which was so nice to see. Even though this special is incredibly goofy, you can just tell that the actors involved had the time of their lives reprising their iconic roles.

Words cannot even begin to express just how happy I am that Pom Klementieff’s character Mantis is basically the main character here. She was terrific in Vol. 2, but even in that film, she was unfortunately quite sidelined, and she was almost nothing more than a comedic relief character. Not here. She’s a legitimate character with a good story arc and touching emotional beats.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special isn’t one of the greatest things you’ll ever see this year. It’s not one of those things you’ll want to watch over and over again. But if you’re in search of an extremely fun and breezy watch set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then you don’t need to look any further.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is available to watch now on Disney+.