‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ (2022) | Review

James Gunn and The Guardianettes are back with a new holiday special to rival life day itself. After the events of Avengers Endgame, Peter Quill is still reeling from the loss of his Gamora. As the Guardians hope to rebuild Mantis decides the best way to get Quill in a good mood is to celebrate the Taro tradition of Christmas, and what better gift to give the man that saved the galaxy by dancing then with Kevin Bacon himself. This silly yet heartfelt Marvel Studios Special hits all the holiday notes and will be a crowd-pleaser for any Marvel fan.

I love the dynamic set with Mantis and Draw in GOTG Vol 2, and The Holiday Special doubles down by making them the leads of the story. Naturally if Drax and Mants have to go to earth, we have to get hilarious moments interacting with humans. It seems that Marvel is fully embracing making every hero a star in the eyes of the public akin to celebrity fame, but I enjoyed Drax being a willing participant in most the situations he was presented with. Pom Klementieff gets a real chance to expand her character and show Mantis’s personality more than we’ve seen previously. I think she has a lot to contribute in the next Guardians film based on what we got here with her character, and that only fuels my hype level for Volume 3.

Kevin Bacon is the clear star of the special. It’s hilarious to bring him in as himself and to do a tribute to ‘Christmas Vacation’ when cousin Eddy brings Clark’s Boss wrapped up for Christmas. Plus, we get to hear him sing?? Say no more! There is some new Christmas music and of course a holiday mixtape I’m sure is on the way by Mr. Gunn. The tone is more balanced in this than in GOTG Vol 2 between the humor and heartfelt moments, but it felt a little lacking without Gamora, or a more prominent b-story taking place where Quill and the other Guardians were. That may have been too much based on wanting to keep this a Disney + budget. Also now because we must rank every Marvel against every Marvel, I think Hawkey did a lot better utilizing the holiday as well as the character development than what was here.

Overall, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is a fun quick watch with heart and spirit throughout. I liked the performances and the jokes, but maybe wish there was a bit more in the story. It’s available on Disney + now so make sure to check it out!