Writer/Director James Gunn was a fan of the Star Wars Holiday Special from 1978 and in turn created The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (on Disney Plus), a one-off to celebrate the holidays, and the result is better than you might think.
Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Drax (Dave Bautista) want to help Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) get some Christmas cheer especially in light of the loss of his love, Gamora. Since Quill had raved as a child over Footloose, naturally the two travel to Earth to find Kevin Bacon. Of course, things don’t go as planned and yet somehow, just maybe everything will work out in the end, hopefully.
This is an expected ‘fish out of water’ scenario with some funny situations highlighting the duo’s (Mantis and Drax) chemistry while exploring these supporting characters better. We learn more about Quill’s history with his surrogate dad, Yondu, and by the end, the true spirit of Christmas emerges in simple, heartwarming ways. Also present are the rest of the Guardians crew including Groot, Rocket, Nebula, and even Kraglin, and there is even a continuing character, Cosmos the Spacedog. This timeline follows Thor: Love and Thunder and leads to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 with one major plot reveal. At 44 minutes, it breezes by quickly and feels like Guardians-lite with mirth and good tidings.
Gunn wanted to recall
his fondness for Christmas TV specials
like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. With
this special, he is on the right track.
*** of
**** stars (add ½* for Guardians fans)
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