The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special Early Review

Despite making a brief appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder, it’s been a while since audiences for the most part have seen the Guardians of the Galaxy in their element. With the advent of Special Presentations on Disney+, it is now possible to give fans just a small taste as they are brought back to that world just in time for the holidays thanks to the aptly-named The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. While it doesn’t bring anything new to the table and isn’t necessarily the most demanding watch, it delivers a solid watch that harkens back to the holiday specials of yesteryear. Nevertheless, it is an excuse to see them again and at the end of the day, most viewers are likely to see it as that and nothing more. Whether or not the special will become a holiday staple remains to be seen, it is still an entertaining watch over the course of its 40+ minute running time thanks to the well-established chemistry of the cast and James Gunn once again at the helm, writing and directing. Instead of the usual suspects, the special puts Dave Bautista and Pom Klementieff’s Drax and Mantis at the forefront and they both steal the show.

The special begins with Quill feeling down. Just because he’s out in space, he hasn’t forgotten about Christmas but that holiday also comes with a complicated past therefore the day had essentially become an afterthought. That being said, now that the day was coming up soon, Drax and Mantis wanted to cheer him up by getting him a present. However, the question of what they should get for Quill proved to be a challenge but the dynamic between the two was an absolute blast to watch. After some careful deliberation, the answer wasn’t a what but rather a who, Kevin Bacon. This took the two to Earth, specifically Hollywood to seek out Bacon and bring him back to Quill. Easier said than done, the new environment for Drax and Mantis unsurprisingly made for some hilarious fish-out-of-water moments culminating with the eventual discovery and ridiculous pursuit of Bacon. While successful, where it went from there was incredibly heartwarming as the characters were faced with the true meaning of Christmas. Those expecting anything more than that, not that it ever had to be, will probably be disappointed.

The best part of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special was the dynamic of Dave Bautista and Pom Klementieff as Drax and Mantis. Everybody had their chance to shine, including Maria Bakalova making her debut voicing a telekinetic dog named Cosmo, but this was truly Drax and Mantis’ show as mentioned. Perhaps an unlikely duo to lead a GOTG project in the minds of many, they and their banter were fun to watch with that unlikeliness factor arguably adding to that. Along with Gunn’s script, their chemistry was what made it work. Meanwhile, Bacon, playing himself, fully buys in and steals some scenes of his own in what was more than a mere cameo. 

In the end, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special may not be groundbreaking by any means but it still delivers a fun and undemanding watch and decent holiday fare even though it isn’t the most memorable. 

*still courtesy of Marvel Studios*

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.