Rating: 5/5

Recently, the Marvel Cinematic Universe made a new addition to its roster of Disney+ specials: The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, a Christmas spin-off based on the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. In this 44-minute special, we watch as the members of the Guardians attempt to make the perfect Christmas for Star-Lord. With Star-Lord already saddened by Gamora’s death and traumatized by Yondu ruining Christmas for him as a kid, the rest of the Guardians decide that they need to get the perfect present to make Star-Lord happy. They send Mantis and Drax to Earth to find his favorite hero, Kevin Bacon. Once they find Bacon, who doesn’t want to go with them and tries to run away, they kidnap him using Mantis’s powers. Even though Star-Lord is against the pair’s method of abduction, he is delighted by the presence of Bacon, who eventually decides to perform for Star-Lord and the Guardians.

We thought that this holiday special was a fun watch that gets you involved in the plot; it has a great balance of seriousness and humor that doesn’t make it too corny to watch. While it doesn’t have the action-packed scenes of typical Marvel action movies, this special is heartwarming and further expands upon the dynamic between the Guardians. The ending really ties everything together, with Star-Lord getting his happy Christmas ending as well as Mantis informing him that they’re siblings, which captures the holiday spirit really well. The special also interestingly incorporates animation as a fun device for flashbacks of Star-Lord’s past. We see humorous elements come into play once Mantis and Drax are on Earth, as they are naive and clueless while simultaneously creating unwanted havoc. 

The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise as a whole provides viewers with laid-back and jovial films while highlighting important messages about love and family. Yes, there are typical outer space problems the team must face as they band together, but at the heart of the film are themes of togetherness, something that this holiday special captures really well. It shows the extent to which one would go for family, whether it is to be there for them or to make grand gestures to show how much they care. We would recommend this movie for everyone to watch as it delivers the holiday feeling we desire during this time of year.