Inquiring Minds: THE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY HOLIDAY SPECIAL (2022)
This is the column that digs into the science fiction lover’s world, tackling some of the most complex and perplexing that content allows. Is it weird? Most likely. Do we love it? Yes! It’ll likely be thought-provoking, and potentially illuminating. Intriguing minds, unite for the weirdest Film Inquiry Column yet.
It’s that special time of year again, so I thought it would be appropriate to do the column in a festive space. Turns out, that’s harder than I thought when it comes to science fiction.
Then I remembered that this little-known franchise, the MCU, put out a The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. And you know what? It was good! At a low time for Marvel fans, this 40-minute special gives us humor, heart, and Kevin Bacon.
Same Crew, New Mission
The premise is fairly simple. Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) want to do something special for the holiday for Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) as he’s been in a rough spot since losing Gamora. They recall a story passed down regarding Yondu (Michael Rooker – in a wonderful cameo) and his reaction to Quill’s attempt at bringing Christmas to the Ravagers. It’s been a while since Peter has celebrated, so why not bring Earth’s tradition to space.
But what is the perfect gift? Maybe it’s not an it, maybe it’s a person. That person is the hero himself, the one who saved a town just by dancing, Kevin Bacon.
This takes Mantis and Drax on a trip to Earth, but when they get there it isn’t as easy as expected to find their intended celebrity. They stop at a bar, experience Christmas decorations for the first time, as well as some other blunders within this quick runtime.
The special brings some new things to light teasing the future installments, as well as tiebacks into what has occurred most recently with the Guardians of the Galaxy. We learn some info about Mantis’ heritage, see Cosmo the Spacedog in action (yay! Voiced by Maria Bakalova) and the newest developmental cycle that Groot (Vin Diesal) is in. There’s also a fun montage of gifts that they are giving to one another, and a musical performance by Bacon himself.
James Gunn writes and directs revisiting his characters with the charm we are used to, but in a Holiday inspired package. There’s also some terrific musical elements, as usual (including the Old 97s!)
This phase hasn’t been the most consistent, so it’s a nice little surprise to unwrap. Sometimes the flashiness of Marvel has been overwhelming and the amount of content is hard to keep up with. This isn’t going to make or break anything, and if for no other reason, we get to see Kevin Bacon show how much he’s up for.
Conclusion: The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is delightful enough to deliver some levity and warmth without relying too much on tired tropes. It’s easy-going comfort food with some characters that make you smile, and it reminds us that there is still some magic in the MCU.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is currently streaming on Disney+.
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