Re-Visiting the Marvel Cinematic Universe: The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

 "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" (2022)

This is the second MCU feature to land under the "Special Presentation" banner. I feel like it was only a matter of time, before we got a Christmas special and giving it to the Guardians of the Galaxy just feels perfect. This special also closes out Phase Four and gives the audience a glimpse at what they can expect with "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3." 

Principal photography on "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" began in February 2022 and concluded in late April 2022. The special stars Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Sean Gunn as Kraglin Obfonteri, The Old '97's as Bzermikitokolok and the Knowheremen, Michael Rooker as Yondu Udonta and Kevin Bacon as himself. The special was written and directed by James Gunn. "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" premiered on Disney+ on November 25, 2022.

These two dummies.

The loss of James Gunn to DC is a big one for Marvel. When the various franchises within the MCU thrive, it's because they have a strong creative leading them. "Black Panther" is great because of Ryan Coogler. The "Captain America" franchise found its footing when the Russo Brothers took over. And, "the Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise is phenomenal because of James Gunn. It makes total sense why fans and the cast revolted when it looked like Gunn was going to be fired from the franchise. I had basically given up on DC having a coherent cinematic universe until they announced that Gunn was going to steer that sinking ship and now, I have a sliver of hope. It's clear that Gunn has watched a lot of Christmas specials in his life, because every part of this one is pitch perfect.

The Guardians are attempting to get Knowhere put back together after buying it from the Collector. But they are all worried about Peter. He is extremely upset about losing Gamora after the events of "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Endgame." Kraglin tells the team about Peter teaching them about Christmas and Yondu's not great reaction to it, so Mantis decides that she is going to bring the Christmas spirit to Knowhere and enlists Drax to help her.

This special succeeds because James Gunn deftly blends what makes a holiday special great with the things that makes the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies work. I think one of the first things that people think of when they think Guardians is the music. The soundtracks for all three movies are classics and after watching this special for the first time, I immediately put the soundtrack on my Christmas album rotation. Gunn has curated a great selection of non traditional Christmas tunes that fit perfectly into this oddball world he's created. And then, he enlists the band, The Old '97's, to craft a couple great originals. The first song they sing while the credits play is hysterical. They are retelling the story of Christmas which they heard through a game of telephone. 

Kevin Bacon rocks out.

One of the other things that you think of when it comes to the "Guardians" franchise is the characters and the chemistry that they all have together. The focus on this special is Mantis and Drax and that is just perfect. Dave Bautista and Pom Klementieff have such amazing chemistry and it has been apparent since they first shared the screen in "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2." These two are so dumb. And I say that with a lot of love. Mantis thinks that the best way to cheer up Peter is to bring him the star of many of the stories that he has told them, Kevin Bacon.

From the moment that Drax and Mantis leave Knowhere, you are just in stitches. Drax forgetting to put the cloaking device on. Then, the two of them on Hollywood Boulevard making money by taking photos with tourists who think they are just the cheap characters that dress up. One family mistakes Drax for Kratos. The two end up in a gay bar with the money that they made on the boulevard. It's great to see them cutting loose. After losing their money, they locate where Kevin Bacon lives through a star map that Mantis uses her powers to procure.

I think this is a great showcase for Mantis. We really get to see her cut loose and it's both awe inspiring and terrifying. Like, the way that she moves when they are chasing after Kevin Bacon. Her like leaping from the walls of the house or jumping up to look over the hedges. It's like she is a humanoid insect with the way that she is moving. She is a total badass. She takes out the police that show up with a combination of physical skills and her mental powers. And then she sort of flips a switch when Drax gleefully flips a cop car. She gives up her precious candy cane to the police officers as sort of a peace offering.

You have to give it up for Kevin Bacon. I love when actors play themselves in things and they are willing to make fun of themselves. One of the best gags in the special is how everyone is disgusted when they learn that Kevin Bacon is not a Earth hero, but he's actual an actor. The over exaggerated gagging and dry heaving. It's wonderful. Not only are they bagging on Kevin Bacon, they are kind of bagging on themselves as well. Even Nebula gets in on the dragging when she says that "maybe all actors aren't pieces of shit."

How did Nebula get this arm?

This special draws from a lot of classic Christmas special stuff. I like that there is an animated section that brings back Michael Rooker's Yondu. Animation is such a huge part of holiday specials so why not include that in this one? It's really extremely heartwarming. Yondu initially freaks out when Peter suggests honoring Christmas and giving each other gifts. But Yondu loves this boy and can't help but open the gift that Peter gave him. It's a cute little green thing. And Yondu reciprocates giving Peter his two hand blasters. It's just a nice bow on this loving relationship that Peter and Yondu had and a really nice way to end the special itself.

The way that Mantis and Drax decorate all of Knowhere and get everyone involved is great. It may come to a little bit of a halt when Peter finds out that Drax and Mantis kidnapped a famous actor, but it really is beautiful to see Knowhere lit up with all those Christmas lights and decorations. And the look on Peter's face is great. Peter gets a lot of shit for his actions in "Infinity War" (and Chris Pratt is a tool), but you can't help but feel your heart warm a little bit when you see how happy this all makes him.

This is definitely a semi standalone holiday special that you can easily fold into your annual holiday viewing, but there are things that happen that will impact the Guardians and the MCU as a whole. The biggest thing is that we learn that Mantis and Peter are siblings. This is partially why Mantis is so gung ho to give Peter his perfect Christmas. She's concerned that he won't accept her because of the things Ego, their father, had done. But, of course, Peter is ecstatic to have a sister. Peter's whole thing is about family, so it is incredibly sincere when he tells her that it's the best present he could have gotten. I may have teared up a little bit.

We have to talk about the gift that Nebula gives Rocket. He gets Bucky's mechanical arm. How did she get that?! Gunn tweeted that Neubla flew to Earth and stole it from Bucky. But that feels like a joke. Is it a replica? Is it real? If it's real, I am going to need to see the backstory on this. it's been driving me crazy for almost two years.

Next up, we enter Phase Five by checking in on the Langs and the Pyms in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania."

What did you all think? Is this a special you could see yourself watching yearly? Is the "Guardians" franchise one of the best sub franchises in the MCU? Let me know in the comments.