Review: ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Brings Heart Back to The Superhero Genre

Jack Branson, Digital Editor

“That’s The Greatest Christmas Gift I Could Ever Get!”

I’ll be the first to admit, I did not expect much for this one. But I’m glad I was wrong.

James Gunn continues to dominate the Superhero Genre with this beautifully heartfelt Christmas Special, following everyone’s favorite band of misfits.

The Special stars Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, Karen Gillan, and Bradley Cooper, reprising their roles as the Guardians. The film also re-introduces my personal favorite canine, Cosmo the Space-Dog.

The cast continues to nail their roles, with Bautista and Klementieff being the highlights. Everybody involved has so much fun with the project that you can’t help but smile, because you can really see the care put into this special.

The film’s plot follows Drax and Mantis searching for a gift to give Star-Lord for Christmas. They immediately know what to get him, his favorite actor, Kevin Bacon.

Yes, Kevin Bacon plays himself, and it’s awesome. Drax and Mantis try to kidnap him, which results in some of the funniest scenes in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The comedy in this is phenomenal, which comes to no one’s surprise considering Gunn’s track record.

The thing I think I loved the most about this special was the heart. With so many million dollar blockbuster films with world-breaking stakes on the market, it’s nice to see a project about a superhero team who are just trying to make their friend happy.

I find that content like this really connects me to the characters more than the cliche high stakes battles, because it’s intimate. James Gunn just understands these characters so much, he can take a concept about something so simple, and make a beautiful passion project.

A passion project is exactly what this is. Because like I said earlier, everyone involved cares about what they are making. And that’s what really makes this Holiday Special so fantastic.

My Final Verdict: