Plot Summary

As Christmas time has arrived on Earth, Star-Lord aka Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is feeling down this holiday because he hasn’t found Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) and is without Yondu (Michael Rooker). Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Drax (Dave Bautista) decide to go down to Earth to learn about Christmas, so they can make the holidays as special as possible for Quill this year. However, when Drax and Mantis decide the best gift to get Quill is the legendary hero that Quill has spoken about over many years, Kevin Bacon, things go astray in the “Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.”

What to Watch Before “The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special”

In order to fully understand the story details of this special, you will need to watch the following:

• “Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)”
• “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)”
• “Avengers: Infinity War (2018)”
• “Avengers: Endgame (2019)”
• “Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)”

Breakdown

James Gunn, the director, created a spectacular holiday special with all of the comedy of a typical Guardians of the Galaxy film with the heartfelt aspects of a classic Christmas special. Gunn’s story will tug at your heart strings and bring the magic of Christmas to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Gunn does something different with all the flashbacks having them be animated instead of live action. While this is something new for the MCU and wouldn’t work to create , it created the feel of an old time holiday special 

Gunn’s story finally puts the spotlight on Drax and Mantis, who have been the side characters in every other Guardians project. Finally seeing these characters get their own main story was a nice change of pace and allowed us to bond with these characters. The special also does a great job of transitioning the story for the Guardians from “Avengers: Endgame (2019)” and “Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)” to the, soon to release, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.”

The chemistry that Bautista and Klementieff have finally shines in this special. Both of their performances made me laugh throughout the entire special. Klementieff was especially spectacular in this film as this is the first time her character is put front and center in the MCU and she acted her heart out. Karen Gillian’s Nebula along with Sean Gunn’s Kraglin, Bradley Cooper’s Rocket and Vin Diesel’s Groot all do a great job at rounding out the cast.

The Old 97’s in Marvel Studios’ The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Jessica Miglio. © 2022 MARVEL.

The Old 97’s come to the big screen in this special to create a holiday soundtrack that is unlike any other with some fun references to classic Christmas traditions. They worked with Gunn to create two songs that create a holiday atmosphere for the Guardians. Both “I Don’t Know What Christmas Is (But Christmastime Is Here)” and “Here It Is Christmastime” are super catchy and will have you singing those all holiday long.

Final Thoughts

“The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” is an amazing Christmas special that has something for everyone to enjoy. I absolutely loved this special from beginning to end, with a heartfelt family story with a lot of comedy that creates a Christmas special that I will watch every single Christmas. The special is available to watch now on Disney+, earning a score of 4 out of 5 film reels. 

Image 1: Pom Klementieff as Mantis in Marvel Studios’ The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Jessica Miglio. © 2022 MARVEL.
Image 2: (L-R): Pom Klementieff as Mantis and Dave Bautista as Drax in Marvel Studios’ The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Jessica Miglio. © 2022 MARVEL.
Image 3: (L-R): Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord and Dave Bautista as Drax in Marvel Studios’ The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Jessica Miglio. © 2022 MARVEL.
Image 4: (L-R): Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), and Cosmo (voiced by Maria Bakalova) in Marvel Studios’ The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Jessica Miglio. © 2022 MARVEL.
Image 5: Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord in Marvel Studios’ THE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: HOLIDAY SPECIAL, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
Image 6: (L-R): Karen Gillan as Nebula and Pom Klementieff as Mantis in Marvel Studios’ The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Jessica Miglio. © 2022 MARVEL.
Image 7: Sean Gunn as Kraglin in Marvel Studios’ The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Jessica Miglio. © 2022 MARVEL.