James Gunn is one of the modern greats at creating ensembles who are fun to hang out with. Since he usually does it for movie sagas, we might feel a little shortchanged, although he is now crafting great TV ensembles in “Peacemaker” and perhaps 2026’s “Lanterns.”
“The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” (2022, Disney Plus) serves a few purposes: It’s another MCU Christmas present, to go along with “Iron Man 3” and “Hawkeye.” It’s a narrative lead-in to “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” It’s a riff on 1978’s “Star Wars Holiday Special.” Most of all, it’s Gunn’s excuse to spend more time with his friends in the “Guardians” cast and crew.
Though far from essential viewing, it’s likeable, sometimes funny, and has decent music. The Guardians are on the homey space station Knowhere between Vols. 2 and 3; Peter (Chris Pratt) is brooding in lead-superhero fashion, and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Drax (Dave Bautista) want to get him a present to cheer him up. They decide to go to Earth to acquire Kevin Bacon (playing “himself”).
“The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” (2022)
Director: James Gunn
Writer: James Gunn
Stars: Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Chris Pratt
Klementieff and Baustista are a delightful duo, especially in this 45-minute burst. Mantis is an innocent form of childlike and Drax is a scampish form of childlike. Bacon tries to explain the difference between real life and acting, and cites his character being stabbed through the neck in “Friday the 13th.” Drax says “That was hilarious” and heartily laughs.
Unless you loathe Gunn’s trademark darkly shadowed goofball humor, “Holiday Special” is an easy throwaway watch. Actually, there’s not much darkness to it, as Bacon doesn’t spend much time irked by his kidnapping. Mantis uses her power to make him fine with being nabbed.
Riffs on the ‘Star Wars Holiday Special’
Though not a musical like the “Star Wars Holiday Special,” it drifts in that direction, with the Old 97s, in full makeup as aliens but sounding like themselves, playing original Christmas tunes. Bacon steps in for Rhett Miller on lead vocals on one song.
The set decorators overdo the Christmas lights on Knowhere. Sure, even among the downtrodden there’d be some décor to offset the dreariness, but it’s almost transformed into a Hallmark special – although the pastels and twilight lighting of the “Guardians”-verse at least remain in place.
Gunn riffs on the “Star Wars” special with an animated segment. While the Boba Fett short was the most expensive piece of that Holiday Special, and a test for Nelvana to see if it’d be able to do the “Ewoks” and “Droids” cartoons, here the toon the most cost-efficient part of “Guardians.” A “Guardians” cartoon ran for 79 episodes from 2015-19 (who knew?) so they can re-use the models. Also, Michael Rooker can play Yondu without getting into full makeup and prosthetics.
It’s perhaps also a “Star Wars” riff that Mantis reveals she is Peter’s sister. (They are both offspring of deadbeat dad Ego, played by Kurt Russell in Vol. 2.) This struck me as an oddity at the awkward start of Vol. 3 (which eventually shapes into a great movie), and it’s still odd here. Why is Mantis hesitant to tell Peter? Why write them as being siblings at all? It doesn’t mean much, other than a wink at Luke and Leia (though, luckily, Peter and Mantis show no romantic leanings).
Although it might be nice if “Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” turned out to be spectacular like the films, it’s merely a heartfelt lark. That’s what the “Star Wars” version went for too, and spectacularly failed at. The bar for space-franchise holiday specials had been as low as it could go; “Guardians” raises it. But hopefully Gunn can clear it again in, say, an 11th Street Kids Holiday Special or Justice Gang Holiday Special.