Director: James Gunn | 45mins | Action, Comedy

Determined to make the human holiday ‘Christmas’ special for Quill, Mantis and Drax set out to get him a very special present. 

With Vol. 3 of the Guardians of the Galaxy saga set to be released next year, Kevin Feige and director James Gunn ignite the anticipation by giving the fan-favourite group of Quill, Drax, Mantis, Nebula, Rocket and Groot a 40 minute holiday special. Like most specials this time of year, the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special holds little in the way of story, but is more of a reminder of just how funny the characters can be. 

With Quill still longing for the return of Gamora, Drax and Mantis set out on a mission to lift his spirits and get him the best Christmas present they can, Kevin Bacon. As they travel to LA to abduct the star himself, chaos ensues as two of the group’s funniest characters embroil themselves in some of Earth’s favourite pastimes, drinking and sightseeing their way through the Hollywood Hills until eventually they reach Kevin Bacon’s house. 

Most of the comedy draws from an alien misunderstanding, line after line is what we’ve come to love from Drax and Mantis, bouncing off each other in great fashion delivering lines in the bluntest possible way  and constantly matching each other in stupidity. One particular scene where the duo bicker about the importance of either saving Peter’s Christmas or saving a decoration that Drax is fond of is a standout, reminding everyone just how funny the Guardians of the Galaxy can be. After all, the first film from these characters was the first MCU film to really consider itself a comedy, and aside from Thor: Ragnarok  nothing has really matched the level of humour created by Gunn in 2014. 

As already mentioned, there is little importance to this film, but it’s quite refreshing at times to see the MCU just doing something a little different. It feels like Gunn can write and direct a Guardians story in his sleep and it’s always nice to highlight two characters who always seem to fade into the background of the major films. This film will be forgotten in a few months, but you’ll certainly enjoy it while it’s on.