It’s Here: The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special
Waking up after your turkey coma and realizing today is the day: It’s time for ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy’ Christmas Special!
Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
We woke up bright and early to watch, and from a NON-SPOILER SIDE, if you like Christmas and enjoy hijinx, you will definitely find this release cute as hell, heartwarming, and fun all around.
And of course, it wouldn’t be a James Gunn release without a killer soundtrack. We think it’s a must-watch but if you’re only into connecting stories between the Marvel flicks, this one is contained specifically to the ‘Guardians’ fam only, and likely won’t be called back to in the next ‘Guardians’ movie.
From this point out, we’re gonna be talking spoilers so PLEASE DIVERT AWAY NOW IF YOU DON’T WANNA KNOW WHAT’S COMING!
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THE SOUNDTRACK
The Old 97’s in Marvel Studios’ The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Jessica Miglio. © 2022 MARVEL.
Because the world is filled with those people, playlists have already been made to show the music of the special holiday release, but many people are tacking their own Christmas favorites on the end of the list. Here is the ACTUAL song listing, according to ScreenRant.com:
- “Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues with Kristy MacColl
- “I Don’t Know What Christmas Is (But Christmastime is Here)” by The Old 97’s
- “Dead by XMas” by Hanoi Rocks
- “Christmas Treat” by Julian Casablancas
- “Is This Christmas?” by The Wombats
- “Christmas Wrapping” by The Waitresses
- “Just Like Christmas” by LOW
- “I Want An Alien for Christmas” by Fountains of Wayne
- “Mrs. Claus” by Little Jackie
- “Christmastime” by The Smashing Pumpkins
- “Here It Is Christmastime” by Kevin Bacon and The Old 97’s
We’ve got some great jams from across the board with this playlist, not just a specific date genre. Old 97’s appears in the film physically, and we’ve got a nice ‘Peacemaker’-esque crossover of Gunn including Hanoi Rocks in this roundup. It was also very fun to see Julian Casablancas, The Smashing Pumpkins, and the classic “I Want An Alien For Christmas” from Fountains of Wayne in the mix.
We’ve taken the liberty of arranging a playlist on Spotify for you to jam out to after you’ve caught the flick, which you can find below:
THE MOVIE ITSELF
I’m going to call it a movie, even though it’s not over 2 hours. Kraglin tells a story to the team that back when Peter was smaller, Yondu had a fit when the pair set up a makeshift Christmas Tree and procured presents for the crew. Yondu was furious and said they didn’t have time for this, trashed their tree, and told them to clean up the mess and get back to work. They show this in an illustrated format, so we do get a little of Michael Rooker in voice acting for a flashback, though he’s not linked officially to the role on his IMDB.
Sean Gunn as Kraglin in Marvel Studios’ The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Jessica Miglio. © 2022 MARVEL.
After Kraglin tells the story, Mantis and Drax set out to do Christmas for their Star-Lord. He hasn’t been quite happy as of late, especially after losing Gamora in the aftermath of ‘Infinity War’ and ‘Endgame.’ They set off to Earth to collect the “best present ever” for Peter, which happens to be a live human, Kevin Bacon himself.
Kevin Bacon as himself in Marvel Studios’ THE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: HOLIDAY SPECIAL, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
After all the stories that Quill has told about Kevin Bacon’s movies, they decided it was the one thing they could get him, on top of decorating their new home base with all the fixings Christmas needs. Mantis also wants to do this, because SHOCKER: Ego was also her father, which makes Peter her brother – a secret that only Drax knows, which might be the biggest plot hole of the whole thing: Drax can keep a secret? (Joking, but no really).
(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.
There’s a chase between Kevin Bacon, Drax, and Mantis, along with a ton of Christmas-releated comedy. Once they return, the team, including Rocket, Nebula, and Groot, decorate and scheme until Peter gets his full reveal. The lights come on as Quill walks through the square, and Nebula even concocts a way to release snow for the unveiling.
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.
Then a box is presented. Peter sees it’s moving and frantically opens it, only to find the real-life Kevin Bacon, and has a panic attack because Drax and Mantis are basically “human trafficking” Kevin Bacon. After Quill apologizes, Kraglin shares with Kevin a little insight as to why the two kidnapped him in the first place, and by sharing those details, Kevin realizes they don’t quite understand the custom. As his wife calls, he asks “can I be a little late tonight,” and tells her he needs to teach some friends about Christmas.
Pom Klementieff as Mantis in Marvel Studios’ The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Jessica Miglio. © 2022 MARVEL.
There’s a musical number led by Bacon and the Old ’97s (who do the first song in the film as well), and the crew exchange presents. Nebula brings Rocket a big box, and when he opens it, he exclaims “BUCKY’S ARM?!” This is a great callback to ‘Infinity War’ of “Oh, I’ll get that arm,” and how he was so obsessed with it that Nebula would KNOW it would be a hit gift.
(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.
Quill gives Groot a black-and-white Game Boy, and Mantis re-steals one of Kevin Bacon’s lawn toys (presumably), and gives it to Drax (he was super upset leaving it behind).
Dave Bautista as Drax in Marvel Studios’ THE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: HOLIDAY SPECIAL, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
Quill asks Mantis why she would go through all this trouble for him, and she tells him that Kraglin shared what happened with Yondu during Christmas when he was a child. Peter clears it up that Kraglin didn’t know the end of the story: Yondu felt guilty yelling at Peter, opened his present that was in the trash, and then left Peter a box on his bed. In the box? Peter’s signature handguns that we’ve seen him use throughout all of the previous films.
After that, Mantis reveals to Peter that she is his sister, and Star-Lord tells her THAT THIS is the best Christmas gift she could have ever given him, and they have a big hug.
VERDICT
(L-R): Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Dave Bautista as Drax, and Director/Writer James Gunn behind the scenes of Marvel Studios’ THE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: HOLIDAY SPECIAL. Photo by Jessica Miglio. © 2022 MARVEL.
The interesting part about James Gunn and his releases: they always tend to evoke togetherness and understanding of one another – even in the most dysfunctional of groups. He’s absolutely great at it, and has proven it both with the ‘Guardians’ and with the DC properties like ‘The Suicide Squad’ and the HBO show ‘Peacemaker.’
For those people who are looking for more action, this isn’t necessarily the place. This Holiday Special is more for those who are looking to feel the Holiday season with the Guardians characters they love, and see them interact together like the found family they are. If you’re into that sort of thing, this will be perfect for you!
We can definitely see this becoming part of a yearly traditional watch for nerds and geeks everywhere, and lumping it in with our most favorite Holiday episodes of ‘Doctor Who’ and ‘Community.’ Watch it now – it’s streaming only on Disney+!
Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.