User reviews

Pom Klementieff is given more screen time in this special than in all her other MCU appearances combined, and she makes Mantis the perfect point of view character for this Christmas special. She is both hilarious and heart-warming as she struggles to give Peter Quill the perfect Christmas, and her sincerity and chaotic energy are what carries this story. As alien abduction stories go, this one was pretty funny, and surprisingly touching. It still had all the corny Christmas special elements you'd expect - absurd musical numbers, references to old movies, and everyone learning the true meaning of American Christmas - getting presents. If they made another one next year, I'd watch it.

So,,,

The last we saw our Gaurdians of the Galaxy pals they were leaving Thor and Korg (along with those giant goats) on some distant planet.

Since then, judging from this,, apparently things have happened.

The Guardians of the Galaxy have bought Nowhere from the Collector, and are in the process making it their own (which means a LOT of WORK for our band of space pirates).

No one knows where Gamora is, btw. She has not been seen nor heard about since the events near the end of Endgame. This being the case, has sent Quill into a bit of a blue slump. I mean, he finally got Gamora, then lost her, faded out of existence for 5 years when the blip happened, then comes back, battles Thanos's army, and then, there is Gamora!! Back! Alive!! Then she knocks him on his butt (granted,, this version of Gamora had no clue who he was, so it was a bit justified) and runs. Ugh,, that would make anyone a bit down in the dumps.

While StarLords friends are talking about his current state, Kraglin mentions that when he and Peter were coming up (as kids) in Yondu's crew, they once tried to celebrate Christmas, but Yondu ruined it, thus ruining Christmas forever. After hearing this, Mantis takes it upon herself to cheer Peter up. She and Drax devise a plan to travel to Earth and abduct the legendary KEVIN BACON to be a Christmas present for Quill! What could possibly go wrong?!? Lol,,,

For all the misses they've had in the last bit, the MCU scores a good home run with the special (James Gunn does good work. Looking forward to seeing what he does with DC). It's plenty funny, and just heartwarming enough.

I look forward to seeing Vol 3.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is the 2nd Marvel Special.

It's a fun little Christmas story with little stake and that is perfectly fine. However, it doesn't mean that the special doesn't give important information because it certainly does.

I really appreciate that for the special, Star Lord isn't the main character. This special was a perfect way to give other characters more of a spotlight and in this case it was Mantis.

One minor issue I had in GOTG2 was that Mantis was more of a joke character who was not remotely as cool as her comic counterpart. The special finally gives us a Mantis that is more competent which was great. Additionally, we get to see more of Drax's ability as well. Unfortunately, Mantis and Drax are still treated as idiotic characters which is a shame. While Mantis is slightly forgivable because she actually has a serious dilemma and aim but Drax is just really dumb and I really want him to be more serious in GOTG3.

Overall, a fun little 40 minute special that adds more to the Marvel universe. So far the specials have been great and I hope they continue this trend.

This Christmas special is all I wanted it to be. A shot, (bitter)sweet special with usual Gunn humor. This captures the Christmas spirit perfectly.

This short also explores themes of fatherhood, friendship and contains some songs too without overstaying its welcome.

Mentis takes lead in this, which is great because she doesn't get much chance to shine. Drax is great as always. You can see that this does not bother itself with it being connected to the rest of MCU, not even its own sequel. Which is rare as for the rest of MCU stock. The animations used in this is also good.

Also, Kevin Bacon.

What a cool little idea for a story, one that doesn't warrant a full movie but is perfect for a Special. It's immediately elevated by the characters we already know and love. The cast all play their roles well as usual, but Pom Klementieff kills it with both the comedy and emotional moments.

As usual with The Guardians, laughs are plentiful. I cracked up twenty-plus times. And the route they go with the story is highly amusing. It's also good to see some added focus on some of the side characters. It even had enough to create some heartfelt emotional moments.

I had a great time going on this adventure with The Guardians. The MCU is two for two with their Specials. I'm still not fatigued. Give me more! (2 viewings, 11/24/2022, 5/2/2023)

Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is a good touch with Kevin Bacon and its animated scenes. I liked the fact that they kept it fairly short and once again made it an entertaining episode. Do not expect to see much action as it is more focused on feel good kind of vibes. And of course visuals are once again fascinating.

It is a good holiday special with good references to previous movies and characters. Jokes were not exaggerated and it was an easy watch.

Overall it is definitely worth watching and I suggest it to all Marvel fans regardless of if they celebrate Christmas or not. Happy holidays everyone!

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special ends phase 4 on a satisfying high, delivering a short piece of festive fun that still has all the humour and emotional weight expected of a James Gunn project and a reminder that he is/was one of the best filmmakers Marvel had.

The Guardians are all great in their small roles but it's absolutely Pom Klementieff's show and she finally gets to shine as Mantis, bringing new layers to her character and still having a really funny rapport with Dave Bautista. Kevin Bacon fits in perfectly, more than ready to indulge in the silliness and send up.

James Gunn's direction is excellent, it has more in common with his direction on Peacemaker and Super than the previous films and returns the MCU to a practical and lived in feel not properly seen since phase 1, which nicely counterbalances the shoddy CG. The soundtrack is terrific too, a solid selection of festive tunes that are implemented really well.

I found this by chance on a streaming site the other day. I've only seen the first GOTG but I liked it so I watched this to see what it was like, especially being christmas themed as I am a huge christmas fan.

I loved the story, loved the christmas theme, loved the set decor, loved the feeling behind it all and making the legendary Kevin Bacon into a mythical figure. Having his real wife call him on the phone was a fab stroke of genius.

You might not love this but I doubt that there is anyone at all who will dislike it. It's non stop fun and entertaining from start to finish.

I think it's time I watched all GOTG films as soon as I get a weekend free.

After Werewolf By night Guardians Of the Galaxy holiday special is the next Marvel Special Presentation. After endgame we see Guardians again on our screens. No I do not count Thor love and thunder cause they were there for 5 minutes only.

Mantis and drax want to make Peter have a beautiful time at Christmas. So they decide to bring him as a present Kevin Bacon. They travel to Earth and After creating such a chaos they take him to Peter.

Guardians of The galaxy Holiday Special is very funny But the main point it is not the commedy. Peter is in pain cause the loss of Gamora. And his friends are doing everything they can to make him feel better. That is the point of this special. To show one more time the love between the Guardians.

I cannot wait to see them again in vol3.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is much better than the Star Wars Holiday Special, though it may not be as memorable. This is a simple story about an inconsequential adventure for Drax & Mantis, who actually work pretty well as a comedic duo. And since it's a short Christmas tale, problems are resolved with a wave (or touch) of the hand, and the ending is wrapped up nicely with a little bow. I do wish they hadn't tried to cram modern Christmas hits in every couple of minutes--that was a little distracting. Still, this is better than most of the stuff we've gotten in Phase 4 of the MCU.

Wow, what a fantastic and heartwarming treat this was to give a call back to one of the best superhero teams of all time right before their trilogy gets rounded out, I don't think they could've pulled it off better.

This 45 minute special managed to accomplish so much, we now have Cosmo and fricking Kevin Bacon in the MCU, my mind is blown, but this special was just so heartwarming, seeing Star-Lord finally happy without Gamora, Rocket got the arm he always wanted, and Drax and Mantis are just such a great comedic duo with brilliant chemistry.

I don't think I stopped smiling during the last 20 minutes of this and I truly adored this special, MUCH more than Werewolf By Night.

I'm gonna give this TV special an A.

Commercial cinema today is either over praised or not given any credit at all, the middle ground is quite rare so rather then follow the sheep in either direction the middle is where I stand. I don't understand where people get off giving this short film a 9 or a 10 it really makes no sense, are the majority trying to tell me this was better then the Guardians movies? Are people high?

Anyways lets review.

I think it was good to get some screen time on Drax and Mantis, there awkward synergy together is always good for some laughs, giving them the helm even tho for only 40 minutes definitely gave there characters a boost. This movie also has a decent little Christmas ring to it, wasn't the biggest fan of the music but I respect how they went about it. As something that was definitely out of its comfort zone its not a bad watch.

In saying that some of the jokes dont really hit the mark and some of the dialogue is kinda bland, also there is no forgiveness for what ever the hell they did to Groot, the CGI and animation for him was horrible.

Besides Groot and a little bit of necessary nit picking this special is fine, fair to say its enjoyable and entertaining, is a nice little tease before Vol. 3 comes out... If you try to make out this xmas special is some sort of masterpiece you are bonkers. 6/10 on the dot.

I thought it was clunky.

I think money and resources were spent for forty minutes that were not that incredible or special.

The Christmas message was not very explicit and left much to be desired in terms of plot, they just put in a special appearance by an actor - not referring to the MCU universe - and the plot just revolves around that, in turns that reminded me of a rough remake of 'Tom and Jerry'.

Of the MCU productions this year, this was definitely the most lame.

I think people blindly worship everything marvel has done, and are forgetting what marvel is (origins, content, etc) and are cheering just because.

I know most people are waiting until Christmas/Eve to watch "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" but I got my hand on it now here in November and I gotta say... This was kind of underwhelming. I mean, I don't know what I expected from a christmas special but I dont know, it kind of just missed... something.

Also the acting, the actors seemed like they either tried too hard or didn't try at all, seeming unenthusiastic at times, especially Dave Bautista at times. Also the comedy in this was dead in comparison to both Guardian of the Galaxy vol 1 and vol 2. But however though, still liked the storyline and Drax/Mantis friendly relationship. And the CGI was still top notch from the little we saw, but what do you expect, it is MCU after all.

All in all a little above mid tv-special, nothing too good but nothing too bad either.

..and I wasn't expecting much

TBH I'm kinda done with the MCU. I don't find any of the newer movies or the weak tv series to be worth all the nonsense that surrounds them.

I saw the ads for this and winched as it looked really terrible.

Then tonight I saw it online and clicked to watch it out of boredom and despite the hard to sit through song bit near the start.. it got better.

I'd classify this as some harmless xmas fun.

Some funny bits and some actually touching parts ie the end that caught be of guard.

Must be going soft in my old age.

I gave it a generous 7 and mainly because it stars one of earths greatest heros.

How anyone can give this a bad review is beyond me. It's the most inoffensive, easy to watch, inconsequential film (or show) you'll see this year. Ok I can understand someone giving it a 5 or a 6 as there's not a lot to it, but do not be put off by some crazy low scores.

My biggest gripe about it, is that it's only on 41 minutes. It seems like a mammoth effort and budget for such a short time. Watching as a family, we would have loved an extra 20 minutes.

I love a good Xmas movie and this was the first one we watched to kick off the Xmas film weekends. To me this is the kind of film you cannot fail to enjoy, but won't be in a rush to watch again. Probably not until next Xmas.

Although not as funny as I see some reviews saying (well not for us anyway) it definitely raises a few laughs. Usually involving Drax.

My advice - go and watch it. At worst you'll think it was ok.

I don't think that many people will be surprised to hear that this is a pretty fun special. James Gunn is known for turning up the weird factor in his movies, so a super powered holiday special with Kevin Bacon isn't that crazy when you know who made it. There are some flaws with this special, personally I didn't think that every joke landed, but for the most part I found myself laughing. There are also some surprisingly good original songs, which definitely elevate the film and add to the Christmas mood. It also added more to the "Guardians of the Galaxy" story than I expected, with this special pretty much being essential viewing in preparation for the third film. Overall, I found this special to be a lot of fun, even with a few flaws, and it left me highly anticipating the third film.

I could watch these 39 minutes over and over again. This movie is simple, hilarious and heart-warming. It has honestly been one of my favorites installments in Phase 4 (this is a part of Phase 4, right?)

This film encapsulates what is so charming about the Guardians: a group of misfits being idiotic but also sincere. Though this special presentation is nothing groundbreaking as far as storytelling goes, it is exactly what I needed on a cold, winter night.

Best Character: Mantis Best Scene: Chasing Bacon Best Quote: "You saved a town with dancing. And once Pete saved a whole galaxy with dancing." - Kraglin Best Song: "Here It Is Christmastime"

Between this and Werewolf By Night, I don't know if I'm really a big fan of these one-off Marvel specials. Neither's terrible, and at least they don't take up as much time as the Disney shows (I've given up on those, because they always feel simultaneously overlong and under-developed).

But I like the Guardians of the Galaxy, and seeing this was written and directed by James Gunn made me hopeful. It doesn't have the same kind of consistent humor or entertainment value that the first two movies have, but the characters themselves are at least better here than they were in their woeful Love & Thunder extended cameo.

The premise about kidnapping Kevin Bacon is probably funnier than the execution. Overall, it's disappointing that the jokes here were so hit-and-miss. There are funny moments, but there are also some really awkward and unfunny moments. The more heartfelt moments fare a little better, but I'm also not that crazy about Christmas, so it'll naturally appeal more to those who are, and probably be more emotional as a result.

In summary, it's definitely not bad (and I liked how the cheapness of it all was more charming than detrimental), but I can't see this Holiday Special sticking with me more than a few days (come December 25th, I may have forgotten I watched it).

The Guardians of the Galaxy have been my favourite team to watch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since their introduction back in 2014. I love both films and have loved their appearances elsewhere as well. Hearing that James Gunn would be writing and directing a Holiday Special just put a smile on my face and after viewing it, that's exactly what it did. This is just a 45-minute special that's meant for viewers to spend some quality time with these characters as the overall story warms your heart. For everything this special set out to do, it accomplished. If you like these characters, this is a must-watch.

After the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, Star-Lord is still down about the death of Gamora. Wishing to do something nice for him, Drax and Mantis set out to give him the greatest Christmas gift of all time, which involves kidnapping Kevin Bacon. Harkening back to the first film, this scenario is much more fun when it's put into the right context. Kevin Bacon is terrific as himself here and his presence is truly where the heartwarming aspects start. Without ruining anything, I will also say that a specific scene between Star-Lord and Mantis is what made me nearly love this Holiday Special.

There's not a lot of depth to anything happening here, which is why I can't quite say that I loved it or that it's amazing, but for it simply being a Christmas story, it's pretty great. I laughed, teared up, and felt warm by the end, and honestly, that's all I wanted from it. There are also some nice uses of 2D animation as flashbacks that really worked for me too. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is really the film you would get if you mashed up the Star Wars Holiday Special with the essence of a Hallmark film. It's very self-aware of the film that it is, but it runs with it and never misses a beat.

By the end, I just felt that it wasn't long enough. I was having such a good time with it and I understand it was only meant to be a short story, but I just didn't want to stop smiling. I can't recommend checking this out enough, especially if you have been missing these characters and enjoy Christmas films. I love both of those things so this mash-up really worked for me. Now streaming on Disney , The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is worth your time. There are a couple of nice twists here and there too that I will be looking forward to in the third Guardians of the Galaxy next year.

This was an entertaining special about the Guardians that you might appreciate more and have more fun with it if you're from the USA and celebrate Christmas, but still can be enjoyed by people from other countries that don't celebrate and only watch for these characters goofing around.

It has some decent action in the middle and some gags, especially at the end by Cosmo, which reminded me of gags in Peacemaker.

The writing is also decent enough, it's written by James Gunn after all. And you could say Mantis is the protagonist in this one and for a good reason too. Drax is also in this one more and is as funny as ever.

It's not all goofing around and corny Christmas stuff, it actually has a big reveal about the group and I'm surprised they did it in this special instead of the third feature film.

The reveal itself I think is not bad and makes the group dynamic more interesting, and even though I wanted them to focus on it more, it's obvious they're gonna do that in the third movie and it's gonna make what's gonna happen in the third movie more impactful and maybe more heartbreaking considering it's gonna be the last Guardians movie and some of these characters are probably gonna die or get separated.

All in all, I thought this was a nice little break from the serious and more somber tone and stories of Wakanda Forever and Andor (Wakanda wasn't that somber but compared to this, it was more serious obviously), and I thought there wasn't really one of those moments in this one where you would go "well that's not how one would react or do in this situation" and every reaction, especially from Bevin Bacon, was logical and realistic. I don't know why I decided to highlight this particular aspect, but I guess I'm just trying to say the writing was decent and not rushed and unrealistic. The singing and musical aspect of it was too much and too long for my taste, but I guess this is the holiday special and I'm not supposed to expect an actual plot and Avengers level story. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it for what it was and it was nice to see the group after Endgame, at least under James Gunn's writing and direction.

Extremely fun to watch, and it's great to expand Mantis as a character. I would highly suggest watching this for an under 40 minute adventure.

And the animated intro and ending was great.

It's extremely funny and Kevin Bacon is great in this movie. He acts like any celebrity would when 2 alien looking people bust into your house to capture you as a gift.

Mantis exploring Earth is amazing, as it truly shows her fun but curious character perfectly. And Drax just being himself is hilarious and amazing to watch.

So if you're looking for something funny that isn't super lore based, it's here. Great for any Christmas to come.

Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is not having the Christmas feeling. Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Drax (Dave Bautista) intends to change that. They are going to Earth to kidnap Kevin Bacon for Peter's gift. They assume that he is Earth's greatest hero.

This is fun. Mantis is a revelation. She and Drax need to go on more misadventures together. With a Holiday Special, I'm expecting some greater wackiness. It doesn't even have to make sense. That's what's missing here. I want them to throw spaghetti on the wall and see which sticks. Other than the Grauman's Chinese Theatre, the randomness isn't quite here. It does have Kevin Bacon, but he's not anything wacky. He's just nice guy Kevin Bacon. They could have made him into a narcissist. All in all, this is a fun little Christmas Special, but it's not going to be one of the classics.