Film Review — The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
An enjoyable, if somewhat redundant, festive treat from Starlord and co…
Looking to lift Starlord’s mood, Mantis and Drax travel to Earth in search of the ultimate Christmas present.
Even without a festive special Guardians of the Galaxy and Christmas just feels like a winning combination. Maybe it’s the reliably excellent soundtrack consisting of infectiously catchy tunes guaranteed to unite generations. Maybe it’s Chris Pratt’s mustache. Who knows. All I know is this is one superhero team I’d never say no to with a tummy of turkey and a skinful of sherry in me.
Clearly drawing inspiration from the famously shit Star Wars holiday specials James Gunn has fun delivering his own. Much like its influences The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special feels redundant, well-intentioned, but mere content fodder designed to tide us over until the gang’s third (and presumably final) installment lands at some point next year. Gunn’s special brand of writing, expertly towing the thin line between family-friendly and not-so-universally accessible, is once again present, although perhaps not as razor-sharp. I can only assume he’s hoarding all the good stuff for next year’s main event. I won’t hold it against him.
A welcome surprise is Pom Klementieff’s Mantis who finally gets some long-overdue development to accompany her delightfully bizarre presentation. The inclusion of Kevin Bacon, an idea that probably sounded super on paper, was surprisingly uninspired in execution. The biggest disappointment, however, is the lack of Christmas infusion in the soundtrack. Sure, The Pogue’s and Kirsty MacColl’s seminal “A Fairytale of New York” bookends the affair, and the Old 97’s make a good go of things, but Guardians are known and beloved for that jukebox vibe, and what we got here was something akin to a half-eaten mince pie. A delicious mince pie for sure, but I wanted, and expected more.
I can only assume Disney balked at Mariah’s royalty demands…
★★★☆☆
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