In terms of filmed entertainment, the Marvel Cinematic Universe may very well be the defining epic of our times. While most media franchises get, at most, one feature film out in a given year, the MCU has, with the exception of the pandemic year of 2020, churned out at least three every year since 2017. And every single one is a massive blockbuster. 2012's The Avengers was the first film to gross $200 million in a single weekend, and 2019's Avengers: Endgame was the first to gross $300 million in that time. It is also, domestically, the second-highest grossing film of all time. It's been a little rougher TV-wise, with only WandaVision emerging as a can't-miss show, but each new show and new season that premieres on Disney + is an event.
The MCU has hardly ignored Christmas, though the holiday hasn't really played a major part in prior films and shows. As befitting a film written and directed by Shane Black, Iron Man 3 takes place during the holiday season, as does the miniseries Hawkeye. However, Iron Man 3 could really have taken place at any time of the year, as could the climax of Spider-Man: No Way Home, which also takes place during the holidays. Hawkeye integrates the holiday better, but it's possible to imagine a version of it that takes place over the summer. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, on the other hand, can take place at no other time of year but Christmas.
Guardians is the first stand-alone MCU Christmas special and it goes all out, incorporating a original song, animated bookends, and a big name guest star. It also features a major revelation about two of the characters, one that will likely pay dividends in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
After an animated opening that reveals Peter's first Christmas in space (with the return, at least in voice, of Michael Rooker), we learn that it is again Christmastime on Earth, a concept that the various aliens at the spaceport the Guardians have made their base know little about. Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) decide to cheer up the depressed Peter (Chris Pratt) by bringing him a present, specifically "the legendary Kevin Bacon" (playing himself), whom the two think is a great warrior and not an actor. Hijinks ensure.
The special is quite funny, with Bautista and Klemintieff having a ball while front and center and Bacon nicely sending up his own image. There's also a couple of cameo appearances from the band The Old 97s, who perform the original song "I Don't Know What Christmas Is (But Christmastime is Here)" over the opening credits and their own original song (with Bacon on vocals) "Here It Is Christmastime" toward the end. There are a few other cameos, including vocal appearances by Kyra Sedgwick and Maria Bakalova (the latter of whom is going to play a more prominent in Guardians 3), and Flula Borg as a bartender.
Frequently, the films and (especially) TV shows of the MCU can be a mixed bag, but sometimes they are able to get something pretty close to right. I'm not sure if The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is going to be a seasonal staple, but it's a worthy entry in both the MCU and the holiday canon.
Next time: This musician's special is one of the stranger things I've watched for this project.
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