(The Disneycember logo is shown, before showing clips from The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special)
Doug (vo): Merry Christmas from...the Guardians of the Galaxy, I guess. Yeah, looks like Marvel and James Gunn got together to give us...well, once again, something that probably started off as a joke, but was just too funny not to exist. Do I think it's one of the best, most original Christmas specials to ever exist? I think you know the answer is no. But I don't think that's its intention. Its intention is to give you exactly what it's promising, a Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas. I love these movies, I'm looking forward to the third one, but I think it's safe to say the ingredients aren't there to make a holiday classic, but still a pretty enjoyable special.
Story[]
Doug (vo): Star-Lord is feeling bummed because it's Christmas time and, well, nobody around him seems to understand what Christmas is. They sing a song that's clearly supposed to go viral, showing how they don't quite understand it, but they're at least trying. Mantis and Drax, however, feel especially bad because, well, she hasn't told Star-Lord yet that she's technically his sister. They get the idea that if they give Star-Lord a merry Christmas, that'll help ease him into the news a little better, and...well, seeing how he always talks about Kevin Bacon movies, they decide to go and kidnap Kevin Bacon.
Review[]
Doug (vo): Yeah, that's about it. Not much more, but do you really need more? The special's only 44 minutes long and, like I said, delivers what it promises. As much as people shit on Phase 4 and, yeah, I'm not gonna act like it's anything spectacular either, one of the things I actually do like is that they are experimenting. Something like Eternals didn't quite work, but something like Loki does. And I kind of dig these little self-contained specials, like Werewolf By Night. It shows they are interested in doing something different and working a little bit outside their comfort zone. With that said, the idea is unique, but it plays it pretty safe. This is a special that doesn't feel half-assed, but it does feel like it was written quickly. This is a James Gunn production, and he's been a pretty busy boy, writing, directing and producing movies and shows, and making questionable choices. (A news reporting showing Henry Cavil departing from his role as Superman while James Gunn became the new head of DC Movies is shown) And this definitely feels like something he was penning in-between doing all that stuff. Because of that, the writing's okay, but it feels very formulaic James Gunn. I feel like we've finally gotten to that point where it doesn't feel really fresh and new. But that doesn't mean it's bad. I kind of had the same issue with Peacemaker. It's not a bad show, I just feel like, "Oh, it's doing the James Gunn thing, kind of like when you wake up and realize, "Oh, yeah, I like Tim Burton, but there's almost a mathematical equation to it, like it almost has to hit those certain bullet points."."
(Footage focusing on the characters is shown)
Doug (vo): But I think it works here, because it is these characters and actors, and they can make even standard lines just so much funnier than they are. It almost feels like they're playfully experimenting on set, or at least playfully experimenting in the editing. There's one scene where Kevin Bacon just says he feels so good and so happy, he shouldn't, but he does, and Drax just says, "We hate you." Now, that doesn't sound too funny, but just when you get the mood of the scene, and suddenly, that line is thrown in at the end, it gets a big laugh. There's another scene where Groot is given a Game Boy. Again, on paper, that's not really that funny, but he just does this little shrug that's so friggin' adorable and just makes me love him all the more.
(Several clips focusing on Mantis are shown)
Doug (vo): I also feel like Mantis is slowly becoming my favorite Guardian character. I remember liking her okay, but something about this one, seeing how her and Drax really take center stage here, just really cracked me up. I really thought her out-of-nowhere yelling was gonna get on my nerves or just be too random, but like most of the actors, there's just this sporadic, fun way she delivers these lines that not only makes me laugh, but is somehow believable. Her character is so odd, I would believe she would just randomly say stuff in a strange way.
(While several clips continue to show, we are shown two images describing a scene that Doug mentions)
Doug (vo): I also like it still has a little bit of an edge. There's one scene when they're, of course, looking for Kevin Bacon, this one woman gives them a map and she says, "$40." She hypnotizes her to hand it over for free, and then essentially robs her. (Starts to laugh) Yeah, there's a lot of stealing in this movie, and there's even violence to police who are just doing their job, and, yeah, that lean towards mean-spiritedness does make it stand out as a Guardians Christmas special. It never quite goes too sappy, or if it does, it does it in a self-aware way that you kind of gotta giggle.
(Footage focusing on the animated flashback sequences is shown)
Doug (vo): I'd say my one major complaint is there's an animated portion in the beginning and end, and I like they're trying to make it look like a rotoscope Ralph Bakshi kind of style. But, again, I feel like they're working in that 3D technology where it doesn't belong. It feels weird, like, half of it's hand-drawn, and half of it's CG, or maybe it's just a computer program that puts lines on real actors, I don't know. But it feels different than if there was just a person drawing lines on them, rotoscoping it, and letting a computer do it. You can tell there's computer interference, and it just doesn't feel right. I know I dwell on that a lot in this and, like, the Chip 'n Dale movie, but I'm sorry. If you can put so much makeup on all these actors who are just walking around the background, you can spend a little bit of extra money to get this looking correct.
Final thought[]
Doug (vo): But still, this special's a lot of fun. Not any kind of Christmas masterpiece, but again, it's a little 44-minute special that runs on Disney+ with Marvel characters who shouldn't be given a Christmas special. That's why it works, but that's also why I don't think we're gonna see it as any great special we watch years from now. But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe decades from now, people will still be putting this on and celebrating it and talking about all the various ways it works. So what do you think? Do you think it came through and it's even better than you thought it was gonna be? Or do you feel like it totally missed the point, it wasn't good at all, and Marvel should just stop? Or do you think it delivered exactly what they said it was gonna deliver, and nothing more? Let me know your thoughts, and until then, have a phenomenal holiday and enjoy decorating your...Groot. Merry Christmas, everyone.
(The special's final scene, showing Rocket and Cosmo the Spacedog struggling to put Christmas decorations on Groot, is shown)