The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special might have only just landed on Disney Plus but, already, everyone is gushing over the James Gunn-directed flick. In reviews, critics have called the TV movie "hilarious", "moving", and a "real festive treat", while Twitter is full of Marvel fans describing it as "very sweet" and "a delight".
It should come as no surprise that the soundtrack is getting a lot of love, too, given how the first two feature-length films were chock full of great tunes. (The Holiday Special features tracks such as 'Fairytale of New York', 'Christmastime', and more).
Set after the events of Thor: Love and Thunder, Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) take it upon themselves to try and cheer Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) up following the death of his Gamora (Zoe Saldaña). After Kraglin tells the titular team a story about how Yondu ruined Christmas for Peter as a kid, the pair set out to find their depressed pal the perfect present – a mission that takes them all the way to Hollywood. Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Sean Gunn, and Kevin Bacon also feature.
"There will be no coal in James Gunn’s stocking this year," Variety's Jordan Moreau claimed. "His Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is stuffed with funny, feel-good Christmas joy, and it's one of the best pieces of content Marvel Studios has released in years.
"The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special delivers all the Christmas cheer, sentiment, catchy musical numbers, and laugh-out-loud moments you could ask for in a quick 43 minutes," said IGN Movies' Alex Stedman, as they awarded it a 9 out of 10.
"This is an adventure about a giant misunderstanding that only drives home all the ways in which our found families really understand us. It's an ode to the warmth of friendship, even the kind that begins with kidnapping and mind control," Film Companion's Gayle Sequeira wrote.
Over on social media, one Disney Plus subscriber tweeted: "Not even joking when I say that The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is my favourite MCU project from this year."
"The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is the best thing in Phase 4. Already want to watch it again, and my hype for Guardians 3 has skyrocketed (even though it was already at the highest level before). 10/10," said another, while a third added: "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is absolutely bloody wonderful!"
Check out some more glowing reactions from Twitter below...
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY HOLIDAY SPECIAL HAS NO RIGHT TO BE THIS GOOD. IT WAS SO GOOOODD🤌.Best comfort, feel-good, hillarious film of the MCU and one of the best projects of Phase 4. CANT WAIT FOR VOL 3 IN MAY!November 25, 2022
the guardians of the galaxy holiday special got me like pic.twitter.com/MMybBHA8IaNovember 25, 2022
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special was wonderful. Goofy as shit, very quotable, full of heart and Christmas cheer. I also love that it's not just a throwaway side thing, it's actually vital to the Guardians' story and makes some significant revelations. Cried twice. pic.twitter.com/t1sb9wbeX2November 25, 2022
Y’all the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special had no business being that perfect. Literally loved everything from beginning to end. 😌🫶🏽November 25, 2022
Just finished Guardians of the galaxy holiday special... Best thing on the disney+ right now 🔥❤️ @JamesGunn really did a great job💯❤️November 25, 2022
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special was pretty great. Some really fun moments and filled with emotionNovember 25, 2022
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which marks the end the conclusion of Marvel Phase 4, is available to stream on Disney Plus now. For more MCU goodness, check out all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows to look out for.
