Mantis and Drax bring home the Bacon in this festive filler.

Before taking us through the cosmic highs and heartaches of Vol. 3, James Gunn found himself back for a lighter, fluffier affair with The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, a festive detour-de-farce that drops the galactic stakes in favour of a quaint, silly little romp. Not content to leave us without some lighter fare before the intense journey of Rocket’s saga, Gunn returns to remind us that even outlaws of the galaxy deserve some Christmas cheer—or at least his own offbeat version of it.

Set on Nowhere, with the Guardians settling in after their latest set of existential crises, the Holiday Special isn’t here to lay down any new foundations or deepen the mythos of our favourite motley crew. Instead, it arrives like a big, sparkly bow on a package that’s already well-wrapped. With Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) still moping over Gamora’s absence, Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) decide that the best way to cheer him up is by giving him the ultimate Christmas gift: Kevin Bacon. Yes, that Kevin Bacon—who becomes the unwitting centrepiece of this bizarre but heartfelt holiday mission.

For anyone familiar with Gunn’s penchant for mixing heartfelt sentimentality with absurd humour, this special won’t hold many surprises. It’s a mostly fun, largely inconsequential ride, content to revel in its own goofiness. The stakes are low, the timeline is short, and the emotional beats are wrapped up with tinsel and flashing lights. Drax and Mantis take centre stage here, with Bautista and Klementieff providing much of the comedy, their odd-couple dynamic pushed to the forefront as they bumble their way through Earth in search of Quill’s ultimate Christmas surprise.

This isn’t to say the special is entirely without emotional substance. There’s a charming undercurrent of found-family warmth that feels fitting for the season. It’s in the small moments—like Rocket’s begrudging acceptance of a gift or Nebula’s gruff attempts at joining in the holiday spirit—that Gunn reminds us why these characters have resonated with audiences for so long. But for every moment of warmth, there’s an equal dose of Gunn’s slightly weary brand of irreverence. The “let’s kidnap Kevin Bacon” plotline, while entertaining, feels like an extended joke that’s maybe a little too aware of its own irony, pushing the meta-humour just a touch too far into the realm of self-indulgence.

As a holiday special, it leans heavily on the charm of its cast—especially Klementieff, who shines in her expanded role. Mantis’ naivety and earnestness are balanced perfectly against Drax’s deadpan bluntness, and while the duo might not carry the dramatic weight of the main films, they certainly have the comedic chops to keep things moving. Still, there’s a sense here that not all the Guardians are given their due. Groot is relegated to being an amusing sidepiece, Rocket’s snark is in short supply, and Peter Quill himself is more a spectator than a participant, seemingly happy to drift in the background of his own holiday tale. The focus on Drax and Mantis is amusing, sure, but it also highlights how fragmented the team feels without the stakes of a full-length feature to pull them together. There’s also a sense that centring the adventure on Mantis and Drax might be a deliberate move to control costs, sidelining the starrier names in favour of the less expensive players. The title may be a knowing riff on the notorious Star Wars Holiday Special but in style, tone and content, Gunn opts for more of a sitcom holiday episode vibe.

Visually, it’s as colourful and kitschy as you’d expect, with Nowhere decked out in an intergalactic interpretation of holiday decorations. There’s a sense that Gunn is leaning into the cheesiness here, almost daring the audience to roll their eyes as the Guardians try to understand the baffling customs of Earth’s most commercialised holiday. And that’s the spirit of this special in a nutshell: knowingly silly, sporadically touching, and just self-aware enough to get away with its own ridiculousness.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special won’t be for everyone—though it casually drops a major revelation that Mantis is actually Quill’s sister, those hoping for significant character arcs beyond that will be left wanting. It’s a bit like the stocking filler of the MCU: a trinket that’s nice enough, momentarily entertaining, but certainly not essential. Still, for fans who have grown fond of these cosmic misfits, it’s a festive reminder of what makes the Guardians so enduring. They may be dysfunctional, over-the-top, and more than a little chaotic, but at their core, they’re a family. And maybe, in the end, that’s the real gift of this special—that despite everything, they’re still together, ready to celebrate the small moments between saving the galaxy.