Early reviews for The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special have begun to come out, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe releasing its second holiday-themed installment of 2022. While James Gunn is settling into his new role as one of the CEOs of DC Studios, his MCU era isn't over yet. The filmmaker will wrap up his trilogy in 2023 with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which will be part of Phase 5. However, before the threequel hits theaters, the Guardians have a special adventure on Disney+ in Gunn's The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

As the team celebrates Christmas, they make it their mission to find a perfect present for Star-Lord, while Kevin Bacon makes his MCU debut as himself. With The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special arriving on Disney+ this Friday, several members of the press have been able to screen Gunn's latest MCU installment in advance, giving audience members early impressions. Check out several spoiler-free samples of what reviewers say about The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

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Molly Freeman, Screen Rant

Ultimately, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is a delightfully festive and sweetly heartwarming entry in the MCU that Marvel fans will surely want to check out. It's not necessarily a must-watch, though it does work as a bridge between Thor: Love & Thunder and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. But at only 44 minutes, it's a short and sweet MCU offering on Disney+ that will get viewers in the holiday spirit — and they'll be left singing along to the catchy original song as well.

Ross Bonaime, Collider

"The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, like the recent Werewolf by Night, shows that the MCU doesn’t necessarily need entire films and Disney+ series to tell the stories of these characters, but rather that one-off specials can be equally as effective and remarkable. A quick reminder of what made these characters so great in the first place is just what this group needed, and does an excellent job of building up the excitement for their return next year in Vol. 3. Gunn’s special is a fantastic holiday present, a heartwarming reminder of how much we enjoy these characters, mixed with Gunn’s great ability to blend humor, touching moments, and friendship."

Brandon Zachary, Comic Book Resources

It's overall a somewhat slight entry in the MCU while also serving as a fitting contrast to the more emotionally complex and heartbreaking Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. There's a goofy sense of confidence throughout the Holiday Special, throwing Drax and Mantis into a bar, letting them take pictures in front of the famous Grauman's Chinese Theater, and generally bringing some holiday-flavored mayhem to Los Angeles. That it largely works falls to the cast and their enthusiastic embrace of the goofy characters they're playing largely for laughs -- meaning the moments that do need to land with emotional heft succeed. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is a great little treat for fans of the franchise and the MCU in general, and well worth a watch ahead of the team's upcoming third (and likely final) film.

Jordan Moreau, Variety

It’s a Christmas miracle that Gunn was able to pull off this superb special and simultaneously make the third “Guardians” film, not to mention switch allegiance from Marvel to DC and land a gig as co-CEO of DC Studios in the process. This is not just a great MCU film; it’s an excellent Christmas special that hardcore Marvel fans and newcomers can delight in. If “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” really is the end of Gunn’s run with Marvel, then this holiday special is a near-perfect, penultimate film from one of the superhero genre’s best.

Alex Stedman, IGN

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. Kevin Bacon is hilarious as he plays himself in an insane situation, as is Dave Bautista’s Drax, but the real star here is Pom Klementieff as Mantis. James Gunn gives this former background character tons of layers, and Klementieff brings it all home with a charming performance. It all makes for a delightful addition to any MCU fan’s annual Christmas rotation.

Andrew Webster, The Verge

So instead of a nice little Christmas adventure, the special feels like a holiday-themed prologue to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (which hits theaters next May). Perhaps that’s to be expected; it’s the Marvel way, after all. But the studio has proven very recently that these shorter, more experimental projects can be a blast when they don’t have to worry about all of the many narrative threads of the MCU. (The same is true of Star Wars.) But the GotG special can’t resist the lure of the canon and ends up a little less special because of it.

Colin Leggett, Game Rant

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is a pure delight. It’s an early shot of holiday spirit to ease everyone into the upcoming Christmas season. Its holiday vibe would make it a great companion piece to Hawkeye, which also utilized its Christmas setting to great effect. It could also easily be a yearly watch, as it is packed to the brim with fun surprises and easy-to-miss jokes. What Gunn and his Guardians have accomplished here is pretty special, and it makes for a very generous early Christmas gift from Marvel.

Richard Trenholm, CNet

Like Marvel's previous seasonal special -- the delightful Halloween horror Werewolf by Night -- this new mini-film mashes up Marvel heroes with genre fun. Gunn's pop culture blender smashes together a clip of 1964 B-movie Santa Claus conquers the Martians, various aliens mangling Earth customs in tinsel-wrapped Tinseltown and even an amusingly old-school animated interlude. On the soundtrack of alt-Xmas bangers you get The Pogues (obviously), Julian Casablancas, Smashing Pumpkins, Hanoi Rocks (for any Peacemaker fans), Low, Little Jackie and -- of course -- The Old 97s, Kevin Bacon's band.

GOTG Holiday Special Proves Marvel Needs More Special Presentations

Chris Pratt as Peter Quill Star-Lord and Dave Bautista as Drax surrounded by Christmas lights in Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Disney+ has been a crucial vehicle for Marvel Studios as they have been rolling out several MCU shows since Phase 4. However, what is becoming evident here is that The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special proves that doing these special presentations is just as important. Back in October, when Werewolf by Night hit Disney+ as their Halloween-themed installment, it became clear from the get-go that both critics and fans alike were responding well to this format.

Werewolf by Night showed that not everything needs to be a two-hour-long movie or a series set up with six episodes or more. With the MCU being as vast as it is today, it works to have special presentations serve as one-offs while still having an impact on the larger MCU. In the case of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which many are clearly regarding as a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 prelude, it allowed Gunn to take a moment to focus on the characters having fun before his trilogy finale hits theaters next year. For them to be able also to go back to the Bacon reference from the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie also feels rewarding for the franchise.

It will be exciting to see how the audience responds to The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special when it arrives on Disney+ globally this week. If given a similar response, Marvel Studios will likely push for more special presentations in years to come. It also works in their favor that they have had great holiday or event-themed installments that viewers can tune into, whether it's during Halloween or the ongoing holidays. While Marvel Studios have already laid out its schedule for Phase 5, perhaps they will work in more special presentations throughout Phase 6, which still has some spots open throughout their schedule, following the release of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

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