A new Guardian, another stepping into the spotlight, and one degree from Kevin
Bacon. Keep watching to see how the Internet reacted to the first MCU holiday special.
There's something for everyone in "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special,"
from Easter eggs to a casual confirmation of the Collector's fate after "Avengers:
Infinity War." In the span of just 44 minutes, James Gunn's special dances between animation,
musical numbers, character introductions, fight scenes, multiple Christmas parties,
and everything in between ... without ever losing sight of the fact that it's very
much a touching Holiday story at heart. In other words, the Holiday special is one wild
ride that's full of intergalactic Holiday cheer – just like reviews have indicated.
Now that fans have the chance to see the special themselves and make up their mind
about its quality, it appears that the general positive buzz around the project is only
getting louder and louder. Viewers have already started expressing their opinions on Twitter,
and their comments have highlighted several things about "The Guardians of
the Galaxy Holiday Special." Here's what Twitter had to say about it.
One fan wrote,
"This is my favorite new holiday special!"
Another analyzed the viewing experience saying,
"The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special was so spectacular. These
guys are what really pulled me into the MCU, and to see something this
adorable and cute 8 years later is so special to me. I love them so much."
Meanwhile, some viewers drew attention to the special's beautiful visuals,
and compared it favorably to other MCU projects.
One user wondered aloud,
"How is it that guardians of the galaxy's holiday special looks better than 70% of their movies,
and is one of their greatest projects yet?"
Others peppered their praise for the special's general quality with specific
nods to newly appointed Guardian Cosmo the Spacedog (as voiced by
Maria Bakalova) and MCU debutant Kevin Bacon, who plays himself.
One Twitter user gushed,
"It's so nice having Gunn back as writer and director. Also,
Cosmo is so adorable! I can't wait to see more of her!"
Another fan wrote of Cosmo,
"New best Guardians character."
..while yet another user suggested that every future Holiday special
would benefit from an appearance by Bacon.
Mantis hasn't had an easy tenure in the MCU. She's served Ego in utter isolation for years, and once
she met the Guardians, she became a common target of jokes due to her naivety and inexperience
around people. Here, however, she fully rises to the front and center of the story. Not only
is her genuine wish to make Star-Lord happy at front and center of the Holiday special, but she
gets a cool buddy adventure with Drax ... and is even revealed to be Star-Lord's half-sister.
Twitter has taken notice of Mantis' important role in the special, and there has been much rejoicing.
A user tweeted,
"@PomKlementieff's #Mantis was the star of the #GuardiansOfTheGalaxy
#ChristmasSpecial. Everyone had their moments but both Mantis and
@DaveBautista's #Drax were on a different level. Perfect mix of heart and humor."
Another user agreed, writing:
"MANTIS was heart of this show, she has proven why she is a GUARDIAN,"
Being a prolific Twitter user, James Gunn himself took to the platform to join the informal Mantis
appreciation society before the special dropped — and from the looks of it, he's very delighted
that people have embraced Klementieff's character as the star of this particular show.
Gunn tweeted.
"I'm especially grateful for all the raves about @PomKlementieff's
performance as Mantis. This is Mantis' true debut as her full-fledged self in the MCU,
out of the background & out of the shadow of Ego."
"The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" features plenty of scenes to get excited about,
but Twitter seems to have taken an immediate liking to one throwaway moment in particular.
Though neither Nebula or Rocket feature particularly prominently in the special,
the two former adversaries share a moment that shows just how far their relationship has come.
Clearly remembering that Rocket has taken a liking to the Winter Soldier's cybernetic arm,
Nebula has somehow managed to acquire said arm offscreen,
and gives it to the visibly moved Rocket as a Christmas present.
This brief moment of camaraderie has not gone unnoticed by the Twitterati.
One fan tweeted,
"He finally got bucky's arm."
Another wrote,
"Rocket getting Bucky's arm like he's wanted is one of the best moments of phase 4."
Other users also tweeted about the moment, which might be short,
but clearly resonates with viewers.
"The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" is available for streaming on Disney+.