The search for Kevin Bacon
Marvel
It’s the holiday season, and Star-Lord/Peter Quill is feeling down. Mantis and Drax decide to save Christmas by getting their friend a very special gift: Kevin Bacon. Thanks to Quill’s enthusiastic recountings of the films of his youth, Mantis and Drax believe Kevin Bacon is an amazing hero, and not just an actor playing pretend. So they head to Earth to find Mr. Bacon. And … that’s really it. What follows is a series of amusing but mostly forgettable scenes in which Mantis and Drax wander around Hollywood like they’re auditioning for “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.” Since they’re not from this planet everything is strange and silly to them! Over and over again! They get drunk! They get confused! They trash everything in sight! Lather, rinse, repeat.
Thankfully, Klementieff and Bautista are a great pair here, and I wouldn’t mind seeing them team up for a more consequential adventure. Klementieff in particular gets more to do here than she’s had to do in any of her previous appearances. She makes Mantis sweet, funny, and even occasionally scary when she loses her calm demeanor, usually because of something Drax has done or said. Kevin Bacon, playing himself, is fine, and clearly game to have fun here. But the concept of bringing Bacon back for Quill is never as funny as the special seems to think it is.
Holiday background noise
Marvel
Am I being a Scrooge? A Grinch? Some other Christmas-hating ghoul? I don’t know. Again: I didn’t go into “The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” expecting something that would blow me away. I was just expecting … something more. Anything, really. While the special ends on a genuinely sweet moment, and that moment works, it also feels like a cheat. Like Gunn and company realized they needed to give us a big emotional send-off at the last possible second.
But before we get there we’re stuck with rather predictable humor and not one but two different lengthy musical numbers that play more like time-fillers than anything else. But the mood remains light, and those seeking sweet sugary confections in the form of entertainment will probably have fun. At the very least, the special never overstays its welcome. In fact, that’s part of the problem — it’s so quick and airy that it leaves you wanting more. There’s no sustenance here, just empty calories. This ultimately feels like something someone can throw on in the background while they decorate their Christmas tree. Happy Holidays, I guess! “The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” streams on Disney+ starting on November 25, 2022.
The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special Review: A Light, Frothy Bit Of Seasonal Silliness
Marvel
By Chris Evangelista/Nov. 23, 2022 12:00 pm EST
The search for Kevin Bacon
It’s the holiday season, and Star-Lord/Peter Quill is feeling down. Mantis and Drax decide to save Christmas by getting their friend a very special gift: Kevin Bacon. Thanks to Quill’s enthusiastic recountings of the films of his youth, Mantis and Drax believe Kevin Bacon is an amazing hero, and not just an actor playing pretend. So they head to Earth to find Mr. Bacon. And … that’s really it. What follows is a series of amusing but mostly forgettable scenes in which Mantis and Drax wander around Hollywood like they’re auditioning for “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.” Since they’re not from this planet everything is strange and silly to them! Over and over again! They get drunk! They get confused! They trash everything in sight! Lather, rinse, repeat.
Thankfully, Klementieff and Bautista are a great pair here, and I wouldn’t mind seeing them team up for a more consequential adventure. Klementieff in particular gets more to do here than she’s had to do in any of her previous appearances. She makes Mantis sweet, funny, and even occasionally scary when she loses her calm demeanor, usually because of something Drax has done or said. Kevin Bacon, playing himself, is fine, and clearly game to have fun here. But the concept of bringing Bacon back for Quill is never as funny as the special seems to think it is.
Thankfully, Klementieff and Bautista are a great pair here, and I wouldn’t mind seeing them team up for a more consequential adventure. Klementieff in particular gets more to do here than she’s had to do in any of her previous appearances. She makes Mantis sweet, funny, and even occasionally scary when she loses her calm demeanor, usually because of something Drax has done or said. Kevin Bacon, playing himself, is fine, and clearly game to have fun here. But the concept of bringing Bacon back for Quill is never as funny as the special seems to think it is.
Holiday background noise
Am I being a Scrooge? A Grinch? Some other Christmas-hating ghoul? I don’t know. Again: I didn’t go into “The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” expecting something that would blow me away. I was just expecting … something more. Anything, really. While the special ends on a genuinely sweet moment, and that moment works, it also feels like a cheat. Like Gunn and company realized they needed to give us a big emotional send-off at the last possible second.
But before we get there we’re stuck with rather predictable humor and not one but two different lengthy musical numbers that play more like time-fillers than anything else. But the mood remains light, and those seeking sweet sugary confections in the form of entertainment will probably have fun. At the very least, the special never overstays its welcome. In fact, that’s part of the problem — it’s so quick and airy that it leaves you wanting more. There’s no sustenance here, just empty calories. This ultimately feels like something someone can throw on in the background while they decorate their Christmas tree. Happy Holidays, I guess! “The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” streams on Disney+ starting on November 25, 2022.
But before we get there we’re stuck with rather predictable humor and not one but two different lengthy musical numbers that play more like time-fillers than anything else. But the mood remains light, and those seeking sweet sugary confections in the form of entertainment will probably have fun. At the very least, the special never overstays its welcome. In fact, that’s part of the problem — it’s so quick and airy that it leaves you wanting more. There’s no sustenance here, just empty calories. This ultimately feels like something someone can throw on in the background while they decorate their Christmas tree. Happy Holidays, I guess!
“The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” streams on Disney+ starting on November 25, 2022.
