Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Cast: Chris Pratt, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Kevin Bacon, Sean Gunn, Karen Gillan, Michael Rooker, Bradley Cooper, Vin Disel, Maria Bakalova, Rhett Miller, Murray Hammond, Ken Bethea, Philip Peeples, Kyra Sedgwick, Si Chen, Don McLeod, Thomas McNamara, Daniel Bernhardt, Michelle Gunn, Flula Birg, Matthew Withers, Rusty Schwimmer, Helene D’ Auria, Tinashe Kajese, Barry Curtis, Rachel Luttrell, Giovannie Cruz, Stephen Blackehart, Sarah Alami, Terence Rosemore, Luke Klein.
What might be intended as homage or tribute, could have the unintended consequence of being seen as disregard, a modern-day contempt, the nose put out of joint by the well-meaning and the practise of language changing over a period of time. To capture respect for art decades after the inspiration was conceived is a game worthy of a master, of true reflection, and honour, and it is with a huge bundle of love and reverence that Marvel’s The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special finds its way to the screens long after another festive celebration of all things fashionably popular.
Whilst there seems little to connect the Star Wars Holiday Special of 1978 and the made for television special that sits at the edge of Marvel’s Phase 4 culmination, what it does is fill the blanks, not all, but enough to keep the viewer and the fan alike rivetted ahead of the new blockbuster to hit the cinema screens in the near future.
That aside, what it also aims to do is spread cheer by emphasising the fact of what the season is for many, a period of reflection, a chance to make things right and by osmosis, or even default, have fun in the bleakest of times. For in a mirroring of the times we find ourselves in, a moment in which to relish good cheer is to be highlighted, as in war, so in social depravation, we do all we can to keep our thoughts light lest we damage the one weapon in our arsenal that could make the future possible, that of hope!
It is a tale as old as our association with celebration and festivals, the idea of the exchange of gifts as a token, a symbol of our love for one another, and yet we have somehow lost sight of what it actually means, lost in a maelstrom of capitalistic punishment, instead, the greatest gifts we can give people is time, emotional resonance, of holding up their end when they face the day with a grey heart; for if one person can feel sunshine for a while by being told they have a sister they didn’t know about, then we can feel warmth by hearing it spoken of in our in our vicinity.
The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special is entertaining without soiling over into mawkishness, it is full of humour, and it doesn’t necessarily allow the action to centre on what might be considered to be on the main star of the series, nor its two more comical and popular characters. It says a lot of James Gunn’s attitude that the focus is on the wonderful Pom Klementieff and Dave Bautista in their respective roles of Mantis and Drax, and in their encounter with Kevin Bacon, marvellously sending himself up throughout, the special gives itself a moment of tremendous back slapping which is felt and appreciated by the audience, and in which harks again to the aforementioned holiday special by another much loved franchise.
The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special is not only a must see for the sake of continuality, but one for the reminder that not all is served with glitz in the darkness, sometimes it is enough to turn on a torch light and give someone hope to focus on.
Ian D. Hall