The Road to Knowhere. Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special

BETH NETHERCOTT reviews this light-hearted Xmas special and knows her Bacon, with no pigs in blankets in sight!

Our favourite Guardians are on an adventure to make sure Quill has the best Christmas ever! Gear yourself up for some highly amusing entertainment in this 45-minute festive fun. Light-hearted silliness makes it the perfect thing to watch this time of year.

We first find our heroes in Knowhere, their current base. Kraglin tells the Guardians how he and young Peter Quill tried to celebrate Earth’s Christmas, but Yondu apparently ruined it. Meanwhile Bzermitokolok sings his original Christmas song completely not capturing the essence of Christmas. Poor Quill. It’s important to remember he is still upset about Gamora, who he finally found and lost again thanks to the five-year blip. Gamora’s whereabouts are a mystery.

Mantis to the rescue! She takes it upon her to get Quill the best Christmas present ever… Kevin Bacon?! She enlists Drax who says that Kevin Bacon is Quill’s hero, and this would be an unforgettable gift, so they fly to Earth.

Cosplayer confusion

They arrive at the city of angels (Los Angeles) seeing the iconic Hollywood sign. We see them walking around the walk of fame and of course, they get mistaken for cosplayers, and everyone wants a picture! Who wouldn’t want a picture with Drax the destroyer and Mantis the epic empath?

Eventually they find Kevin Bacon’s house after the pair get drunk at a club. They end up breaking in and are memorized by the Christmas decorations. In particular, Drax becomes quickly attached to an inflatable elf and Mantis to an inflatable candy cane (unaware of its nature….). Kevin Bacon is shocked and his reaction is hilarious when the pair are in front of him. The police arrive wanting to protect Bacon, but they had no chance against and Drax and Mantis. This fight scene was both amusing and action-packed.

We need to talk about Kevin…..

Throughout this special, Mantis uses her powers a few times and reveals how powerful she really is. Imagine if you could sense and manipulate other people emotions with a simple touch! Her powers were ultimately the reason Kevin Bacon desperately wanted to go with them to the ship. This holiday special dives deeper into the side characters like Mantis and Drax who get more screen time than usual.

All three of them arrive in Knowhere and Quill has no idea what’s coming. The Guardians well and truly deck the galaxy! Marvel always provides the audience with incredible special effects and that’s what we got. The festive cheer was brought to life all around the galaxy with only one ‘touch’. The last surprise was the Kevin Bacon-size gift-wrapped box (no spoilers….).

The post-credit scene is just one final laugh so don’t expect any teasers for the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3. Rocket Racoon is barking up the wrong tree in attempting to decorate Groot (tree-like being) for Xmas. As Groot shakes all the décor off Rocket says, “Now we gotta have another special!”

A silly, sweet, seasonal special to bring you all the festive joy this holiday.

Available on Disney+

Written by Beth Nethercott