A sci-fi Christmas movie? Sign me up! Phase four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe ended on a high note with the release of  “The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special,” on Disney+.

This 45 minute short film, directed by James Gunn, brings back the original characters from  “The Guardians of the Galaxy,” for some goofy holiday fun. Characters Mantis and Drax, played by Pom Klementieff and Dave Baustista, seek to make Christmas special again for Peter Quill, or Star-lord, played by Chris Pratt. The pair plans to accomplish this by kidnapping Kevin Bacon, Peter’s favorite actor, as a gift for him. 

Klementieff and Baustista’s hilarious chemistry is what really makes this film shine as the two get into wacky shenanigans on Earth in a classic fish out of water trope. There truly never is a dull moment in this film thanks to these two.

No Guardians of  the Galaxy film is complete without a great soundtrack and this holiday special delivers exactly that. It has dark and melancholy holiday songs that emphasize Peter’s own feelings such as “Fairytale of New York”  by The Pogues, but has fast and fun songs that bring energy to film as well like “I Want an Alien for Christmas” by Fountains of Wayne. 

This film is a refreshing take on both Marvel movies and Christmas movies adding some fun originality to these oversaturated genres. I mean, when are we ever going to see aliens celebrating Christmas again?

“The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” is a fun bite-sized film that can be enjoyed by everyone. The movie is serious and heartwarming, yet also comedic. It’s a film that needs to be on your must-watch holiday list.