_The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special_ does what it needs to in order to be an effective Christmas tale. It is funny, heartwarming, and filled with fantastic original Christmas songs. It is nothing overly special but does what it needs to.

The writing for this special was pretty lackluster, there were more than a handful of lines that felt very awkward. I would question the acting, but we've seen and fell in love with these characters on the screen before, so the writing seems to be the culprit. Many of the Kevin Bacon and Kraglin's lines were cheesy and inorganic. I am not sure if that was the intent, but it just did not work for me.

The comedy is fantastic and hand me audibly laughing at many scenes. It was great to see the gang back together again and has me that much more excited for Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3.

Overall, this was a decent entry into the MCU. Short, fun, and lighthearted. It does not attempt to be more than that.

**Score:** _55%_ |
**Verdict:** _Average_