The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special ends phase 4 on a satisfying high, delivering a short piece of festive fun that still has all the humour and emotional weight expected of a James Gunn project and a reminder that he is/was one of the best filmmakers Marvel had.

The Guardians are all great in their small roles but it's absolutely Pom Klementieff's show and she finally gets to shine as Mantis, bringing new layers to her character and still having a really funny rapport with Dave Bautista. Kevin Bacon fits in perfectly, more than ready to indulge in the silliness and send up.

James Gunn's direction is excellent, it has more in common with his direction on Peacemaker and Super than the previous films and returns the MCU to a practical and lived in feel not properly seen since phase 1, which nicely counterbalances the shoddy CG. The soundtrack is terrific too, a solid selection of festive tunes that are implemented really well.