Marvel Studios is here to ring in another holiday with The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. It marks the second of Marvel Studios’ newly minted “Marvel Special Presentation” line, following the release of Michael Giacchino’s Werewolf by Night in October.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, written and directed by James Gunn, once again highlights the successful nature of these 45-minute specials, packing everything audiences love about the franchise into a single punch. While the limited and ongoing series, and movies, definitely aren’t going anywhere, the Marvel Special Presentations may be the MCU’s most exciting prospect.

Both Werewolf by Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special have been regarded as some of the best entries in Phase 4, not only for their ability to showcase the unique talents of their filmmakers, but also for their overall lack of connective tissue to the larger MCU, allowing viewers to simply enjoy them on their own terms without concern for what’s next or where they fit in the grand scheme of things.

So, while fan bets of Blade and Silver Surfer showing up in these respective projects didn’t pay off, the specials themselves work as well as they do because they feel like a justified way to spend an audience’s time, rather than serving as a trailer showcase.

Source: Hollywood Reporter