With the initial reviews rolling in for the Disney Plus original, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, it seems the debut score on Rotten Tomatoes is overshadowing the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest theatrical outing, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The RT critical score for the Guardians Holiday Special is currently sitting at 88 percent, based on eight reviews counted. That’s a full four percentage points higher than the critical score for Wakanda Forever.
In fairness to Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler, he had a lot to overcome when it came to helming a sequel to the 2018 smash hit Black Panther, which to this day is the most critically-acclaimed MCU movie of all time. Due to the tragic real-life passing of star Chadwick Boseman, Coogler chose to make the sequel a loving homage to the actor, with his character King T’Challa dying within the world of the film from a mysterious illness. For all intents and purposes, Coogler knocked it out of the park with the emotional follow-up film that is currently dominating theaters.
Rather than illustrating any kind of shortcoming of the full-length film Wakanda Forever, the comparison is more so interesting because of what it means for the MCU’s foray into the land of TV, especially when it comes to specials. Like the Marvel Special Presentation that came before it, Werewolf by Night, it seems the 40-minute special featuring everyone’s favorite spacefaring team (plus Kevin Bacon) is winning over critics so far. This could point to the MCU’s presence on the streaming service Disney Plus having a bright future in years to come.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special comes to Disney Plus on Nov. 25. As for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, you can watch the film at a theater near you.