Movie Info
Movie Name: The Christmas Chronicles 2
Studio: 1492 Pictures/Wonder Worldwide
Genre(s): Seasonal/Sci-Fi/Action/Adventure/Comedy/Family
Release Date(s): November 25, 2020
MPAA Rating: PG
The Santa that rocks is back!
Kate (Darby Camp) and Teddy (Judah Lewis) are spending vacations in the tropics much to the dismay of Kate. Kate is also dealing with Bob Booker (Tyrese Gibson) who is the new man in the life of her mother (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) and his son Jack (Jahzir Bruno). When the banished elf Belsnickel (Julian Dennison) realizes that Kate could be the key to bring down Santa Claus (Kurt Russell), he kidnaps Kate and Jack sending them to the North Pole. Belsnickel has his eyes on the star that powers the North Pole, and if he succeeds in his quest, Christmas is doomed!
Directed by Chris Columbus (who also helped write the script with Matt Lieberman), The Christmas Chronicles 2 (also called The Christmas Chronicles Part Two) is a family action-adventure holiday film. The film premiered on Netflix on November 25, 2020 and received positive reviews.
I will destroy everything Christmas!
The Christmas Chronicles was fun but not very serious or entirely fresh. The Christmas Chronicles 2 has a lot of the same traits but the plot feels slightly more original.
The Christmas Chronicles fell into the trap of the typical Christmas movie which just had the kids helping save Christmas by delivering presents. By transporting the action to the North Pole, the story got a bit more opportunity for world building and new characters. While the basic idea is the same (aka the kids help save Christmas and learn a lesson), the path is different enough to feel like it isn’t complete rehash.
The trick to the movie is that the kids are getting older. While Teddy was a main character in the first film, it would have been odd to have Judah Lewis running around talking about Santa Claus might be odd…likewise Darby Camp’s character has changed since she’s getting older. Like a lot of movie/series, a younger character is introduced in Jahzir Bruno. The amplified role of Goldie Hawn is good and she plays well off her real-life husband Kurt Russell. Julian Dennison is a good evil/sarcastic character as he has proven in other roles…but the animated elf Julian Dennison is kind of creepy. Darlene Love also makes a small cameo at the airport singing sequence.
Now we’re stuck with this weird looking elf…crap
The movie is much more special effect heavy since the location is the North Pole and many of the characters are animated elves. Both this and the first film aren’t top-top tier special effects, but they still are good enough to tell the story.
While The Christmas Chronicles 2 does do some things to improve the format of the first film, it still feels like the first film is a little more rounded. The heart of both movies is about “true believers” and the heart of the first film is stronger. Both movies however are nice diversions for people who have seen all the other holiday films, and I would welcome a third Christmas Chronicles to make it a full trilogy.
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