2020 Reviews – The Christmas Chronicles 2

posted in: 2020 Reviews, Netflix | 21

Ok, I saw the first Christmas Chronicles when it first came out, back in the day (2018), but I don’t remember a lick about it. I have to Wikipedia the plot to get back up to speed and refresh my memory. I remember it had Kurt Russell as Santa, and I thought it was fine, but that’s about it. Obviously, it occupied that sweet spot of discardable entertainment that didn’t leave an impact… Mmm, that’s right, Santa gets offended that the kids think he says ‘Ho Ho Ho’ and calls it an urban myth; yeah, that was a funny joke. Anyway, I simply must see what chapter 2 brings, don’t I? I’m a completionist and the Christmas spirit is alive and well!

‘Kitty’ Kate Peirce (Darcy Camp) is bummed out; her family is holidaying on sunny beaches for Christmas, instead of the traditional setup of snow and hot chocolate. She’s also confused because her Mum is getting really cosy with her new boyfriend, and she doesn’t want the memory of her father, who passed away, to disappear. In her cranky mood, Kate decides it best if she returns home, running away from the holiday. Her possibly soon-to-be step-brother Jack (Jahzir Bruno) follows her, and makes himself known just as Belsnicker (Julian Dennison) a disgruntled elf, transports both Kate and Jack to the cold outskirts of the North Pole. Fortunately, Kate is pals with Santa Claus (Kurt Russell), and Santa comes to the rescue, taking them back to Santa’s Village. Ah, but this was Belsnicker’s plan all along, as a means to sneak his way back into the North Pole, to disrupt, destroy and take over Christmas. Santa and Mrs. Clause (Goldie Hawn) are going to need all the help they can get to save Christmas.

I decided that I was going to need to turn my brain off to get through this movie, around the time we find out that the bad boy is actually an elf that turned into a human as a result of being naughty, which is pretty early on. And I’m glad I did, because this movie takes more blind turns than the elderly on a freeway. If you mapped out the plot points of this movie, it would look like the human circulatory system. It also didn’t take long to realise that this movie would be a great time, if watched as a young family. The movie contains picturesque shots of Santa’s Village (oops, sorry, ‘Mrs. Claus’s Village’) and the hundreds of elves all reminded me of Babu Frik from Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker; irrefutable the cutest thing to come out of that disappointment. I prefer these mystical elves immensely over the little people and children that usually portray elves. The Christmas Chronicles 2 isn’t afraid to introduce its own kooky lore, and I can see kids staying super engaged with the fast pace, and riffing on the movie afterwards, pretending their gingerbread men might explode, or imagining they’re defending the North Pole with Nerf guns. Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn are so enjoyable as Mr. and Mrs. Claus, bringing their real love to the rolls no doubt. Whether it be, when the movie adds what I will call The Blues Brothers flare with an impromptu music number, or when Santa is embracing his competitive edge against Belsnicker, Kurt Russell just looks and feels like the perfect Santa. He’s a sly bugger too – he knew what would happen as soon as he sent Kate to get batteries, I’m sure of it.

The crazier The Christmas Chronicles 2 gets, the more I got into it honestly; there’s one Go-Pro shot of a startled reindeer, that started me chuckling, then there’s elves juggling chainsaws and a sleigh battle through the sky! There are times when Belsnicker is so proud of his plan, but so out of his depth against Santa’s magic, I kind’ve wanted him to succeed, just for a laugh. The movie spares no bounds informing you that Belsnicker is bad news – he wears his cap backwards, with a hoodie and a leather vest as well; cliché you say, but I’m shook at the evil 😊. Belsnicker’s sleigh reminded me of Dick Dastardly’s Mean Machine from Wacky Races, and goes all out with those destructive side-blades like Waldo’s go-kart in The Little Rascals. But Santa was always going to save the day; bad luck Belsnicker, go back to selling Lynx, bro.

Then I see, at the end, that The Christmas Chronicles 2 is directed by Chris Columbus – that was an added surprise. Did he direct the first one? I don’t think so. No, Chris Columbus hasn’t directed anything since 2015: Pixels (ugh, speaking of the Wacky Races, just to mention Pixels makes me want to mutter unintelligible frustration like Muttley; yeesh!). But Chris Columbus has Home Alone and Home Alone: Lost in New York under his belt, so the man knows how to make a movie with Christmas spirit, and he shows it again here. The movie even finds time to add in soft messages about spending Christmas with your family and believing in yourself.

There’s been movies where villains have tried to hijack Christmas before – The Santa Clause 3 had a similar plot with Martin Short as Jack Frost, but this is better. This is an escapist adventure for the whole family; the only disappointment might be the amount of reading necessary to understand the elves, and small children might struggle with that. But since I don’t have a young family, I personally felt it’s applicable to borrow a quote from one of my idols, Jeremy Jahns, and admit watching this movie might have been an even better time, ‘if I was drunk’ – note to self, if I’ve had a few bevvies Christmas night, pop on The Christmas Chronicles 2 again.

3.5

21 Responses

  1. web-dl

    Hi there, its good paragraph regarding media print, we all be familiar with media is a wonderful source of data. Cammy Khalil Kindig

  2. yify

    Pretty! This has been an incredibly wonderful post. Thanks for providing this info. Petronille Raddy Bohannon

  3. indir

    You completed a number of fine points there. I did a search on the subject matter and found a good number of people will consent with your blog. Kata Darin Genisia

  4. yify

    I am genuinely grateful to the holder of this website who has shared this impressive post at here. Rose Keary Crary

  5. yify

    Thanks for sharing, this is a fantastic post. Really looking forward to read more. Want more. Vanny Perren Vachil

  6. bluray

    Merely wanna remark on few general things, The website design is perfect, the subject material is really good :D. Adi Germaine Hepzi

  7. yify

    Thiis is my first time go to see at here and i am in fact pleassant to read all at single place. Leigh Conn Nath

  8. sikis

    Hello. This post was really interesting, especially since I was searching for thoughts on this matter last Wednesday. Jennifer Elihu Rosy

  9. erotik

    Just arrived to your blog from Google. Thanks for this information and analysis that really touched me. Janeva Gabriel Charmion

  10. erotik

    Wonderful article! We are linking to this great post on our site. Keep up the great writing. Inger Kean Medovich

  11. sikis

    You made several nice points there. I did a search on the matter and found nearly all folks will agree with your blog. Esmaria Hunfredo Stambaugh

  12. porno

    Very good post! We will be linking to this particularly great post on our website. Keep up the good writing. Myranda Herc Cynera

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *