My Movie Review on The Christmas Chronicles 2 (Plus, a Side Note Regarding the First Film) · 4:57pm Dec 10th, 2020
Merry Christmas, my friends.
This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
Today, for the second installment of my "Christmas Craze", I'm gonna give you guys my take of "The Christmas Chronicles 2".
Here's the rundown of it:
Two years after the events of the first film, the Pierce family, consisting of a widowed mother named Claire and her children Teddy and Kate, vacation in Cancun, Mexico with the Booker family, the latter whom consists of a widowed father named Bob and his son Jack. Incredibly enough, Bob and Claire are dating!
However, Kate has been having a hard time accepting Bob because of how much she misses her Dad, and she's displeased by the fact that the two families are spending Christmas in Mexico instead of back home in Boston.
But, when an exiled elf named Belsnickel causes chaos, the fate of Christmas once again hangs in the balance. So much, that it'll take the teaming of Kate, Jack, and the Clauses to save Christmas before it dies out.
I know that it's been over two years since I reviewed the first film, but I couldn't resist immediately making a review on this movie once it got released on Netflix not too long ago.
I will admit that I had my doubts about this movie, mainly because I didn't think a sequel to "The Christmas Chronicles" was necessary. Once I saw this movie, though...I was immediately blown away by it!
Everything about this movie turned out to be as enjoyable as its predecessor.
For instance, the direction by Chris Columbus, and the story by him and Matt Lieberman, were awesome!
Taking the chairs of director and co-writer, Columbus's time on the first film as a co-producer clearly paid off pretty well. He not only captured the wholesomeness that made the first movie special, but he managed to expand on the lore and make this sequel bigger than the last. The comedy aspect of the movie was hilarious and wonderfully executed, and the concept had an emotional resonance and heart that was strongly soul-tugging. Its themes about love and family were nicely done too, and the part where the Clauses, elves, Pierce family, and Booker family sing "O Christmas Tree" was one of the most heartwarming moments in the movie.
Plus, the acting, casting, characters, and character development were incredible!
Just like in the previous movie, Kurt Russell did a fantastic job portraying Santa Claus, and Darby Camp gave a splendid performance as Kate Pierce. The upgrading of Mrs. Claus from a mere minor in the first film to a major character in the sequel was pretty fun too, and Goldie Hawn portrayed her character with outstanding personality.
The films new characters and cast members were likewise welcoming additions to the series. Jahzir Bruno was quite a showstopper in his portrayal of Jack Booker, and Tyrese Gibson certainly did know how to make any moment he was given count performing as Bob Booker. I would also like to add that Malcolm McDowell's vocal performance as Hakan the Elf was immediately grappling.
But, perhaps the best new additions out of everyone was Julian Dennison and his character of Belsnickel. Dennison performed Belsnickel with outstanding passion, emotion, personality, and humor, and he successfully translated the character into someone three-dimensional and fully-realized. The backstory created for Bellsnickel was an equally nice touch.
To top it all off, the characters of Kate, Jack, Santa, Mrs. Claus, and Belsnickel had the most marvelous of developments.
In conclusion, "The Christmas Chronicles 2" is a movie that not only surprised me, but it's a wonderful sequel that beautifully succeeds its predecessor.
So, I rate "The Christmas Chronicles 2" five out of five stars.
Before I conclude this post, I wanted to let you guys know that I upgraded the rating I gave the first movie from 4½ to 5. I know that the reason I gave the film that rating was because it had some slight cuss words, but as I looked back on it...I didn't think it was a big enough reason for me to give the film that rating anymore, and the words that I noted weren't enough to keep me from all-out loving the film.
It's like with "The Princess Bride". Despite the few cuss words the movie had, it was so wholesome and fun that I couldn't bring myself to rate it any lower than a five.
I already changed the rating of the first film on the post, but I wanted to let you guys know about it real quick.
You know what’s funny. I just watched the first movie not too long ago(within the last week)
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Really?
What'd you think of it?
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It was kinda funny
I especially liked the “Elves vs criminals” scene
I've yet to see the film and will give my ratings for it when I do.
By the way, if you don't mind me asking, did you ever review The Nightmare Before Christmas?
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Not really. I’ve never even seen the film. Frankly, I can’t help but feel reluctant to do so.
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Don't worry. I can assure you that it's a great film and one of the best animated Christmas/Halloween hybrid films ever made.