The Christmas Chronicles: Movie Review

While it might be easy to point out the "The Christmas Chronicles" generic and uninspired screenplay of the film as means to avoid it, all turned out pretty fun with an adorable, lovable, and strong performance from Kurt Russell as a not-so-nice Old Saint Nick. That in itself might have just saved the film's Christmas spirit and audience's enjoyment from the exclusive Netflix release.

Ever since they were small, sister and brother, Kate (Darby Camp) and Teddy Pierce (Judah Lewis) celebrated Christmas with much fervor with their dad. But due to his untimely passing, a rift has grown between the two and this may be the first Christmas that the Pierce family will be in complete shambles. But when Kate strikes a deal with her brother on a plan to catch Santa Claus (Kurt Russell) on camera, their Christmas Eve 2018 turns into an unexpected journey that most kids could only dream about. All is not well though as their naughty plan causes Santa's sleigh to crash and might derail Christmas spirit with dire consequences. Now they must work with Santa and his elves to save Christmas before morning and save the world in the process.

Like most Holiday films of past, don't expect too much from "The Christmas Chronicles" and you'll actually find yourself enjoying the film. The screenplay, in fact,t is generic and ultimately silly. The first hour or so was fun but the story completely lost us after the hour mark. But what did you expect from a film that features Santa in the first place? But what stood out is the film's take on Santa Claus. Santa here ain't so nice. In fact, he schemes his way through challenges like a crazy old magician and psychic. He takes a car, evades the cops, goes to jail, and offers bribes to people. Kurt Russell was simply perfect in his role as Santa and what's more commendable about it is that you know he gave it his all - even if this is obviously a generic holiday film. Additionally, acting from the other cast, specifically Darby Camp and Judah Lewis, were great. The script was surprisingly okay. We found ourselves laughing countless times with the banter between Santa, the kids, and other people. On the visuals, the film had its jaw-dropping moments but utterly fails with its CGI elves. They looked cartoonish and out-of-place with the film's vibe. Overall, "The Christmas Chronicles" may not pride itself to be more than a mediocre attempt at a holiday film but it does enough to at least make families feel some holiday warmth this season.

Rating: 3 and a half reels




Why you should watch it:
- surprisingly solid performance from Kurt Russell
- this one had us laughing countless times

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- generic and somewhat mediocre screenplay
- visuals were so-so especially the elves