The Christmas Chronicles
This Christmas film from Netflix is lightweight, but the sight of Kurt Russell as Santa Claus is enough to keep the grown ups amused, and it should still appeal to less cynical younger viewers.
Premise: On the first Christmas Eve after the death of their firefighter father, 10-year-old Kate blackmails her delinquent teenage brother Teddy into helping her catch Santa (Kurt Russell) on video - but soon their interference threatens Christmas itself.
Review:
Objectively speaking, this Christmas film from Netflix is fairly forgettable, and if you were feeling particularly cynical, you could play Christmas cliché bingo. Young precocious sprog who believes in Santa? Check. Rebellious older sibling who no longer believes in magic? Check. Tragic family backstory explaining why this Christmas is particularly important for them? Check. Cool Santa character to restore their faith in Christmas spirit? Check. A full selection of elves, reindeer, sleighs and Christmas magic? Check. So far, so Hallmark-movie-of-the-week.
But really - who wants to be Ebenezer Scrooge when it comes to reviewing a Christmas film? Sure, the ingredients of this film are fairly clichéd, but aren't all Christmas films, by their very nature, fairly clichéd and predictable? It's really more about the execution than the plot itself.
“...the film’s secret weapon is Kurt Russell as Santa…”
And when it comes to the execution, this film's secret weapon is Kurt Russell as Santa. Playing Santa as part crotchety grandfather figure, part charming rock star, Kurt Russell is mesmerising whenever he's on screen, and he's such a perfect fit for the character that it makes you wonder why it's taken this long for him to play Santa. He may be, in fairness, the film's only real selling point - but he's so good, he does make the film worth a watch just for his performance alone.
The younger viewers are, of course, far less likely to be jaded about all of the Christmas movie tropes, and may find the two young leads a lot more relatable. Equally, they may really enjoy this movie's new interpretations of Santa's elves, his flying reindeer, and his magic sack of presents - but for the adults, the film definitely losses momentum whenever Kurt Russell's not on screen.
“…a welcome addition to the annual playlist of family-friendly options…”
Ultimately, this is no Christmas classic - but for those of us with kids to entertain, this could be a welcome addition to the annual playlist of family-friendly options. Oh, and it has a cool surprise cameo for the grown ups at the end!
