MovieChat Forums > The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020) Discussion > Not as much fun as the first one...

Not as much fun as the first one...

posted 3 years ago by [deleted]
2 replies | jump to latest

My wife and I watched this last night and agreed the first one was measurably the better movie. IMDB would seem to agree based on the collective ratings.

The first one had no villain... it was a straight-up road trip / adventure movie. This one has a villain. The blandest sort of villain -- he hates humans just because, well he hates humans. He's played by an equally bland actor I've never seen before.

The first one was also a fish-out-of-water movie that sees Santa comically struggling to deal with everyday people who don't believe in him as he searches out the toy bag in our world. The plot of this one really treads water for a lot of its running length as we see endless scenes of gremlins... I mean "elves" running around doing goofy / evil things.

Interestingly, the best part of the movie for us is the all-too-quick side adventure at the airport and Kate Pierce's chance meeting with someone special.

It really suffers from not having the brother and sister together for the adventure. The first one was about them making a connection with each other. Instead the brother is swapped out for the younger kid who doesn't have much of a back story to engage us.

This movie lifts elements from better movies. Gremlins is the obvious one. But there's also a bit of Wizard of Oz. Back to the Future. A touch of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings with the mission to Turkey...

Goldie Hawn... what to say? It's great her character is given a much bigger role here, but I'm probably going to burn in hell for saying that her noticeable cosmetic surgery was distracting.

And that ending with them singing on the beach had us gagging. WAY too much saccharin for us to take.

[–] samoanjoes (51504) 3 years ago

The worst part about part 1 was the scenes with the elves. The elves this time around have been extended to an entire movie. The CGI on them is terrible.

I agree you about the villain. He really doesn't need to be here. And his motivation to be evil is just stupid.

Also, I'd like to add to your point about lifting things from other Christmas movies. I felt like the scene in the airport where the blond woman was complaining to the worker at the desk was a direct parody of Catherine O'Hara in "Home Alone."

[–] howgamer (3659) 3 years ago

Couldn't agree more. While I do think this one was OK, it wasn't nearly as good as the first one. As you said, the best part of the film is when Santa goes out and interacts with people in the real world which were also the best comedic parts of the original. The villain is the worst part of the film as he is generic, hallow, and devoid of any humor. I agree that the brother/sister connection was heavily missed. The brother is replaced by a soon to be step-brother and then they are separated near the beginning of the film so that relationship couldn't really develop.

This one does have some heartfelt moments like the first, but it could have passed on that cringey and bland ending. It is severely lacking in the comedy department and isn't as fun. It was OK, but it's predecessor is a vastly better film. I would be interested in a third film as I think Russell is great in the role, but hopefully Columbus takes a backseat as producer again and lets someone else take the reins.