Watched Chris Columbus’ THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES 2 last night on Netflix, having very much enjoyed the first one last year. This one got on the wrong side of me early on, with its two-dimensional adults and hypercomplex, aggressively witty, yet emotionally incomplete kids suffering their inability to control the lives of their parents. This, in turn, is mirrored by the story of Belsnickel (Julian Dennison), a rebellious elf who turns into a full-on terrorist toward the North Pole and Santa and Mrs. Claus - and why? Because Santa Claus (Kurt Russell) never gave him full credit for his toy inventions, which made him so angry he stopped being an elf.
Ultimately, this tale of healing broken families is Columbus' dry-run for GREMLINS 3, with endless CGI elves being converted by a blue pervy elf gas into evil versions of themselves. (The closest thing to a Joe Dante touch is a movie theater in Santa’s Village that plays ELF all year round, which after the takeover swaps out the marquee for BAD SANTA.) All this had me gnashing my teeth, not to mention how insubstantial the CGI elvery looked in every case compared to Chris Walas’ and Rick Baker’s wonderful original puppeteering. But the worst thing about the picture is that it’s essentially a feature-length endorsement of work-for-hire, with Santa’s Village (actually Mrs. Claus’ invention, we’re told) given strong similarities to Disneyworld - it's even called "the happiest place on earth" by one character - as we are repeatedly shown the value of selflessness in art and the paramount importance of the corporation over the individual.
There is a lot here not to like, but once again, there's no denying that Kurt Russell was born to play Santa - he’s natural, bigger than life, not the least bit contrived, and irresistible in the part, even when he soothes the irritation at an airport suffering holiday flight delays with an impromptu Christmas rock number with Darlene Love. And the previous film’s final reel surprise, the casting of Goldie Hawn as Mrs. Claus (who is not only given a proper name, but who downplays her own inventive genius so as not to rock the boat of Santa Inc.), pays off splendidly here; she's warm, wise, and complements him perfectly. Somehow, between them, Kurt and Goldie manage to pull the whole floundering juggernaut just far enough above the water line that its two hours don't feel entirely wasted. It may also prompt us to revisit THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES (2018), directed by former Disney animator Clay Kaytis - a more genuine contemporary Christmas classic.
(c) 2020 by Tim Lucas. All rights reserved.
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