The Christmas Chronicles 2 (2020)

While Hawn and Russell are clearly having a blast, the XMAS SCRIPT FROM HELL offers a really creepy elf (with what seems an Australian accent?) but no X-Mas spirit whatsoever. Another franchise down the drain as the creators completely lose touch with what made it work in the first place.

Fmovies: I really didn't believe Christmas Chronicles Part 2 was a good idea since the first one was already so good. It turns out this sequel is almost as good as the first one but just in different ways. Although it was literally "all over the place", I have to say I like it. The airport scene was everything. In my honest opinion, Christmas Chronicles has culminated into something really magical! Did anyone have tears as I did lol? I will watch it again as we approach Christmas.

First film was class, and the whole family enjoyed it. The second however !!! Painful Lack of imagination, poor storyline leaves you falling asleep. Every Xmas I'd watch the first one happily, the second once is enough. Never to be viewed again

The Christmas Chronicles 2 fmovies. I rewatched the first film right after finishing this, because I had forgotten what I even liked to begin with that was missing here... turns out it was a lot. Firstly, the main character is gone, Teddy (Judah Lewis)... but he's the lucky one because those who are present are all only half-there. There's no family thread, one gets sloppily bookended to the beginning and end with about the care of a 90's sitcom (the problem and main starting plot point is essentially a Full House subplot quality, teen girl temper tantrum). The first film they were dealing with a recent death, a cynical world, the son slipping into a realistic life of crime. Where do we start out here? On vacation??? Yes, their first world problem is the Kate (Darby Camp) is upset her mom is dating an awesome guy. I say problem, but this isn't really dealt with as she immediately gets away from the entire cast of her family to have a separate adventure hanging out with Santa (Kurt Russell) and wife (Goldie Hawn). The rest of the film is a sloppy CGI romp through the North Pole. We're told the title Christmas Chronicles is no longer their video camera footage (as video camera films are no longer popular) but a series of novels (no doubt to establish a possible franchise and bunch of sequels. The film isn't set in a realistic nowadays world, but 100% in a fantasy, so essentially a totally different type a film and NOT a continuation of the first film. This would be like Christmas Vacation being set entirely in Clark Griswald's sex dream and acting like it's a sequel. It makes no sense. The elves are more like Gremlins (thank you Chris Columbus, just make Gremlins 3 already) than the edgy but sweet creatures from the first with a goofy drug Elf-bane to explain it away why they are snarling. A bland villain pulls the plot along screaming all the way, instead of the protagonists which should lead it. Their motivation is to stop the bad guy, whose motivation is to stop the good guy. That's it. That's the movie. Absent are the bystander characters that made the first film fun, the cops, the waitress at the restaurant, the guy who stole the car first, the people in jail. We don't get any characters to really see their transformation due to seeing Santa is real. Santa is still cool, but without his sarcastic edge, snappy lines. In short, the fun is totally gone. It's got 10x the effects and none of the heart or story-building that made the original worth watching over and over. Terrible.

I thought this was a great return to the world of Santa Claus, and a pleasure to see more behind the story of Santa. So If you really love Christmas, come on and let it snow... oh sorry wrong movie, if you love Christmas just sit back and enjoy this heart warming Xmas yarn with Kurt and Goldie- the only true Mr and Mrs Claus.

If you enjoyed the rhythm, jokes and overall excellent delivery of TCC, well, get ready to be disappointed. The feel and rhythm are simply gone. Instead, a ridiculous and laborious story (yes, even for a Xmas flick) that never make sense, and never bring an once of satisfaction. Heavy special effects makes it close to Trolls sometimes... The singing scene in the airport would be great for a tv ad. Huge fail, and beloved Kurt Russel cannot save the movie. 2 out of 10.