The long-time Hollywood couple Mr. Kurt Russel and Mrs. Goldie Hawn play Mr. and Mrs. Claus in the sequel to The Christmas Chronicles (2018), titled The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020).  The movie The Christmas Chronicles first premiered on Netflix in 2018 following the story of two children, Kate Pierce, played by Miss Darby Camp, and her older brother Teddy Pierce, played by Mr. Judah Law, as they go on a journey with Santa Claus, played by Mr. Kurt Russel, to ensure Christmas is not lost forever.  Kate and Teddy initially get wrapped up in this Christmas adventure when the two siblings hide in Santa’s sleigh and throw him off his course.  Santa, Kate, and Teddy then make a trip around the United States while facing other exciting challenges to save Christmas. 

The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two follows Kate from the first movie who is now a teenager on vacation with her family in Cancún, Mexico during Christmas break.  Kate vacations with her brother Teddy, her mother Claire Pierce, played by Ms. Kimberly Williams-Paisley, her mother’s new boyfriend, Mr. Bob Booker, played by Mr. Tyrese Gibson, and his son Jack Booker, played by Mr. Jahzir Bruno.  Claire accepted her boyfriend’s invitation to have their families spend Christmas together, and as a result of this decision, Kate begins to act out. 

Things begin to change for Kate, a previously acclaimed true believer, when a mischievous elf posing as a human, Belsnickle, played by Mr. Julian Dennison, plans to ruin Christmas.  Belsnickle tricks Kate and Jack and sends them to the North Pole to distract Santa so that he can steal the Christmas star that powers Santa’s Village.  Kate, Jack, Santa, and Mrs. Claus face a giant yule cat, Belsnickle’s devious inventions, and even time travel along their journey.

The four Christmas heroes all team up to save Christmas and return the Christmas star.  Towards the end of the film, Belsnickle’s penitent side shows when he transforms back into his helper elf persona and makes amends with Santa.  Additionally, Kate and Jack strengthen their friendship.  The group ultimately discovers the value of connection, family, and forgiveness during the holiday season.

The detailed computer-generated imagery (CGI) work allows hundreds of elves to appear on screen at a time.  Additionally, the movie’s musical aspect is a significant part of the appeal.  Mr. Russel performs on the guitar for the second time in this movie franchise as he continues to portray a more modern Santa Claus.  Mrs. Darlene Love, the singer of “Christmas” (Baby Please Come Home), and Mr. Russel perform a song together in an airport when Santa and Kate travel back in time 30 years to stop Belsnickle.  The two sing “The Spirit of Christmas” as the whole airport dances along with them. 

This film, while scoring a 73 percent on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, is not without plot-holes.  One example is that Belsnickle ultimately granted Kate her Christmas wish.  Also, Santa could have just reversed everything with the time-traveling sleigh, but he chose not to do so.  While there are some flaws, this movie is not about logic, but rather, it is about Christmas spirit.  In that respect, it is a great Christmas movie full of adventure and sentiment.

Featured Image Courtesy of netflix.com