The Christmas Chronicles 2 - A Netflix Movie Review

We have to save Christmas or it is doomed - like forever!

The Christmas Chronicles 2 is a 2020 Netflix sequel based on the 2018 film. Kate Pierce ventures to find Santa Claus. A mysterious troublemaker wreaks havoc across the North Pole. It’s up to Kate and Santa to rescue Christmas before the holiday is canceled forever.

I enjoyed The Christmas Chronicles when it was first released on Netflix. I was excited to see what the sequel would bring. Christmas Chronicles 2 manages to find the Christmas spirit except it has a hard time focusing on the right plot. The story feels scattered. However, Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn are the highlights as Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

One of the best elements of the original was the dynamic between Teddy (Judah Lewis) and Kate (Darby Camp). Teddy is barely in the film. Whether story writers made this decision to make Kate the main character, the sibling dynamic is missing.

However, Kate is not alone on her journey. In his Netflix debut, Jahizer Bruno tags along. Jack feels like an unnecessary character. Even the writers were not sure what to do with him. One takeaway from his character is to never give up. We all have courage.

The highlights of Christmas Chronicles 2 are Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. Russell still proves to be the best Santa Claus with his incredible charisma. Unlike how Mrs. Claus only had a short appearance in the original, her part is expanded more. I adored the relationship between Santa and Mrs. Claus. Their interactions are the best.

The story missed an opportunity to expand more on the lives of Santa and Mrs. Claus. The film should have been about their dynamic. Although the concept of an evil elf taking over the North Pole was creative it felt forced and rushed. The resolution was a little sudden.

The Christmas Chronicles 2 had a hard time finding originality. Writers could have spent more time on this film. There is noticeable filler like the whole subplot between Jack and Mrs. Claus. It noticeably takes ideas from other Christmas films like Gremlins and Home Alone.

The film even turns into a Back to the Future scenario at one point! Other than gifting audiences with yet another well-choreographed song sung by Kurt Russell, it did not deliver much to the plot.

Honestly, if the film took more time to develop its story I would have cared to see the Back to the Future scenario over the finished product that we had. It had potential. There was one character reveal that I am still not sure what to think of. In the end, it made me smile.

Get ready to walk through Santa’s village. The design of Santa’s village is very creative. I wish we could have spent more time there rather than constantly flying around in Santa’s slay.

Depending on how you felt about them, Santa’s elves return. It took some time for me to get used to the elves and their unique designs. While they are cute, the elves still felt misplaced in an entirely different film.

Chris Columbus took the reins as director for the sequel to Christmas Chronicles. Other than character dynamic and cinematography, Columbus should have paid better attention to the story. Several missed opportunities could have been explored more like with Kate’s new dynamic in her family. He still enforced deep messages about moving forward and grief.

I still recommend that you see Christmas Chronicles 2. Don’t skip out on it for the holiday season. The film is worth a watch especially for the dance-hopping musical number sung by Kurt Russell.