The Christmas Chronicles

What kind of Grinch would I be to berate a new cheesy holiday movie about two siblings going on a Christmas-related adventure in which, I repeat, Kurt Russell plays a hot Santa? Make some cocoa for the family, and spike yours if you have to, but remember what the holiday is about: watching mediocre, predictable movies with the people you love.

The whole thing is out-and-out tinsel-dunked tat, but oddly honourable with it – the Christmas spirit might be just a few steps up from bathtub grade, but it still packs a kick.

It’s as predictable as an Advent calendar, but thanks to Kurt Russell’s grizzly charms, The Christmas Chronicles at least gives us one of the movies’ best Santas yet.

The Christmas Chronicles is a passable enough lark, and may well be on the upper end of the spectrum when it comes to modern cinematic Christmas fare.

The film Despite its weird flourishes, the film succumbs to the tropes and emotional contrivances of the family melodrama at its core.

With its saccharine score, saturated cinematography, and trite platitudes, the film is formulaic and forgettable except for Russell’s performance as the lovable legend.

Between the atrocious green-screen work, the blatant stock footage helicopter shots of city skylines and painfully obvious Toronto-for-America locations, you would be forgiven for thinking this movie was made in 1992.

The Christmas Chronicles is one of my top 5 favorite Christmas movies and one of my favorite movies of all time. Kurt Russell's performance as Santa was stupendous and very funny. The other cast performances were great especially Darby Camp's and Judah Lewis's. The visual effects were spectacular and magical. I loved the elves they were adorable. An A+ Christmas movie.

Cheesy, harmless childish fun, the Christmas Chronicles is little more than your average holiday flick. The film expresses much of the same messages of friendship and belief as any other Christmas film, supported by solid performances all round. This is an easy watch. Not a lot more to it.

Kurt Russell is Santa Claus? It kinda works. Very Christmasy movie, I can't imagine watching it any other time of the year. Was an Ok movie, we also get a cameo at the end of Kurt Russell's Mrs playing Mrs. Claus.

Kurt Russel plays Santa. Is there anything else to add. It's a dumb Christmas movie. If you like elf and not but not Christmas chronicles you do not make sense.

Kurt Russell gets to clown around in a Santa suit, as he drags two irritating children around Chicago in search of a few misplaced magical accessories. It's basically a Hallmark Channel movie with the added lure of Snake Plissken guiding a hovering sleigh. I was hoping it might function as something more than that, maybe a winking satire of that same breed of neutered, smothering, saccharine family flicks. Nope, what you see is what you get. Russell is truly the life of the party, magnetic in most every scene, but his enthusiasm only shines a beacon on the weaknesses of those around him. The kids are especially bad; no warmth, spirit or flavor to their parts. They might as well have been reading from a teleprompter. The Christmas Chronicles offers poor effects, a drab plot, holes big enough to ride a reindeer through, a heavy-handed message and one loud musical number that leans way into cheeseball territory. As vacant and empty as the most generic greeting cards.