The Mosley Review: The Christmas Chronicles 2

Sequels in the holiday film genre are a mixed bag. They could either be an outstanding successor or a cash grab that loses the magic that made the original great. This film was a dangerous mixture of both. The adventure is still intact and the lore behind the legend of Santa Claus is explored as we delve deeper into his elves and the creatures of his world. Where the film started to fall apart was the fact that we get a bland villain and his story was good, but was sort of typical. The themes of selfishness, unwillingness to move on with life or forgiveness are ever present and sometimes really heavy handed. It is balanced with the love, joy and family and it indeed was a difficult balancing act. At least the same cast returns with some new and welcomed additions.

Darby Camp and Judah Lewis return as Kate and Teddy Pierce and they haven't skipped a beat. Kate takes the lead this time and she had the most character growth. Her story was mostly about closure and not wanting to let go. She was excellent in every scene and her energy was just as infectious. Kimberly Williams-Paisley returns as their mother Claire and she remained great. Tyrese Gibson plays her new love interest Bob Booker and I liked him, but he seemed to be not present in some scenes. I've seen him at his best and this was the most I've ever seen him float through a film. His son in the film was played by Jahzir Bruno, he was fun to watch. He had the bulk of the cheesy kid lines, but he delivered them expertly. I'm glad they didn't stray too far down the hypochondriac road with him. That would've drastically diminished the character. Kate and Jack get thrust into a new adventure and they were fun to follow. Julian Dennison was the villain Belsnickel and I liked the concept of an elf gone bad, but his performance was just not on the level it needed to be. There are glimpses of a devious and charmingly bad personality and heart in the character, but it was just a bad execution and possible bad direction. Kurt Russell returns as Santa Claus and he was just as amazing as before and even better. We go deeper into his backstory and we get to see his legendary village. His wife in real life Goldie Hawn, plays Mrs. Claus and she was delightful. The 2 of them were just wonderful and I kinda got the feeling they're just playing themselves as if they were at home. The chemistry between Santa and Kate was just as strong and I loved that they made an even bigger connection. The history and rivalry between Santa and Belsnickel was palpable and is the shining example of the difference between a great performance and a bad performance.

The score was once again brilliantly done by composer Christophe Beck. His orchestration puts you right back in the world. The film was absolutely gorgeous to look at and I loved that we spent more time in the north pole. The slay chase sequence was awesome and the musical number this time around was fun and more theatrical. The biggest problem with the film is that it wasn't as polished. There are some inconsistent levels of performance and an under sale of what could've been an excellent villain. In the end, this was a good sequel. It may not have the same level of magic, but its still enjoyable. The Netflix Original is now streaming. If you liked the film or this review, let me know in comments below. Thanks for reading!