By Paige Hammond
Correspondent
“The Christmas Chronicles 2” is a family-oriented film, perfect for enjoying with your loved ones this holiday season. The Netflix original and sequel to “The Christmas Chronicles” emphasizes why it is important to believe in yourself and one another, and to never forget what it means to be a “true believer.”
Although helpful, you do not need to watch the first movie, “The Christmas Chronicles,” in order to understand its sequel. The movie begins with protagonist and returning character Kate Pierce (Darby Camp) who is on a tropical Christmas vacation with her mom and brother, along with her mother’s boyfriend and his son.
However, characteristic of a young teen, Kate does not enjoy the family time and would rather scroll through her phone all day than make conversation with her mother’s boyfriend. This all changes when Kate and her possible soon-to-be stepbrother, Jack Booker (Jahzir Bruno), are hurtled through a portal and find themselves in the North Pole in time to help Kate’s old friend Santa Claus (Kurt Russell) and Mrs. Claus (Goldie Hawn) save Christmas once again.
Like most Christmas movies, “The Christmas Chronicles 2” is considerably corny. However, there are a few aspects of the movie that set it apart from all of the others. For starters, Santa Claus is not your average jolly old fellow—he is a chill guy who acts like the cool grandparent.
This Santa Claus owns a motorcycle and understands all of the “young people lingo.” He does not have a round belly either, and he only says “ho ho ho” on very special occasions. Additionally, Santa’s Christmas elves are unique to the movie—while they tend to come off as a bit angry, these guys are the cutest little creatures.
Instead of the previous Pierce brother-sister duo which the audience saw in the first movie, Kate embarks on this year’s journey to save Christmas with Jack. Similar to the first movie, the two main characters start out at odds with each other, but end up growing closer as the movie continues, which, while being predictable, is still incredibly cute to watch.
Taking a break and watching this movie serves as a great opportunity to de-stress during the weeks leading up to finals. This movie’s version of the North Pole is truly magical, and getting lost in Kate’s Christmas world is a perfect escape for anyone who needs a few hours to take their mind off of the stress of the semester.
The movie focuses on the idea that everyone has good deep down inside of them, although it might take longer for some to find the good than others. Santa’s evil ex-elf is a good example of this, and throughout the movie, the audience is able to witness his character development and recognize that there is more to his character than what appears at the surface. The audience is able to see Kate grow as well, as she connects with her possible future step-brother who she once ignored, and attempts to give the people she once pushed away a second chance.
"The Christmas Chronicles 2” is one of those movies that makes you smile to yourself at the end, and leaves you in a good mood afterwards. There are a number of sweet, heartwarming moments in “The Christmas Chronicles 2” that certainly make it worth the watch.
