It’s been well over a decade since the last truly great Christmas movie (Jon Favreau’s 2013 Elf is likely it, though the animated Klaus looks sure to grow in stature) – and while Netflix’s 2018 adventure The Christmas Chronicles wasn’t totally a classic, it did have one thing massively in its favour: a legitimately great turn from Kurt Russell as a rockin’, rollin’ Santa Claus. Now he’s back, as is Mrs. Claus (amusingly played by Goldie Hawn), in The Christmas Chronicles 2. And yes, it feels a little too soon to be thinking about the big day, but in 2020 of all years we could all do with a little more festive joy, even if it’s still mid-October. Watch the trailer here.
The first Christmas Chronicles was a perfectly fun adventure, and this one has even more going for it. For one, it’s written and directed by Chris Columbus himself (he only produced the first one), a guy who knows a thing or two about family-friendly Christmas fare. Plus, there looks to be a lot more Goldie Hawn this time around – and you have Hunt For The Wilderpeople’s Julian Dennison as the villainous Belsnickel, a real bad igg intent on ruining Christmas for everyone. Most importantly, there’s a brief flash of Russell’s Santa playing the saxophone with a pair of sunnies on – so strap in for another rock’n’roll musical sequence that’ll prove, once again, that this really is the coolest ever screen incarnation of the big bearded gift-giver.
The Christmas Chronicles 2 is set to stream on Netflix from 25 November – and this year more than any, nobody will blame you if you watch it before December begins. Bring on the festive fun.