Log in / Sign up
 
    Share this page

    The Santa Clause 2

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

    I’m not a big fan of “The Santa Clause” and in fact, I don’t really think it’s a good movie for a number of reasons. You would expect then, that I would dislike the sequel even more, because unless you’re one of the few exceptions, sequels rarely turn out to be as good as the original. In this case, I actually think that “The Santa Clause 2” is a better film than the first and I think that if you liked the first one, you’ll like this one too. Set a number of years after the first movie, Scott Calvin is now firmly engrained in his position as Santa. Eric Lloyd as his son Charlie is all grown-up into a rebellious teenager (and a much better actor) The trouble comes when Santa’s elves reveal to him a second, secret clause. He needs to get married. If he doesn’t by December 25th, he will lose his Christmas powers. While a robotic Santa is created to keep the North Pole running, Scott has to go back to the human world in order to find a wife and straighten out his son, who is now on the “naughty” list.

    I was actually surprised to see how many of the actors came back for this second film. Actually after doing some quick research, I realized that EVERYONE is back. I didn’t recognize some of the cast, like Wendy Crewson and Eric Lloyd at first, but a quick trip to the internet confirmed that yep, they’re all back. Now isn’t that a refresher? I half expected what I assumed was a direct-to-DVD sequel to have none of the same actors except for the odd person that needed to buy a new boat and star Tim Allen. I think this adds a level of believability to the story because the cast have good timing and chemistry between each other. As I mentioned earlier, the acting, particularly from the young performers has gotten significantly better. Looks like they took some acting classes between 1994 and 2002 and I’m always excited to see people becoming better at their craft.

    I like the story of this film as well. Ok, it’s kind of contrived at first, but once it gets moving, it’s pretty creative. There are two plots going on, the first with the robot Santa running the North Pole (and yes, that goes about as well as you expect it to) and the other has Scott having to not only find a wife in 28 days (no small feat) but also looking for a way to discipline his son and get him off the “naughty” list. I like these stories a lot better than the plot we had in the first movie. Scott has to find a nice lady to spend the rest of his life with (and I’m not sure how long that will be, does Santa become an immortal like the elves?) and that is going to be pretty tricky. He only has until Christmas Eve, and the guy’s been not only out of the dating game, but gone from the human world for some time now. His Santa powers are dwindling, which means he begins looking more presentable, but they’re not quite gone so he has a bit of magic left to help ease the process of getting someone to fall in love with him (and they don’t make it creepy, no worries) I like that idea, there’s a lot of potential there. I thought that the lady that Scott was getting attached to was quite good too. I would assume that it’s a spoiler if I list even the actresses’ name here, but for the record, I thought she played a credible character and that she and Tim Allen had good chemistry going. The love plot is rushed (the movie admits it) but it really worked for me. I also liked the side plot of Charlie and his father having to connect again. Think of the scandal if Santa’s own son was on the naughty list! In a smart move, that’s not the bulk of the movie, it’s just a side plot. That shows some forward thinking. Good job screenwriters!

    To me, “The Santa Clause 2” is better than the first one because we’re used to this universe the plot is set in, the actions of the characters make more sense and it brings back everything that was good about the first movie while dropping everything that didn’t work. I believed the love aspect, I thought there was just enough witty, sarcastic banter between Tim Allen and the other cast members to satisfy your itch for comedy, I even liked the reindeer and their Scooby-Doo-style talking mannerisms.

    Maybe my expectations were low, but this sequel comes off, to me at least, as not just a cash grab and an excuse to make more money off of a holiday-family favourite, but as a decent idea that’s worth bringing to the screen. I don’t think it’s mind-blowing in terms of quality, but I do recommend that you see it if you have seen the first film. It actually makes me reconsider (if only a little bit) some of my criticisms of the first movie. Maybe I’ll give it another shot. I say don’t let your first impressions turn you away from “The Santa Clause 2”; it’s actually a fun, light, holiday movie. (Full-screen version on Dvd, December 21, 2014)

    7
    HelpfulNot helpful  Reply
    adamwatchesmovies@  25.12.2014 age: 26-35 2,866 reviews

    Show all reviews for this movie
    Note: The movie review posted on this page reflects a personal opinion of one user. We are not responsible for its content.

    Did you see ''The Santa Clause 2''?

    There is a problem with your e-mail address and we are unable to communicate with you. Please go to My Account to update your email.

    How do you rate this movie?

    Select stars from 1 to 10.
    10 - A masterpiece, go, see it now
    9 - Excellent movie, a must see
    8 - Great movie, don't miss it
    7 - Good movie, worth seeing
    6 - Not bad, could be much better
    5 - So so, okay if you don't pay
    4 - Not good, even if you don't pay
    3 - Poor movie, not recommended
    2 - Very bad, forget about it
    1 - Worst ever, avoid at all costs

    Please explain. Write your comment here:

    Please choose a username to sign your comments. Only letters, digits, dash - or period. Minimum 4 characters.

    Your age and sex:

    We publish all comments, except abusive, at our discretion.