Going into this movie, I had heard that it was different. It surely is as a mature Santa movie had been done before called Bad Santa. This is not your Bad Santa, this is you Santa who doesn't know what his magic is, only that he has magic. I think of him as a sort of Marvel Superhero but not really a comic character.
This plays as an action movie on most levels. It does fill in background on Santa and the story is different from what you'd expect. He is given a human story like has never been done before. There is something about him that makes him human and yet impossible to defeat.
Trudy, the true Santa believer runs away into an attic and sets up some traps for the folks looking for her that resemble the Home Alone traps, though she is never alone. She is in touch with Santa most of the way. What happens is totally different.
Santa becomes an action hero who grants certain kids wishes due to his circumstances. While some of the humor is at a low level, there are some funny moments that are truly inspired in this action film. It's the pacing and the action ride that makes this work. The film rarely pauses to let the viewer catch their breath.
The secret of the pacing comes from the experience of writers with Sonic the Hedgehogs films. It is that pace and a solid script and acting which combine here to make this one of the most unusual but better Christmas movies in several years.
This plays as an action movie on most levels. It does fill in background on Santa and the story is different from what you'd expect. He is given a human story like has never been done before. There is something about him that makes him human and yet impossible to defeat.
Trudy, the true Santa believer runs away into an attic and sets up some traps for the folks looking for her that resemble the Home Alone traps, though she is never alone. She is in touch with Santa most of the way. What happens is totally different.
Santa becomes an action hero who grants certain kids wishes due to his circumstances. While some of the humor is at a low level, there are some funny moments that are truly inspired in this action film. It's the pacing and the action ride that makes this work. The film rarely pauses to let the viewer catch their breath.
The secret of the pacing comes from the experience of writers with Sonic the Hedgehogs films. It is that pace and a solid script and acting which combine here to make this one of the most unusual but better Christmas movies in several years.