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DVD Review
The Santa Clause 2
By Lee Tistaert Published December 8, 2003
US Release: November 1, 2002
Directed by: Michael Lembeck
Starring: Tim Allen , David Krumholtz , Judge Reinhold
G
Running Time: 105 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $139,227,000
Directed by: Michael Lembeck
Starring: Tim Allen , David Krumholtz , Judge Reinhold
G
Running Time: 105 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $139,227,000
C
132 of 143
Santa Clause 2 is so clearly out of breath, as it treads along on thin ideas and the cast is evidently aware of the franchise?s suffocation via their stilted performances.
Though ?lame? is a general term, it ideally describes this sequel to the good original. I don?t think I?m alone when I say that I liked the first Santa Clause flick; it wasn?t great, but it managed to appeal to more than just eight-year-olds (it was clich? but enjoyable). Santa Clause 2, which wants to capitalize off the big success of the original, is so clearly out of breath, as it treads along on thin ideas and the cast is evidently aware of the franchise?s suffocation via their stilted performances.
I?m not certain that this will be the last Santa Clause escapade, but it might be in terms of theatrical distribution; at this point the Christmas tale is purely for children, with some parents and fans of the original likely to roll down the aisles sighing. There was never a point in the film where I was entertained, but it?s typical family fair.
In this holiday edition, Santa, played by Tim Allen, falls into a crisis: his son Charlie is now on the naughty list for his troubled school life, and to make things worse, he must find a Mrs. Clause within a month to sustain the Santa Clause position for Christmas.
What?s missing in Santa Clause 2 is the sense that this story is actually worth telling. The screenplay doesn?t have a single humorous note in its distance and the plot devices don?t have much reasoning; it simply feels like this is just another desperate attempt at a feel-good story, with the only reason of its existence being that box office grosses need to be acquired.
The filmmakers desperately want to be cute, but cute only goes so far; this is a film where the characters attempt to appeal to kids at all costs, being silly just for the sake of being silly. Some of the actors have potential (as is evident with the original flick and some of their other films), but their potential is not utilized here; we are merely running through the motions of a cheesy holiday movie that?s aimed to please its audience without a shred of creativity.
There will be an audience for this feel-good piece, as is apparent with the film?s theatrical box office hit status, but the question is how much is craved from the experience. For those who just want a light story with a familiar Christmas theme, Santa Clause 2 might divert. For others, the sequel might be the movie to watch with a split attention span on a weekend afternoon when there is nothing else to do ? or even, the movie that?s not even worth testing out.
DVD Features:
- 7 Deleted Scenes
- Gag Reel: Bloopers from the Cast
- "Operation Toy Box: Save Santa" Set-Top Game
- "Inside the North Pole with Curtis": Making-of Featurette
- "True Confessions of the Legendary Figures": Interviews with Tooth Fairy, Mother Nature, Father Time and Easter Bunny
- Director's Tour of Elfsburg Featurette
- Audio Commentary with Michael Lembeck
Audio Features:
- (English) Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
- THX Certified
- French and Spanish Language Tracks
I?m not certain that this will be the last Santa Clause escapade, but it might be in terms of theatrical distribution; at this point the Christmas tale is purely for children, with some parents and fans of the original likely to roll down the aisles sighing. There was never a point in the film where I was entertained, but it?s typical family fair.
In this holiday edition, Santa, played by Tim Allen, falls into a crisis: his son Charlie is now on the naughty list for his troubled school life, and to make things worse, he must find a Mrs. Clause within a month to sustain the Santa Clause position for Christmas.
What?s missing in Santa Clause 2 is the sense that this story is actually worth telling. The screenplay doesn?t have a single humorous note in its distance and the plot devices don?t have much reasoning; it simply feels like this is just another desperate attempt at a feel-good story, with the only reason of its existence being that box office grosses need to be acquired.
The filmmakers desperately want to be cute, but cute only goes so far; this is a film where the characters attempt to appeal to kids at all costs, being silly just for the sake of being silly. Some of the actors have potential (as is evident with the original flick and some of their other films), but their potential is not utilized here; we are merely running through the motions of a cheesy holiday movie that?s aimed to please its audience without a shred of creativity.
There will be an audience for this feel-good piece, as is apparent with the film?s theatrical box office hit status, but the question is how much is craved from the experience. For those who just want a light story with a familiar Christmas theme, Santa Clause 2 might divert. For others, the sequel might be the movie to watch with a split attention span on a weekend afternoon when there is nothing else to do ? or even, the movie that?s not even worth testing out.
DVD Features:
- 7 Deleted Scenes
- Gag Reel: Bloopers from the Cast
- "Operation Toy Box: Save Santa" Set-Top Game
- "Inside the North Pole with Curtis": Making-of Featurette
- "True Confessions of the Legendary Figures": Interviews with Tooth Fairy, Mother Nature, Father Time and Easter Bunny
- Director's Tour of Elfsburg Featurette
- Audio Commentary with Michael Lembeck
Audio Features:
- (English) Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
- THX Certified
- French and Spanish Language Tracks
Lee's Grade: C
Ranked #132 of 143 between The Master of Disguise (#131) and Friday After Next (#133) for 2002 movies.
Ranked #132 of 143 between The Master of Disguise (#131) and Friday After Next (#133) for 2002 movies.
Lee's Overall Grading: 3025 graded movies
| A | 0.4% | |
| B | 30.0% | |
| C | 61.7% | |
| D | 8.0% | |
| F | 0.0% |
