By: James Southworth
It's Christmas Eve, an always exciting year for me and my family, and I'm sure for many others. There are so many children anxiously awaiting gifts, waiting for Santa to come down the chimney. Even though I'm past the age of a child, I still often can feel the magic of Christmas; it's pretty irresistible. There are so many great movies out there that can definitely help put you into the Christmas mood. While there are some Christmas films I feel are overrated (such as "Elf" and "A Christmas Story), there are many others that I love. Here are 5 Christmas movies that I think you should watch!
1. Krampus
A Christmas movie that also is a fun horror movie? This movie sounded like a lot of fun to me when I first saw previews of it, and I definitely wasn't disappointed with what I got. In fact, this movie is even better than I initially expected it would be. We see main character Max feeling a little disenchanted by Christmas because of how his family members treat one another. The viewer can certainly see where he's coming from: his father's side of the family is a prime example of dysfunctional, with two cousins who are bullies, his uncle is rude to everyone, and his aunt is judgemental. Max only seems to be able to get along with his German grandmother. But, when things go seriously wrong at dinner, Max bitterly wishes that this Christmas would just end. His angry wish becomes true in a very extreme way, as he summons the mythical creature Krampus, who is the dark opposite of Santa Claus. Let me just say, this film is a whole lot of fun. We've got a lot of great comedians in the cast, with Adam Scott as Tom (Max's father) and David Koechner as Howard (Max's uncle) shining the brightest. This movie certainly does have a dark tone, but there are plenty of fun elements too it as well, such as pyromaniac gingerbread men and puppets who try to eat the children. Between all the comedic moments, though, is actually a pretty touching theme about seeing past people's flaws and trying to appreciate them as they are. This movie ultimately shows the audience that family is at the center of Christmas, and we so often take that for granted. This lesson is shown in a sometimes dark fashion, but it never gets too dark. Even with the horror elements, this still has a Christmas spirit to it. Even though this is a fairly recent movie, I like watching it when Christmas comes around.
2. The Polar Express
Easily one of the best book to movie adaptations out there. Because this film is based on a rather short children's story, of course the creators were going to have to add some stuff to the movie. I think the stuff they added worked excellently. This movie introduced this sort of photo realistic animation that creators were trying to do at the time. For this movie, at least, I felt the animation was incredibly impressive. The human characters did look oddly real, but you could also tell that they were animated. It was an interesting combination. The visuals of this film are just breathtaking, especially in the moment where the train is introduced and the colorful landscape that's created for the North Pole. The snow in this movie is practically a character, since it feels like you can touch it. The music in this film is mostly really good, with the beautiful song "Believe" by Josh Groban, the fun "Hot Chocolate", and Steven Tyler's self-satirizing song "Rockin' On Top of the World" being the highlights. The voice work in this movie is really good, with Tom Hanks voicing an impressive 6 roles. It's impressive how different he sounds as the hobo versus when he voices Santa Claus. The other voice actors were great as well, but Hanks really makes this movie shine. I love the touching thematic arc of believing in something greater than yourself. This is a classic Christmas movie in my opinion, easily one of the best around.
3. How The Grinch Stole Christmas (TV Special/Movie)
I put the TV special and movie together of this because I do really like both of them (though I prefer the TV special more). This Dr. Seuss story is easily my favorite of his. I find the character of the Grinch to be so interesting and memorable. I love the arc Suess gives him, as it just embodies what Christmas is supposed to be about: that this holiday has something so special and enduring about it that it can turn even the most bitter of hearts around and help them find a reason to love. The TV special tells this story about as perfectly as one could hope, with the addition of memorable songs included, especially that delightful title track that is unrelentingly catchy and filled with clever wordplay so indicative of Seuss. I know a lot of people don't like the movie version of this story. I won't deny that I have some problems with it, as well: the sexual innuendos/jokes, almost entire lack of likeability of any Who (except for Cindy), and the Grinch having a love interest all feel unnecessary. But I personally like that they give the Grinch a bit of a backstory, a compelling reason for him to dislike Christmas. I also think that Jim Carrey did great as this character, passionately embodying him and making him very funny. I also thought Taylor Momsen as Cindy was charming, and the movie didn't overuse her. Though the film is not objectively as good as the TV special, I still find myself returning back to both of them every Christmas.
4. A Charlie Brown Christmas
I don't know of a single person who doesn't like this TV special. In my opinion it's for good reason. This is one the only Christmas special I have listed here that I'm sure I've watched since I was very young, probably since before I can remember. My family loves the Peanuts, and I do, too. This movie brings out the charm of every character, multiplying it tenfold. This is one of the few stories where Charlie Brown really gets to have a bit of a happy ending. I do like how it's a running gag that Charlie Brown just always messes up, as Charlie himself is always able to pick himself back up. In this special though, his mistake actually seemed to hurt him a bit, so it was inspiring to see everyone lifting him up by decorating that ugly looking tree and making it look like something beautiful. For such a simple story, there's a powerful message under the surface. The tree that Charlie picks up almost seems to be symbolic of him, as he and the tree both are underappreciated. But, with care and love, both of them become something more. My favorite part of this special is where Linus tells the Christmas story. Linus has always been my favorite of the Peanuts characters, as he has a very childlike wisdom to him, and is one of the only characters who doesn't underestimate Charlie. His telling of the Christmas story is matter-of-fact, but it's also presented in a very heartwarming way. I love the music of this movie too, as it has a soothing jazz feel to it, and really helps create the atmosphere of a movie Christmas movie that should be watched with family.
5. The Nativity Story
If you asked me what my favorite Christmas movie of all time was, I would most likely answer with this movie. So many times, movies specifically with a Christian centered message in mind come across as cliched, cheesy, and terribly made. Not this one, though. I still remember watching this movie for the first time in theaters with my family. It begins with a haunting rendition of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" (my favorite Christmas hymn), which does a good job at setting up the somber and reverent tone of the rest of the film. This movie feels incredibly realistic from beginning to end. The film doesn't shy away from the violence of the government and the horrors that Herod inflicted. It shows how the poor classes were pushed and thrown around. I just love how this film showed that there couldn't have been a more perfect time for Jesus to come into the world. I also think this film did a great job with both Mary and Joseph. The viewer is able to entirely understand both of these characters' fears and uncertainties, and then the viewer gets inspired at the courage of these characters. I thought Keisha Castle-Hughes and Oscar Isaac as Mary and Joseph respectively both give amazing performances. They really embody these characters and make them very believable. I loved the relationship established between these characters, as they start off unsure about one another, but by the end they do have a very real relationship. Ciaran Hinds also gives superb work as Herod, giving this character a lot of interesting humanity, which makes the more evil and murderous part of him all the more frightening. Alexander Siddig as Gabriel makes the angel appropriately mysterious, and the actors of the three wise men offer some of the best comedic relief of the movie (yes, there is comedy in this movie, and it works surprisingly well). I think this movie is visually interesting, and the image of the nativity it gives is not forced or ham-fisted, but rather beautiful and inspirational. This is easily the best explicitly Christian film ever, and it's also my favorite movie to watch when winter comes around. It reminds me of exactly why I celebrate this holiday, and I hope that you, too, can find something to love in this film and the rest of the movies I mentioned. Merry Christmas to you all!
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