The Christmas Chronicles (2018) Review

🎅 “Santa with Sideburns and a Netflix Budget” 🎄

Let’s start by showing y’all the trailers, shall we? 🎬

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📖 Studio & Style
The Christmas Chronicles is a Netflix original Christmas film, part of that streaming wave of “modern holiday classics” they keep trying to push. It leans on heavy CGI (sometimes very heavy CGI), with a glossy sheen that makes it feel more like a commercial than a heartfelt Christmas movie. The practical magic of older holiday films is replaced here by… well, digital chaos.


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📜 Non-Spoiler Plot Overview
The story follows siblings Kate and Teddy Pierce, who hatch a plan to catch Santa on camera. Naturally, things go wrong, and they end up teaming with Santa himself (Kurt Russell) to save Christmas after his sleigh crashes and gifts are lost. What unfolds is a road trip of mischief, bickering, and “learning the true meaning of Christmas,” with a few jailhouse musical numbers thrown in for good measure.


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🧛 Character Rundown

Santa Claus (Kurt Russell) – Okay, let’s talk about it. Russell as Santa is… fine. He’s not awful, but he’s not bringing anything iconic either. The whole schtick of him being a “cooler, rock ‘n roll” Santa with sideburns and swagger doesn’t land as hard as the film thinks it does. His gag about billboards making him look fat is dragged out far too long.

Kate Pierce (Darby Camp) – The younger sister, full of Christmas cheer, optimism, and wide-eyed energy. Unfortunately, her performance leans into the cloying “child actor trying too hard” territory.

Teddy Pierce (Judah Lewis) – The older brother, grumpy and cynical after his father’s passing. His arc is about regaining belief, but it’s all played so by-the-numbers you can see it coming from a mile away.

The Elves (CGI) – Oof. These CGI monstrosities look like rejected designs from a PS2 cutscene. They chatter in an irritating squeaky language, scuttle around like Gremlins, and are supposed to be cute comic relief. Instead, they’re just nightmare fuel.



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⏱️ Pacing / Episode Flow
The pacing jumps between “too slow” and “chaotic fast.” The setup drags, the middle gets clogged with repetitive gags, and then the ending rushes to stuff in sentimentality. There are moments of charm here and there (mostly thanks to Russell), but the flow never really finds its rhythm.


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✅ Pros

Kurt Russell brings some charisma, even if his Santa isn’t iconic.

A few holiday set pieces feel cozy and seasonal.

The basic premise (kids team up with Santa) is classic enough to be watchable.


❌ Cons

The elf designs — genuinely hideous CGI.

The “cool Santa” angle feels forced and awkward.

Child actor performances are more annoying than endearing.

Comedy gags (like the billboard weight bit) wear thin fast.



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💭 Final Thoughts
The Christmas Chronicles wants badly to be a new holiday staple, but it ends up feeling more like a Netflix experiment than a classic. Kurt Russell as Santa is serviceable, but the film piles too many gimmicks on him. The kids are grating, the CGI elves are nightmare fuel, and the comedy beats feel recycled. It’s not the worst Christmas film, but it’s aggressively forgettable — the kind you’ll only remember when Netflix auto-plays it at you again.

⭐ Rating: 5/10


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⚠️ Spoiler Warning ⚠️
What follows is a deeper dive into the sleigh crash, jail singalongs, and elf chaos.


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💀 Spoilers
The Pierce kids set a trap to catch Santa on camera, and sure enough, they succeed. But their interference causes Santa’s sleigh to crash, scattering gifts across Chicago. Without the sleigh or reindeer, Santa recruits the kids to help recover everything before Christmas morning.

Cue hijinks: Santa gets arrested and tossed in jail, where he casually pulls out a full Elvis-style rock ‘n roll musical number to cheer up the inmates and magically produce instruments. Meanwhile, Kate sneaks into the elf village, where the CGI gremlins wreak havoc until they decide to help.

The heart of the story revolves around Teddy, who has lost faith after his father’s death. Over the course of the adventure, he rediscovers belief in Santa, himself, and the spirit of family. Kate, meanwhile, stays the eternal optimist and helps Santa rally the elves.

By the finale, Christmas is saved, the family reconnects, and the siblings honor their father’s memory by leaving a Christmas ornament on the tree. It’s all wrapped up in a neat little bow, with Kurt Russell winking at the camera like, “Yeah, you just watched me play Santa Claus.”