It’s the best time of year: The Holiday Season. Late November and December bring warmth, joy, and the age-old tradition of settling in for a cozy Christmas movie night. However, not every festive film is destined to be great. It’s inevitable that some productions will miss the mark, leaving viewers unsatisfied. Cheery movies such as “Home Alone,” and “Elf,” are pretty much always guaranteed to be a hit, but in this review, I want to touch on the movies that aren’t as great. I’m not going to cover the irrelevant Hallmark movies or low-budget films featuring faded stars. Instead, I am going to delve into what I believe are the worst of popular Christmas movies.
I can already foresee some controversy around my first pick. Sorry not sorry, but The Polar Express is highly overrated. The heart of all good movies lies in its plot, and in my opinion, this beloved movie falls short of entertainment. I can understand that it was designed to have a target audience of young children, but even then, the movie is simply not good. This film has always been unsettling to me with the creepy CGI characters; reminding me of “Uncanny Valley.” This, paired with the eerie soundtrack and other details enhances my distaste for the production.
My second choice of the worst popular Christmas movies will without a doubt crumble some people’s cookies. ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ never fails to put me to sleep. My first memory of watching this movie was December 24th, 2014. I had caught the flu and was forced to leave my extended family’s Christmas Eve celebration due to an unfortunate bout of stomach upset. I curled up next to my mom with a bowl of chicken noodle soup as I prepared to watch her “favorite Christmas movie of all time.” I had high hopes but was let down by the longevity of what I might call the most monotonous movie ever. A few years later, I decided to give it another try. Maybe I didn’t like it the first time because I didn’t understand it? Nope, same result. If you’re looking for some good background noise to play while you attempt to fall asleep, I would 100% recommend It’s a Wonderful Life, but if you’re looking for entertainment, steer clear.
At the end of the day, this is simply just my opinion. Christmas is the best time of year and you should spend it how you see fit; even if that means sitting down and watching these unfavorable films.