Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)

Fresh and Exciting

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

In the middle ages, kindly toymaker Claus and his wife Anya deliver toys to the village children. They and their reindeers, Donner and Blitzen, are caught in a snowstorm. Following prophesy, they are taken in by the elves or Vendequm led by Dooley. The Ancient One proclaims Claus, Santa Claus. As work mount, Claus elevates modern-minded Patch (Dudley Moore) as his assistant but the toys are shoddy and Patch is demoted. Claus befriends two orphans, homeless boy Joe and rich girl Corneli. Patch leaves the north pole and heads to NYC where he works for Corneli's step-uncle, corrupt toy manufacturer B.Z. (John Lithgow).The first half is a Santa Claus origins story. It's functional but lacks much drama. David Huddleston is a big burly guy but I finally realize that he doesn't have enough jolly. Dudley Moore as an elf is silly. Maybe they should make him a drunken elf. There is a change in the middle as the movie arrives in the modern world. First off, the product placements of McDonald's and Coke are jarring. A homeless kid is ill-fitting Dickensian. Lithgow is going overboard into cartoon villainy. "Christmas II" It turns into tacky camp. If that's the point, then the movie should shorten the first half and fully embrace its tackiness.

"Santa Claus" of 1985 is one of the first movies to give a modern take – or update, on Santa Claus. It doesn't go into the true story or the background, but picks up with the fantasy of Santa, his reindeer and the North Pole. The plot has an interesting twist to the beginning of Santa that is mystical. And, another interesting twist is that the elves and the North Pole always have been there -- at least since who knows when, just waiting for the Santa to come on the scene. That's another somewhat mystical aspect. From that fantasy beginning, the movie opens up to a very colorful, inventive and fun story and adventure. The sets for this film were excellent and some of the items were very ingenious. I don't want to give those away. The special effects and design add sparkle, literally and figuratively, to the movie. So, one can say that it is magic. It's sort of a magic show put on film. Of course, there are twists in the plot that work in a couple of Christmas messages. John Lithgow's character, as the mean, villainous B.Z. is just funny enough that he shouldn't be scary to small children. We older children can chuckle at his character. All of the cast are very good in their roles. Without being too overboard, this film gives some colorful and fun treatment to the tradition of Santa Claus that the whole family can enjoy. The little guys might especially enjoy the reindeer as portrayed in this film.

You would think that it would be difficult to make a movie about Santa Claus that's absolutely lacking in charm - and yet everybody from Ilya Salkind who produced this to Jeannot Szwarc who directed it to David and Leslie Newman who came up with the story pulled that off magnificently. I suppose that just because it's a Christmas movie and people are more warm-hearted at this time of year it's going to get some kind reviews, but really - this was awful. It's totally charmless, and has a meandering, often pointless story and bland performances all around.First - it bears no resemblance to any legend of Santa Claus that I've ever come across. I suppose coming up with a fictional story about a fictional character isn't really a crime, but at least it should be enjoyable - and it should (sort of, somehow) make sense. Here, Santa (David Huddleston) is a kind man who takes toys to children on Christmas Eve apparently hundreds of years ago who's essentially drafted by elves to become Santa. Some sort of elf- prophecy, apparently. We have an interminable hour or so of virtually no importance at all (but full of awful "elf-puns") until we get to what the story was supposed to be about, and then it's kind of ho-hum. In the present day, one of Santa's elves (played by Dudley Moore) gets discouraged, leaves the North Pole and teams up with an evil toy manufacturer (John Lithgow). Chaos ensues, bad things happen, Santa has to save the day. Yadda, yadda, yadda. And along the way there's a poor, homeless boy whom Santa takes pity on (while apparently ignoring all the other poor, homeless children, who don't get rides in the sleigh and a trip to the North Pole) and an orphan who lives in a big house and has lots of stuff and whose uncle happens to be the evil toy manufacturer.You know how it will all turn out. Santa will save the day. Too bad he couldn't save this movie. (2/10)

This was always one of my favourite childhood films so I was a little apprehensive about watching it in case it didn't hold up. However, I'm glad to say that it held up very well. David Huddleston is my favourite Santa, playing the role with the requisite level of warmth and kindness. John Lithgow is wonderfully over the top as B.Z., who does not actually appear until almost an hour into the film. The Salkinds were almost always able to assemble great casts for their films and this one is no exception. Of the rest of the cast, I thought that Judy Cornwall, Dudley Moore and, in a great cameo, Burgess Meredith were the best.The Salkinds also made the first three "Superman" films and this film has certain similarities to the first of those: the first part of both films is concerned with the origins of the title character before transitioning to the present, which makes up the bulk of the film, and introducing a very entertaining, over the top villainous businessman who loves being evil.Donner being the name of one of Santa's reindeers goes back in the 19th Century but I couldn't help but think that the fact Donner was the (initially) unreliable one when it came to the Super Duper Looper might have been meant as a dig at Superman and (initial) "Superman II" director Richard Donner. Speaking of the Super Duper Looper, I found it impossible not to think of 9/11 when they attempted to do it around the Twin Towers.