Great holiday films are few and far between. Everyone wants to find that feel- good family movie for Christmas, but for the most part, we stick to the classics. With so many holiday movies out there, it’s hard to make one with lasting impact. The Santa Incident is just another Hallmark Christmas movie that falls flat in its attempt at finding a place in a niche market.
The Santa Incident begins as Santa’s sleigh is shot out of the sky by a government jet. Quite the intense opening scene for a children’s Christmas movie. Cut to two young kids discovering an unconscious body on the train tracks, even more terrifying for the child viewer. But surprise, surprise, this unidentified man is none other than Santa Claus!
We soon learn that government agents hold the theory that Santa and his team are alien terrorists intent on destroying the world. But it’s up to two kids and their family to help stop the bad guys and save Christmas.
Daniel and Sophia rescue Santa Claus from the clutches of death and along with their mother Joanna (Ione Skye) help nurse him back to health and take him in until he can get home to the North Pole. Nick has lost his sleigh, and in order to recover his reindeer, must await help from his rescue elves. In the meantime, Daniel and Sophia help Santa set up a workshop and make toys so as not to let toy production slow.
Any kid would love the chance to help Santa in his workshop, to become best friends with jolly old Saint Nick. This is clearly the appeal the director and writers at the Hallmark Channel were going for with the movie, but it’s the only magical part of the holiday tale. Santa is able to help people with his magic, and make toys at lightening speed, but the rest of the movie is kind of a bummer. The government conspiracy plot is sure to go right over children’s heads and is unimpressive to parents watching with their families. Kids want a fairytale holiday, not one in which Santa may or may not be a terrorist.
The hunt for the fugitive Santa is led by two bumbling Homeland Security agents, Agent Erickson (Greg Germann) and his idiot underling, Agent Cunningham (Sean McConaghy). Germann and McConaghy are two of the stronger actors on screen, holding their own as a man obsessed with his terrorist theory and his sidekick. These two characters offer some lighthearted humor as they bicker back and forth and stumble about in their attempt to capture Santa.
Ione Skye has only gone downhill since her heyday in 1989 with John Cusack in Say Anything. She can now barely act, and is pretty useless as the mother figure in the film. There’s a weak romance between her and local policeman, Hank, but it’s obvious they’ll get together, although we really don’t care about either of them one way or another. One of the weakest aspects of the story is how quickly the adults believe in Santa Claus. Mom questions it at first, but once Nick explains that he’s Santa, she pretty much accepts it. The children thus don’t have much to overcome, because while they believe in Santa, they don’t have much convincing to do. They also don’t aid much in Santa’s escape, and what kids really want to see is their peers saving the day.
For a story with such a heavy message behind it, the film is relatively slow-moving and unexciting. Instead of Daniel and Sophia helping Santa, they disappear while his elves come to the rescue. About 15 minutes is spent watching three elves break into an office, a sequence which I’d imagine would be boring for adult and child alike. Hallmark movies should be gooey, inspiring, dramatic or scandalous, but The Santa Incident offers none of the above. There’s no cute love story, no North Pole, no redemption, and NO SNOW. When I sit down to watch a Christmas movie, I want to be left with a warm and fuzzy feeling, but The Santa Incident just leaves me waiting for winter.
DVD Bonus Features
None to speak of.
"The Santa Incident" is on sale November 1, 2011 and is not rated. Children & Family. Directed by Yelena Lanskaya. Written by Jeffrey Scott Simmons. Starring Greg Germann, Hunter Parrish, Ione Skye, James Cosmo.
