A big budget story about the traditional idea of Santa Claus seems like a good idea. I actually think I can pinpoint where the film sort of falls apart. While the film starts as this captivating fairy tale it quickly turns into a original version of Will Ferrell's "Elf." The film suddenly focuses nearly entirely on Dudley Moore's character because he was the big "star" of the time. The problem is his character has very little depth and you feel no attachment to him whatsoever. The characters are good but don't have enough depth whether it be Moore's character or the villain or the two children, they feel underdeveloped. And the focal point of the story should be Santa because they set up a very interesting beautiful story about this man and then it all falls apart. There are some stunning special effects, the animatronic deer are incredible (although some real deer were used) and the scenery is beautiful. It would have been very impressive for its time. It just feels like they had a great idea but when it came to writing the story it didn't fill out properly.
Dudley Moore was a comedy icon in the eighties. He had Arthur under his belt and I'm sure he seemed like the right person for this role. The problem is that the character is underdeveloped as I mention and Moore puts in no personality at all into the character. He isn't fun or easy to watch and brings no life to the elf. David Huddleston is brilliant as Santa Claus. He is shot larger than life, with the giant beard and he just looks regal and commands screen presence. If only the film had focused on him. John Lithgow is decent as our villain B.Z. Lithgow is a fantastic actor, comedic or otherwise, but this role is pretty straight forward for him. He pulls it off flawlessly but had to bored by the simplicity of the character. He gets no chance to really stand out which he easily could have. He plays the character very campy which he does well and it was the only way he could have played it. Christian Fitzpatrick and Carrie Kei Heim play the two youngsters who get themselves into danger. Somehow they should have been the focus of the antagonists story but they aren't and the kids are way underdeveloped as characters and basically just background characters.
The biggest disappointment for me is that the film shows some potential. The sheer idea of an epic Santa Claus story that incorporates all the traditional legend and lore with big special effects seems like a sure fire hit. And it wouldn't be a comedy but a sweet family drama. I think that was the idea here but it falls apart in a big way. Poor Jeannot Szwarc who has spent years and years in Television but in the eighties was the name behind Jaws 2, and then back to back this film and Supergirl (both big flops.) You can even see a similar style between this and Supergirl (a film I appreciate as a campy fun classic.) Santa Claus unfortunately just feels flat from every angle. I don't think it even sits in the Christmas classic genre. It is underwhelming in many, many ways. 5.5/10
Dudley Moore was a comedy icon in the eighties. He had Arthur under his belt and I'm sure he seemed like the right person for this role. The problem is that the character is underdeveloped as I mention and Moore puts in no personality at all into the character. He isn't fun or easy to watch and brings no life to the elf. David Huddleston is brilliant as Santa Claus. He is shot larger than life, with the giant beard and he just looks regal and commands screen presence. If only the film had focused on him. John Lithgow is decent as our villain B.Z. Lithgow is a fantastic actor, comedic or otherwise, but this role is pretty straight forward for him. He pulls it off flawlessly but had to bored by the simplicity of the character. He gets no chance to really stand out which he easily could have. He plays the character very campy which he does well and it was the only way he could have played it. Christian Fitzpatrick and Carrie Kei Heim play the two youngsters who get themselves into danger. Somehow they should have been the focus of the antagonists story but they aren't and the kids are way underdeveloped as characters and basically just background characters.
The biggest disappointment for me is that the film shows some potential. The sheer idea of an epic Santa Claus story that incorporates all the traditional legend and lore with big special effects seems like a sure fire hit. And it wouldn't be a comedy but a sweet family drama. I think that was the idea here but it falls apart in a big way. Poor Jeannot Szwarc who has spent years and years in Television but in the eighties was the name behind Jaws 2, and then back to back this film and Supergirl (both big flops.) You can even see a similar style between this and Supergirl (a film I appreciate as a campy fun classic.) Santa Claus unfortunately just feels flat from every angle. I don't think it even sits in the Christmas classic genre. It is underwhelming in many, many ways. 5.5/10