HO HO Holidays Movies Ranked
by Melissa Digon, Senior, iPreparatory Academy
by Melissa Digon, Senior, iPreparatory Academy
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First Place - The Polar Express (Hulu)Summary
On Christmas Eve, a train called the Polar Express and its conductor comes to a young boy and they embark on an adventure to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus. The boy meets other children on the train and befriends some of them. The main young boy and his two new friends accidentally get lost at the North Pole and frantically look around town for where they were supposed to be. The journey changes the young boy’s perspective, his friends learn of courage, and they all learn of the Christmas Spirit. By the end of the movie, the boy is all grown up, yet he can still faintly hear the bells of the Polar Express because it only rings “for all who truly believe.” My Review I think this is an amazing movie. It is perfect for the family and younger children because it advocates friendship, courage, and the spirit of Christmas. This is an animated movie, which allows for magic to be displayed on screen. The platform gives lenience for individuality and encourages imagination in those who watch. I recommend this movie to any age. |
Second Place: Klaus (Netflix)Summary
In Klaus, a privileged and lazy young man, Jesper, is assigned to a remote village on a remote island, completely unconnected from society to deliver mail. His goal, set by his father, is to deliver six-thousand letters in one year. However, half the town is spiteful to the other half and no mail is ever delivered. But then, Jesper takes one kid’s picture drawing as mail and heads to the top of the mountain where Klaus lived. The drawing accidentally comes out of the letter packaging and leads to the kid getting a toy, telling his cousins who then also send letters, and starting more feud among their parents. In the end, joy overcomes their feud. My Review The animation is very charming and different- like little wood characters. The setting is contrasted for each side of the town with color and shading, and the fog creates a mist of mystery to depict the cold winter weather. The characters’ emotions are identified through shading, coloring, and style. The music is not as pronounced as the animation, but it still adds to the mood of the scenes. The audience gets entranced and captivated by the story and visuals. This, as well, is a good movie to watch with family, on a comfy couch with a hot chocolate. |
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Third Place: A Christmas Prince (Netflix)Summary A Christmas Prince displays a young journalist coming all the way to the foreign nation of Aldovia to cover a press conference on the irresponsible playboy Prince who is set to take the throne due to the previous King’s death. The journalist sneaks into the castle after the conference to investigate and assumes the identity of the young princess’ teacher after being caught. After many twists and turns, such as revealing that the Prince was actually adopted, the journalist and Prince fall in love and get married. My Review This movie is a perfect example of a Christmas romcom. It is completely full of the Christmas Spirit and gives the audience and viewers a nice, warm feeling by the end. The movie is very sentimental and innocent. If you want a good family Christmas romcom, then this is the movie. It repeatedly establishes that family values and love conquers all. This can be a movie to watch with your significant other, by yourself, or maybe even your family. |
Fourth Place: Jingle Jangle (Netflix)Summary
Jingle Jangle begins by encompassing the golden age of Mr. Jangle’s career in toy making, but then suddenly changes to his downfall when his apprentice, Gustafson, and an animated toy indefinitely borrow Mr. Jangle’s book of inventions. Mr. Jangle and his family spiral into debt while Gustafson becomes #1 toy maker for almost thirty years. Then around Chirtsmas time, Mr. Jangle’s granddaughter, Journey, comes to visit and spend time with him. Reluctant at first, Mr. Jangle learns to have fun and believe again. Gustafson ends up in jail. My Review This movie is for the 21st century because of its representation and inclusivity of different races, ethnicities, and ages. Even background characters in the town are majorly diverse. Unless you get traumatized by mentions of calculus (they use math to make the Christmas toys), this movie is perfect to watch with family or friends. The animation scenes are superb and add to the Christmas-y vibe. The music is excellent and inclusive of hip hop and rock. The general vibe is whimsical, playful and wild, and magical. And the multiple positive morals of the movie-- a person of any age can still have fun and play, one shouldn't feel guilty from moving on, what comes around goes around, and family is very important-- are important and not forced upon the viewer. |
Amazon
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Amazon
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Fifth Place: Die Hard (Hulu/ 1998)Summary
Die Hard is an atypical Christmas movie. It is full of action and thrill. A New York police officer’s wife is placed into danger when her job Christmas party at Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles is infiltrated and taken hostage by a German radical and his armed team. As the officer attempts to save his wife by going into vents and killing some of the radicals, he discovers they hold C-4 explosives. After several fight scenes and planned assault, the officer saves his wife and her coworkers and prevents a terrorist/ robber attack. My Review This is a classic movie. It is rated R and isn't really for young children due to the amount of violence. However, it is very exciting, no matter how many times you watch it. For older kids/ teens, it is generally a great movie to watch with your family, if they are into action movies. The writing and plot is actually really good and the portrayal of the villain Hans Gruber has kept the movie as one of the best action films of all time. Additionally, Bruce Willis’ performance as the hero made this a timeless movie. Professional Reviews 8.2/10 IMDb 94% Rotten Tomatoes 72% Metacritic |