In 1983, A Christmas Story released in theaters. Over the following decades, the film became a cult classic and a household name for Christmas films. How could a sequel work after such time has passed?
Holiday traditions
As long as I can remember, my family and I have watched A Christmas Story every year during the holiday season. After seeing the film countless times, I could recite many lines.
There is so much nostalgia attached to the original movie for me. All of the iconic scenes have been engrained in my brain forever.
Before this year, I would never have imagined a sequel to the film being executed well.
Any time that a sequel to an older film is made, the writers run the risk of creating "nostalgia bait". Pandering to fans of the original by recreating the story with no new artistic decisions will easily ruin a film.
Honoring the past
In 2012, A Christmas Story 2 came out to overwhelmingly negative reception. The film starred completely different actors and felt like a cash grab.
I have never seen the film myself, but I do not plan on doing so. From everything that I have heard, I would just be wasting my time.
A sequel to such a beloved film has to honor the original, while standing on its own as well. Such a film would have to be worthwhile.
Last month, I was sitting in the library, when I received a notification from YouTube. There it was, the trailer for A Christmas Story Christmas. Before clicking the link, I could not have been more skeptical.
Once I watched the trailer, I realized that this new sequel could have true potential.
My verdict
Last night, my parents and I were able to watch A Christmas Story Christmas. I had seen some reviews, which made me go in expecting nothing but a decent film.
The movie was nowhere close to perfect, it was never going to be. I was glad to see that the result was competent and thoroughly enjoyable.
Peter Billingsley is back as Ralphie, and after years of working more as a producer than an actor, he did a very good job. This truly did feel like the same character that we saw as a child decades ago.
There were moments where it felt as though the writers were pandering to the fans, but that never stuck. Ralph is facing the challenge of being in charge of the holidays for his family, a challenge he did not expect to face yet in life.
This story is able to give a fresh feeling from the original, with the protagonist looking at Christmas from a whole new perspective.
Final thoughts
To anyone that has never seen the original A Christmas Story, this new film is nothing special. If you grew up on the film as I did, A Christmas Story Christmas is a nice and nostalgic watch.
The movie even includes similar comedy to the first film. The story was not the most unique, but the writers did what they could to honor the original, while having it stand on its own more than some may have expected.
A Christmas Story Christmas is streaming on HBO Max now.