The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause

[Simba3]

Tim Allen and Martin Short were on "The View" yesterday to promote the film and those guys together are just really funny. They were cracking me up. They showed a couple good clips from the film and it looks like it is going to be pretty good. I'll probably rent the second movie and watch it (since I haven't yet) and then make my way to the theater to see this one!

[Disneykid]

I saw it yesterday afternoon and thought it was pretty decent. I actually liked it a bit more than the second one, but it still doesn't hold a candle to the first. I appreciated that the climax wasn't as overblown as the second one's, but I couldn't help but feel it was rather hokey. It was an all-too-convenient way of wrapping things up, and the way the sentiment is presented felt like something out of a Hallmark movie (and I actually like those). The story was definitely more interesting the the second's, especially the all-too-brief It's A Wonderful Life portion. I was a little disappointed that Carol was given little to do (though her performance was still one of the film's highlights, just like with the second one), and I was even more bummed that Charlie was reduced to a cameo. The lack of Bernard was disappointing and would've given this film some much needed sarcasm, but I was already prepared for his absence. Curtis seriously got on my nerves, though, even more so than in the second, and I didn't think that was possible. Spencer Breslin can't act, plain and simple. He has one facial expression, and the character's speedy and neurotic lines should be quirky, not monotone.

So what did I like about the film? As I said earlier, Elizabeth Mitchell was great as Carol. I love how she can say a line one way, but show you through her eyes that her character's really feeling some other way (something the character deals with a lot in this one). Martin Short was nicely hammy as Jack Frost. It seems like the filmmakers were restraining him from going all-out, but he does well with what he's given. Liliana Mumy did surprisingly well as Lucy. Lucy arguably has the most integral role in this, and she managed to be cute without being cloying. The rest of the cast (except Spencer) was fine in their roles, but failed to make much of an impression (even Tim Allen). The plotline was interesting and brought back the theme from the first one of how much pressure there is to be Santa Claus. The production design and costumes are all solid (even if the main square of the North Pole still looks like a giant set), and while the effects aren't state-of-the-art, they never set out to be, so they do nicely. All in all, this was worth seeing, but I'd recommend for most people to check this out on DVD than in theaters. I think it'll play better on the smaller screen because it has a high-budget TV movie sort of feel to it.

One thing that bugged me, though (spoiler):

When Jack Frost becomes Santa, we see that he's been exploiting the North Pole for the 12 years he's been in the suit. Whatever happened to the Mrs. Clause (as in the contract, not the person)? Jack would've had to find a wife in order for him to stay in that position for so long, but we never hear anything of it. I was expecting them to throw a curveball and reveal that Carol married him against her will, but that never happened.

[James]

I'm really looking forward to this release. I just saw an ad for the The Santa Clause 2- "Coming to Theaters" , and I thought that they made a mistake, considering I have the DVD of it, and the third installment is meant to be released. The people behind the scenes of the TV station obviously made a mistake, and meant to put an ad on for the third one, but it reminded me just how great the trilogy is, and how much I want to see the third one. I'm hoping that the third one holds well against the first one, considering it is the best of the two so far. I doubt that the third one will be the best, but I hope that it's better than the sequel. I wonder what'll be on the DVD of the third one? Hopefully a boxset will be released of the trilogy with some great new bonus features, especially a good commentary of the first one by Tim Allen and some of the other stars.
-James

[jediliz]

I saw this yesterday at 12:15 PM. Not very busy, but I'd say at least 15 people were there. Unfortunately, I am sure "Flushed Away" had a better turn out (I refuse to see that movie).

Anyway, I enjoyed it. The local newspaper movie reviewer gave it 1 star, but I didn't think it was that bad.......I would give it 3 stars. Of course I did that because its A) A "G" Rated Movie B) A "Santa Clause" Movie and C) not full of potty humor that every movie seems to think they have to add because of Shrek.

[Finchx0rz]

I think this one will go in my Netflix queue next Christmas. I'm bummed about David Krumholtz not appearing in this movie, but from the reviews I've read, perhaps he's better off not having this on his resume!

[disneyboy20022]

I saw The Santa Claus 3: The Escape Claus on Friday Evening. Anyway like many have said it's no where near good as the original I think it's a great family film that many many Santa Claus Fans and Families who are looking for a true Family Movie with less Crude Humor (AKA Movies That emphasize of Passing of Gas upper and lower ends) Unless you count Comet farting but not near as Much as Shrek Does. To the point it's a great Family film and i think everyone will enjoy but I emphasize on seeing the first 2 movies before seeing this one

Spoiler Way Below. DO NOT READ BELOW THE LINE IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ A SPOILER

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I also was wondering why Santa Jack Frost didn't have a wife. Perhaps that was a abandoned concept or a deleted scene. Perhaps he married the Mother -in law of Scott Calvin aka Santa but then they decided to cut that scene. Or Perhaps they figured that since he gave away the secret of the Santa and the north pole that the rule that involved him getting married was null and void. maybe in an deleted scene perhaps they could have since the North Pole was turned into an amusement park they could have a spoof and call it: Who wants to be Mrs.Claus or Who wants to Marry Santa...But I figure that would get too weird and creepy

[NarniaDis]

I saw this fri. afternoon...

Was good, better than the 2nd one, but still cant hold a candle on the 1st.

Loved the acting, Short and Allen have great Chemistry and Ann Margret was great in the scenes she was in.

over all I would give it a B, and its def. worth seeing

[disneyboy20022]

Correct me if I am wrong but... Wasn't the last film that Tim Allen and Martin Short worked together on was Jungle 2 Jungle which was also a Disney Movie. That movie was also hilarious!!

[slave2moonlight]

I'm surprised that people are so down on part 2. I think I even liked that one better than the first, aside from that submarine themed opening scene.

Anyway, I plan to see this one later in the season. Possibly over Thanksgiving weekend. I'm pretty psyched to see it, but I didn't know Bernard wasn't going to be in it. That's pretty disappointing. I can't imagine it without him. I won't be that disappointed in Charlie having a smaller role though. Never liked that character so much, even though he was so important in the other two films.

Also hoping to see "Deck the Halls," and "The Nativity," though I haven't even seen a trailer for Nativity, only heard about it from my sis.

[Disneykid]

I haven't even seen a trailer for Nativity, only heard about it from my sis.

Here ya go:

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[James]

What are Deck the Halls and The Nativity about? I haven't heard much about them. Will they be released for Christmas?
-James

[slave2moonlight]

Thanks, DisneyKid. The Nativity Story (left off the "Story" part before, sounds like they added that word to please folks who don't believe in it, which seems rather unnecessary...) looks to be an amazing film! Seeing the trailer certainly hasn't lessened my interest in seeing the film!

James, the Nativity Story is about what you would expect from the title, the birth of Jesus Christ, "the Christmas Story," and all the drama around it. As for "Deck the Halls," from the trailers I gather that it is about two neighbors competing over having the best Holiday decorations on their houses and being the most festive guy in the neighborhood I guess. Looks pretty funny. Again, from the trailers I've seen, it seems that Matthew Broderick is this guy who is known for having the best Christmas decor on his house, and then Danny Devito moves onto his street and tries to out-do him. As I said to my friends after seeing the trailer on TV, "This could be our new 'Jingle All the Way.'" Ha, my friends and I have a tradition of watching "Jingle All the Way" at our little Christmas gathering every year. Being toy collectors, we get a big kick out of it, despite some of the acting involved. Ha, I don't really think we'll switch to watching a different movie, I just meant this looks like that kind of light-hearted Christmas comedy that pokes fun at the commercialization of Christmas.

[NarniaDis]

Deck the Halls, just looks bad, IMO - everytime I've seent the trailer Crowd reaction has been real bad...

[James]

Thanks for the info Slave2moonlight! You always answer my questions, nice that someone listens and answers so quickly and elaborately! Never heard of Deck the Halls, but it sounds like Christmas with the Kranks. The Nativity Story sounds a bit like a lesser Passion of the Christ, set at Christmas. Just the vibe I'm getting.
-James

[slave2moonlight]

Glad to be of help, James. Ha, I saw Christmas with the Kranks when it came out and haven't seen it since, though my parents have a sealed copy on their DVD shelf. I guess we've been waiting for the holidays to see it again. I remember that, when I saw it, it started out looking really low-budget and lame, but as it went along I started liking it and it turned out to be a pretty cute movie. Of course, who knows how it will be on a second viewing. My mom says she didn't really like it, so I have no idea why she bought it because she almost NEVER buys movies. Looking forward to putting it on any day now, when I have the spare time.

As for the Nativity, when I heard about it, ha, I wondered if it was going to be from Mel Gibson. In fact, most people have told me they wondered that when they first heard about it. It has the realistic look of "Passion of the Christ." It's in English though, thankfully, and I don't expect it to be as graphic, though it does tell the entire Christmas story it seems, including showing the violent baby killing stuff and all. I'm sure this film was greatly inspired by the success of Passion. It will be interesting to see what it is like. Hopefully, they remembered that it is a Christmas film and tried to keep the gore offscreen or in the shadows, ha. I'm really psyched to see it. I wonder how it will perform compared to Passion.

Well, NarniaDis, most people recognize Jingle All the Way as a bad movie (though maybe it's just some of the acting), but many folks, including myself, still love it because it's fun and we can relate to the situations. I think "Deck the Halls" looks like it will be the same way. However, from the quick cut trailer they've been showing, I don't know how anyone can truly get the feeling that it is a bad movie. Of course, it looks like it's got its share of slapstick, and some folks just don't like slapstick comedy. I like slapstick as long as it doesn't follow the Home Alone formula (loved the first two Home Alones, but that's enough of the kids booby trapping bad guys stuff for me... well, I loved 101 Dalmatians too).

[thomashton]

I too think SC2 is better than the original. I love the "date" scene when Scott and Carol go to the Christmas Party and Scott play Santa Claus and wins the party over. It is by far one of the best scenes of Christmas movies out there. Touching, funny, wonderful. I haven't seen SC3 yet, but my 5 year old son and I will, probably at Thanksgiving time. My wife really isn't into it so we will probably go. May take some of his cousins with us too.

[slave2moonlight]

Glad to hear someone else appreciates Santa Clause 2 as much as I do! The date scene is my favorite part as well! It's so magical and Christmassy! I'd love to have a date like that with Miss Right! Ha. I also LOVE the date scene with Molly Shannon. Too hilarious!

I'll probably see it over Thanksgiving or sometime before Christmas too. I was at Best Buy yesterday and was really tempted to get the original film for 6.99 (this week, anyway), but then I thought about how a 2 disc version may come out when the 3rd movie hits DVD. At the moment, I only have the first on VHS (have the second on DVD though).

[James]

At the moment, I only have the first on VHS (have the second on DVD though).

Me too! I can't be bothered to buy the first one on DVD, considering the bonus features are said to be of low standard, and a newer version should be released next year.
And I do appreciate The Santa Clause 2, but just on a different level than the original. The original was a new kind of Christmas movie, that was a film the whole family could appreciate, but the parents could enjoy on a higher level. The jokes weren't just for kids, and the plotline was a serious one that was tackled with humour and pathos. The sequel was almost like a different movie. It became a franchise and was re defined to become a family film, full of cliches and weird sets. I like The Santa Clause 2, but the originality just isn't as good as The Santa Cluase. I wouldn't really compare the two films anymore, as they are so very different, in terms of there era, humour, and acting.
-James

[slave2moonlight]

At the moment, I only have the first on VHS (have the second on DVD though).

Me too! I can't be bothered to buy the first one on DVD, considering the bonus features are said to be of low standard, and a newer version should be released next year.
And I do appreciate The Santa Clause 2, but just on a different level than the original. The original was a new kind of Christmas movie, that was a film the whole family could appreciate, but the parents could enjoy on a higher level. The jokes weren't just for kids, and the plotline was a serious one that was tackled with humour and pathos. The sequel was almost like a different movie. It became a franchise and was re defined to become a family film, full of cliches and weird sets. I like The Santa Clause 2, but the originality just isn't as good as The Santa Cluase. I wouldn't really compare the two films anymore, as they are so very different, in terms of there era, humour, and acting.
-James

Well, I actually had to warm up to the original film, because I'm not a fan of the "replaceable Santa" idea. Had the same issue with "Ernest Saves Christmas," but I'm a big Ernest fan, so that helped. Actually, that's one of the few Ernest films I don't have yet, though it's one of the best. Anyways, I'm not so sure I buy that Santa Clause 2 was so drastically different from the first. I mean, I don't really feel that it makes the film seem out of sync with the first, which is the impression I get from other comments in various forums, often blaming the crew changes. I think the film was unavoidably different because it dealt with Santa Claus posing as a regular guy rather than a regular guy changing into Santa Claus. Scott has changed somewhat since becoming Santa. Plus, we unavoidably get a lot more footage of Santa and the world in which he lives. It probably would be a mistake not to show such things in a very family-friendly, kid appealing way. So, yeah, it was very different in the balance of cutesy with realistic/serious, but I still think both were there. The level of which we got more of was just reversed, which I thought was a nice way to handle it. It's like Toy Story (1) focusing on Buzz being followed by Toy Story 2 focusing on Woody. To me, in the scenes at the North Pool, they were still similar to the original, though maybe a tad more gaudy, and the scenes with Scott Calvin seemed like the ones in the original to me too. I still felt the point of him looking for a wife and dealing with his son was effective on an adult level, even if not as serious as the first film. And, that's probably why I tend to lean more towards part 2. I think when I watch a Christmas film I'm looking for a little less drama (unless it's It's a Wonderful Life). I can still enjoy the somewhat serious stuff, like "One Magic Christmas," but don't like to get too much of it. I'm more in it for the magical Santa stuff than for the Lifetime movie stuff, ha.

And, yeah, I went to Best Buy and held the DVD in my hands (of the original film), but it just didn't seem like that great of a "special Edition." I really got the feeling we'll be seeing something bigger next year... Here's hoping. I WOULD like to add at least one Christmas movie to my collection every year though, even though I seem to be after too many OTHER DVDs this year,... but I did manage to get "Sabrina the Animated Series: A Witchmas Carol" for 5.99 at Wallgreen's the other day, so I guess that will suffice if I don't pick up anything else this year.

[thomashton]

WOW! only one Christmas movie each year. I would go insane. I buy way too many for only really watching them once per year. In fact, I have several (including The Happy Elf and It's A Wonderful Life), that I haven't watched on DVD yet--the days leading up to Christmas are too few! I've already bought the 2-disc Special Edition of The Polar Express this year and we'll see what else comes around.