I haven’t watched any other sequels of the original movie, so I have no basis for comparison there. I have read that this one is significantly better than other sequels.
I thought it was okay. Of course it leaned heavily on the original movie, as you’d expect, with plenty of references to events from that story and even short video clips. (Don’t miss the sign in the bar that is a tribute to Jean Shepherd’s book that this franchise is based on.) Leaning on the original is fine, and quite apt as the story doubles as a tribute to the late Old Man. The writing is competent, though lacking the sparkle and delight of the Jean Shepherd original. But it wasn’t as predictable either as I feared it would be with subplots such as the missing presents and Ralph’s fledgling writing career. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised at what they did with those subplots, avoiding cliched pitfalls in favor of more sensible resolutions.
So I found it was worth my time watching it, though it won’t make the short list of holiday films I watch every year, such as with the original Christmas Story. Actually, I wonder if it might have gained a bit more magic if it had more closely followed Ralph’s kids rather than the adults as it did. That would have been a tough script to write though, with people relentlessly comparing it to the original. I write novels in my spare time: perhaps I will attempt a bit of fan fiction writing and try it, just for kicks. Hmm.
