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The busy workload of the semester leaves no time for movies, so catch up on everything you missed, and more, with some spirited films. Each year, the holiday season highlights the typical, classic holiday movies, so if you are looking for something different to watch, this list offers some underrated seasonal movies that you may have never seen before.

Spirited
Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell team up in a new musical take on the classic Charles Dickens’ story “A Christmas Carol.” Reynolds stars as Clint Briggs, the “miserly misanthrope” archetype of this story. Ferrell, who is playing the Ghost of Christmas Present, takes him on a journey.

However, the story takes a twist on the original as Ferrell’s ghost character begins to examine his past. For the first time in the long history of the retelling of “A Christmas Carol,” the audience will finally see the story from the eyes of the ghosts rather than the “Scrooge” character.

Not only is this a classic Christmas story with two of the biggest stars in Hollywood, “Spirited” is also a musical with a soundtrack written by Benji Pasek and Justin Paul of “Dear Evan Hansen” and “The Greatest Showman.” Be sure to check out “Spirited” on AppleTV+ this holiday season.

Violent Night
If you want to stay in the Christmas spirit, but need a break from the normal charm of the season, then “Violent Night” is a perfect choice. This Christmas action-comedy stars David Harbour as a tough Santa Claus who must protect a young girl’s house when it is invaded on Christmas night.

The movie is produced by 87North Productions, which recently released two of the most fun action movies of the past few years in “Nobody” and “Bullet Train,” both of which have a perfect blend of camp and humility.

“Violent Night” has been described by critics as an explosive mix of two Christmas classics, “Home Alone” and “Die Hard,” two movies that capture the Christmas spirit in original and creative ways. While this movie is not very family-friendly, it is guaranteed to be an exciting ride that can get you in the Christmas spirit in an unconventional way.

A Christmas Story Christmas
Nearly 40 years after the release of the holiday classic “A Christmas Story,” Peter Billingsley returns to his famous role as Ralphie Parker. Set in 1973, the sequel follows Parker as he tries to give his family the same memorable Christmas experience that he got as a kid back in the original movie. To do so, Parker travels back home to Hohman, Indiana, to spend Christmas in the same home that he does in “A Christmas Story.”

As he did when he was a kid, Parker will have an eventful holiday season including some broken bones, light criminal activity and meetups with several key characters from the original movie, all played by the same actors as in 1983. Although Parker is now a full-grown adult in this movie, there is still a sense of childlike wonder in this story, offering something for the whole family to enjoy. “A Christmas Story Christmas” is sure to be a fun, nostalgic way to get into the holiday spirit. Be sure to check it out on HBO Max.

Stephanie Zaso | Design Editor

Falling For Christmas
A true holiday movie season would not be complete without a good romantic comedy. This year “Falling for Christmas” has taken the lead in the holiday romcom conversation. Former child star Lindsay Lohan returns to a leading role as a hotel heiress named Sierra Belmont, who wants to be known by something other than her last name. After an unfortunate accident, Belmont is knocked out and wakes up in the care of Chord Overstreet’s Jake Russell with amnesia.

In the spirit of other holiday rom-coms, Belmont’s internal struggle leads her to find unexpected love with Russell, the owner of a smaller resort on the same mountain as Belmont’s father. After Russell helps her recover from the accident, the two then spend the rest of the movie finding love through the holiday spirit. “Falling for Christmas” plays off of many of the same tropes that we have come to expect from a Christmas-themed romantic comedy — including two opposite people falling in love and an upper-class person being changed by a small town as it comes together for the holidays. Any romantic comedy fan should check this movie out this holiday season on Netflix.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
After an up-and-down year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, director James Gunn helped to close out the year strong for the franchise with “The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.” Although only an hour long, Gunn still brings all of the special elements of the previous Guardians of the Galaxy movies, including fun music, cartoon-like visuals, hilarious dialogue and tremendous chemistry between the characters. This story follows Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) as they try to bring the Christmas spirit back to Peter Quill (Chris Pratt).

To do so, the two travel to earth to find the perfect “gift” for Quill, his favorite actor Kevin Bacon. Upon arrival at the Guardians’ home in space, Quill is horrified at the appearance of Bacon and demands that he is returned to Earth. However, before he leaves Bacon decides to teach the Guardians’ a lesson about Christmas. Bacon and the Old 97’s sing a song about what really matters during the holiday season.

Whether you are a Marvel fan or not, “The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” is a really fun and unique way to get into the Christmas spirit on Disney+.

Published on December 12, 2022 at 8:26 pm