In 2002 Tim Allen returned with The Santa Clause 2, a weirder but more traditionally kid-friendly sequel - gone are the bleak overtures of divorce and custody battles and in come lots of fancy special effects and a bizarre subplot about a robot Santa double that goes crazy and becomes an evil dictator.
Part two doesn't fall into the trap of just re-doing the first one and at least tries hard to come up with new ideas that fit into the sketchy mythology that was set up in part one. This time, Scott must deal with an inconvenient "sub clause" that nobody thought to mention for eight years - if Santa doesn't take a wife in the next month, he'll lose his powers forever and Christmas will be doomed. It's never explained why this draconian rule exists and nobody mentions what happened to the previous Mrs Claus. Did she disappear too? Did they have a funeral? It's best not to think about it as the film sure doesn't want you to.
So, with Michael Lembeck on directorial duties, Scott travels to snowy Chicago to play the singles scene and to deal with his kid who's - uh oh - been branded "naughty" for a graffiti campaign against his school principal. The principal, Carol (Elizabeth Mitchell) also happens to be super-hot and has her eye on Scott. How convenient.
In his absence, Scott leaves behind the aforementioned weird plastic robot toy doppelganger thing to do Santa stuff, though this creepy thing has a couple of screws loose. This allows Allen to play three distinct roles in one, which he pulls off really well. It's also good fun to watch the 'Santa' transformation of part one happening in reverse as the Christmas magic starts to wear off, though this part is over a little too fast for me.
This is the rare sequel that dares to be different, while successfully coaxing all the key players from part one back for more. It's just a shame it forgets to give them many funny things to say or do. We get needless subplots about a chocolate-loving reindeer and some expensive-looking but unfunny stuff about a 'league of legendary characters' including the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy and so on. It feels superfluous and I can't shake the feeling that the movie would be much leaner and more rewarding without it.
The bigger budget and advances in special effects are obvious, though much of it feels pretty soulless due to the 2002-level not-quite-there-yet CGI. It's definitely imaginative and filled with enough hyperactive fun to keep junior audiences interested, though I reckon the romantic scenes might turn their wee tummies.
As fun as it is to see Allen playing a psychotic villain, much of the film strains to amuse but comes up blank. Even the fart jokes are lame. There are a few inspired moments, like when Santa conjures up some classic, nostalgia-inducing toys like Mouse Trap to inspire a group of excitable grown-ups but, to be honest, this is mostly forgettable if inoffensive stuff.
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