It's not as brain-dead as most Christmas movies. That being said, it's not itsactly comparable to Dostoyevsky in writing either. But it's a good story with an interesting premise.
Pros: -Wholesome, but not over-happy or forced full of jokes. It has some genuinely sad parts that bring a good balance too. -Well shot, though many of the shots could've been more effective with slower pacing. -Finnish history is sadly rarely looked into in movies. That being said this is not an exact historically accurate recreation or even set in an exact time in history. Still a good location. -And continueing on the locations, this movie really shows the beauty of Lapland well. Also great sets like the village, the cabin and the workshop. These combined with good camera work do give this film a very beautiful aesthetic. -Santa Claus is presented as an actual Human Being.
Cons: -This movie could've really benefited from a slower pacing like I mentioned earlier. Not only the shots that would've gotten more weight to them if they were longer, but also the story, that feels like it goes forward at a speed around thousand miles in an hour. There's enough story that this could've easily been a 1h 50minute piece. -Iisakki's story was over-explained. He literally said "X happened to me and that's why I'm like Y. " Then again this is a children's movie, so maybe a bit of over-explanation can be looked over. But it was still rushed feeling.
Pros: -Wholesome, but not over-happy or forced full of jokes. It has some genuinely sad parts that bring a good balance too. -Well shot, though many of the shots could've been more effective with slower pacing. -Finnish history is sadly rarely looked into in movies. That being said this is not an exact historically accurate recreation or even set in an exact time in history. Still a good location. -And continueing on the locations, this movie really shows the beauty of Lapland well. Also great sets like the village, the cabin and the workshop. These combined with good camera work do give this film a very beautiful aesthetic. -Santa Claus is presented as an actual Human Being.
Cons: -This movie could've really benefited from a slower pacing like I mentioned earlier. Not only the shots that would've gotten more weight to them if they were longer, but also the story, that feels like it goes forward at a speed around thousand miles in an hour. There's enough story that this could've easily been a 1h 50minute piece. -Iisakki's story was over-explained. He literally said "X happened to me and that's why I'm like Y. " Then again this is a children's movie, so maybe a bit of over-explanation can be looked over. But it was still rushed feeling.