MovieMuse
Over the last few years the MovieMuse team has logged more than 80 Christmas movies in our MovieViews database, which has enabled us to produce this list of films for the festive period. Some are good, some are bad and some are far less Christmassy than others, but if you’re wondering whether any of those made-for-TV movies are worth a watch, are looking for something a little different or just want a reminder of some Yuletide classics, look no further than our handy reference guide!
You can also see the MovieMuse team’s Top Ten Christmas films by checking out the YouTube video at the bottom of the page.
Please note that the below list spans multiple pages – the navigation buttons at the bottom of the list will move between them.
| Poster | Movie | Genre | Year | Comments | Rating | Reviewer |
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Daddy's Home 2 | Comedy | 2017 | Entirely predictable and occasionally cringeworthy, this sequel offers more of the same but the addition of Mel Gibson and John Lithgow does make for some funny moments and the festive theme makes it slightly more forgivable. | 2.5 | Mat |
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Deck the Halls | Comedy, Family | 2006 | You'd expect a film starring Matthew Broderick and Danny DeVito to be a bit higher calibre than most Christmas films, but this is the same bland and predictable 'heartwarming' family comedy as all the others. | 2 | Mat |
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Deck the Halls | Comedy, Family | 2006 | A fun, throwaway Christmas caper that sees self proclaimed 'King of Christmas' Matthew Broderick battling his brash new neighbour Danny DeVito. A very 90s film, released in the middle of the 00s! | 3 | Gordon |
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Die Hard | Action, Thriller | 1988 | Not only the best action film of all time, but also the best Christmas film of all time! An iconic moment in the evolution of action films, showing good guys didn?t need to be muscle-bound heroes and bad guys could be intelligent and engaging. | 5 | Mat |
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Die Hard | Action, Thriller | 1988 | May be the greatest Christmas movie of all time. An amazing action filled romp from beginning to end. | 4.5 | Simon |
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Die Hard | Action, Crime, Thriller | 1988 | Forget the Christmas film nonsense, Die Hard broke the mold for action films and created not only a quintisential hero in NY cop John McClane, but possibly the best bad guy of the 80s in Han Gruber. | 4 | Gordon |
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Die Hard 2 | Action, Thriller | 1990 | While it never reaches the balls-out heights of the original movie, Die Harder is more than just a cheap re-tread as Christmas killjoy terrorists this time take over an airport. | 3.5 | Gordon |
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El Camino Christmas | Comedy, Crime, Drama | 2017 | A Christmas film in name alone, this is like a First Blood lite as an alcoholic cop gets his knickers in a twist about a newcomer, ending in fatal siege at a petrol station. We get to see Tim Allen in a very different light! | 3 | Gordon |
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El Camino Christmas | Crime, Drama | 2017 | The seasonal setting has little bearing on this black comedy set amidst a gas station hold-up, and while the plot is somewhat preposterous, it does have a decent ensemble cast with Tim Allen's performance being the best of the bunch. | 3 | Mat |
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Elf | Comedy, Fantasy | 2003 | Will Ferrell blends his trademark hyperactive enthusiasm with a childlike innocence that works perfectly in this heart-warming tale that is up there with the very best Christmas classics. | 4 | Mat |
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Fatman | Action, Comedy | 2020 | Mel Gibson as a whiskey-swigging, gun-toting Santa being pursued by a hitman hired by a disgruntled 12 year kid. Definitely not for kids, but a lot of fun! | 3.5 | Gordon |
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Gremlins | Comedy, Horror | 1984 | A clever and original concept that is carried out to near-perfection with a great blend of comedy and horror, numerous brilliant scenes and puppets that have stood the test of time remarkably well. | 4.5 | Mat |
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Gremlins | Fantasy, Horror | 1984 | My personal favourite Christmas film. Gremlins is dark, hilarious and unique. The effects still stand up today and if you don't want your own Mogwai you must be dead inside. | 5 | Gordon |
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Happiest Season | Comedy, Drama | 2020 | This Christmas-set LGBT twist on Meet the Parents is not particularly festive but the story is good, it features some great acting talent and there are just enough comedic moments to counteract the heavier relationship drama. | 3 | Mat |
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Home Alone | Adventure, Comedy, Family | 1990 | Having not seen the film in the 30 years since its release I was expecting a trite and silly, slapstick comedy. But what I got was a fun and engaging family film that will now be on my annual Christmas watching list. | 4 | Gordon |
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Home Alone 2: Lost in New York | Comedy, Family | 1992 | Largely a retread of the first film in a new environment, the blend of Looney Tunes style violence and more heartwarming moments is odd but works about as well as it did in the original, though by the end you'll be sympathising with the hapless villains. | 3 | Mat |
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How the Grinch Stole Christmas! | Animation, Comedy, Fantasy | 1966 | 50 years on and the animation style has understandably dated, but it is a tremendously faithful representation of the book with some fun songs added for good measure. | 3 | Gordon |
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It's a Wonderful Life | Drama, Fantasy | 1946 | Putting aside the sometimes stiff acting of the era and the drawn out first half, this is a clever, funny and heartwarming tale that deserves its classic status, though the connection to Christmas is purely circumstantial and has no bearing on the plot. | 3.5 | Mat |
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It's a Wonderful Life | Comedy, Drama, Family | 1946 | Frank Capra's classic tale of a man losing hope and finding redemption in the people around him is often hailed as the best Christmas film ever. I'd wager that you don't need to include the word Christmas in that title. Still an absolute masterpiece. | 5 | Gordon |
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Jack Frost | Comedy, Crime, Family | 1998 | Man dies, becomes snowman. The first half is a family relationship drama, the second is a slapstick comedy. Half too dull for kids and half too silly for adults. So who is it for? | 2 | Gordon |
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Jingle All The Way | Action, Comedy | 1996 | A fairly joyless plot, cringeworthy humour, detestable characters and woeful acting make this a Christmas dud for the most part, though the action-packed last 20 minutes do redeem it slightly. Still one of Arnie's worst though! | 2 | Mat |
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Joyeux Noel | Drama, War | 2005 | The story of the WWI Christmas ceasefire by French, German and British troops in the trenches shows the compassion from all sides, but seems too preoccupied with the art of the film at the expense of narrative. | 3.5 | Gordon |
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Klaus | Animation, Fantasy | 2019 | This alternate origin story for Santa Claus is a nice idea and the 2.5D animation is stylish, but the film is frequently quite dull and the dialogue lacks the polish of the animated films from bigger studios. | 2.5 | Mat |
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Klaus | Adventure, Animation, Comedy | 2019 | An alternative take on how the Santa legend was founded. A smart-mouthed and privileged post man is 'posted' to a remote town and sees the light. | 3.5 | Gordon |
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Krampus | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror | 2015 | Possibly the most terrifying of all Christmas horror movies due to certain scenes, but also one of the most amusing and well realised, with a good cast and a positive festive message amongst the carnage. | 3.5 | Mat |