I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

the prophecy has come to pass there would come to a chosen one once upon a time long time ago a toymaker was given amazing powers and was chosen to live in the north pole with elves to deliver gifts all over the world this is the origin story of the big man him self thus Santa clause the most beloved of legends came to pass Santa clause and his wife Anya and patch played by Dudley more live happily in the north pole but because patch is a futurist and likes to stream line but his plan goes hay wire so he leaves for new York where he meets a ruthless but dangerous toy maker bz this is john litgow he likes money and ticks patch into trying to take over from Santa at Xmas Santa finds out his plans and with two children he has befriended over the years and a few sick reindeer out of action Santa mounts a rescue plan as patches car plane over heats with his lolly pop magic so with magic on hand and patch looking for help this magical movie has the spirit of Xmas alive in everyone my 144 film review at 1hr4mins 7/10 this is saw in the cinema

"Santa Claus" of 1985 is one of the first movies to give a modern take – or update, on Santa Claus. It doesn't go into the true story or the background, but picks up with the fantasy of Santa, his reindeer and the North Pole. The plot has an interesting twist to the beginning of Santa that is mystical. And, another interesting twist is that the elves and the North Pole always have been there -- at least since who knows when, just waiting for the Santa to come on the scene. That's another somewhat mystical aspect. From that fantasy beginning, the movie opens up to a very colorful, inventive and fun story and adventure. The sets for this film were excellent and some of the items were very ingenious. I don't want to give those away. The special effects and design add sparkle, literally and figuratively, to the movie. So, one can say that it is magic. It's sort of a magic show put on film. Of course, there are twists in the plot that work in a couple of Christmas messages. John Lithgow's character, as the mean, villainous B.Z. is just funny enough that he shouldn't be scary to small children. We older children can chuckle at his character. All of the cast are very good in their roles. Without being too overboard, this film gives some colorful and fun treatment to the tradition of Santa Claus that the whole family can enjoy. The little guys might especially enjoy the reindeer as portrayed in this film.

Santa Claus is a decent movie with a reasonably well developed storyline and a talented cast, although no one ever gets to show their full potential as an actor. It certainly has good moments and is a very nice Christmas movie that is very strong with the spirit of the season, it is certainly a lot of fun for anyone under the age of ten. The highlight of the entire film for me was John Lithgow, who I believe steals every scene as the villain B.Z., he's ruthless and completely unlikeable, it's an exaggerated performance that easily could have been hurrendous, but Lithgow made it work. My main problem with the film is that the story never really goes anywhere, it's almost two hours long and the adventure only really kicks off at about 75 minutes in, and is resolved by minute 95, the conflict is small and very simple, we never actually lose hope and feel as if the hero may not succeed. Every single character lacks depth or proper arch, none of them are established, not even the title character, we know very little about him before he is made become the Father of Christmas, and Patch the elf is poorly written, despite a good performance from Dudley Moore, the character starts out normal, eventually becomes evil for unknown reasons, and randomly becomes good again, it made little sense to be and it was clear he was just a poorly developed character. It's worth a look if you see it on television, but Santa Claus is definitely not a movie I would insist on watching every Christmas, and you shouldn't go out of your way to see it. A woodcutter soon becomes Santa Claus and must save Christmas from an evil toy manufacturer. Best Performance: John Lithgow

This was always one of my favourite childhood films so I was a little apprehensive about watching it in case it didn't hold up. However, I'm glad to say that it held up very well. David Huddleston is my favourite Santa, playing the role with the requisite level of warmth and kindness. John Lithgow is wonderfully over the top as B.Z., who does not actually appear until almost an hour into the film. The Salkinds were almost always able to assemble great casts for their films and this one is no exception. Of the rest of the cast, I thought that Judy Cornwall, Dudley Moore and, in a great cameo, Burgess Meredith were the best.The Salkinds also made the first three "Superman" films and this film has certain similarities to the first of those: the first part of both films is concerned with the origins of the title character before transitioning to the present, which makes up the bulk of the film, and introducing a very entertaining, over the top villainous businessman who loves being evil.Donner being the name of one of Santa's reindeers goes back in the 19th Century but I couldn't help but think that the fact Donner was the (initially) unreliable one when it came to the Super Duper Looper might have been meant as a dig at Superman and (initial) "Superman II" director Richard Donner. Speaking of the Super Duper Looper, I found it impossible not to think of 9/11 when they attempted to do it around the Twin Towers.