It’s that time of the year again! Christmas is the time where we gather round and watch a festive film with our loved ones. Sometimes they may not even be particularly good films. Often they are films you’ve seen dozens of times, they’re classics for a reason. But if you’re growing tired of quoting “Home Alone” or “Elf” this year, or just need something a little different, then consider these alternative Christmas films…
Lethal Weapon
While every year the debate goes on about whether Die Hard is a Christmas film (it is), the original Lethal Weapon is conspicuously absent. Aside from being set at Christmas time, it’s about family. Riggs is in a dark place having lost his, but slowly comes to accept Murtagh as his new family. The film ends with him being invited in for Christmas dinner. Can’t get much more Christmassy than that.
Lethal Weapon is available to buy/rent on Amazon Prime, Google Play and YouTube, as well as physical media.
Batman Returns
If you like your Christmas films a little more creepy, then a tale about a bat, a cat and a penguin is a good choice. While often overlooked or underrated, this stylish and unique is an excellent alternative to Burton’s classic The Nightmare Before Christmas. Gotham city is covered in snow at Christmas time, and the bat-signal shines in the sky like a star and a kiss under misletoe. It doesn’t quite have the themes of family or coming together for the season, but this is a list of alternative films after all.
Batman Returns is available on DC Universe as well as buy/rent on Amazon Prime, Google Play and YouTube, as well as physical media.
Iron Man 3
Marvel fans also have some festive superhero action to celebrate with. Tony Stark’s battle with PTSD and the Mandarin takes place over Christmas (like most of Shane Black’s films). Despite the heroics, the film does emphasise that the holiday is a time to spend with loved ones. It also works as a version of the Dicken’s classic “A Christmas Carol”, with Stark as Scrooge and facing ghosts from his past, in order to save his present and future. It’s even listed as a Christmas film on Disney +.
Iron Man 3 is available on Disney+, as well as able to buy/rent on Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, as well as physical media.
Brazil
It’s actually easy to forget that this Orwellian Sci-Fi is set around Christmas time. It’s drab grey corridors and cramped buildings don’t exactly promote Christmas cheer. But that’s what makes the few glimpses of Christmas we do get that much more impactful. Brazil is an excellent Christmas film, as Sam dreams of a better life and escaping his mundane one, and the holiday is a good representation of that.
Brazil is available on Amazon Prime, as well as physical media.
In Bruges
Like Brazil, it’s easy to forget this one is set at Christmas, as the characters make very little mention of it. Aside from a few scattered decorations, the opening takes place in a church and the film features a lot of reflection and looking to the future, things usually associated with New Year but also at Christmas. Ray, Ken and Harry make a very dysfunctional family, and naturally fight over Christmas, although hopefully, the average family Christmas squabble involves fewer bullets.
In Bruges, is available to watch on Netflix, as well as buy/ rent on Google Play and physical media.
Also Read: The Grinch: Who Did It Better?
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