Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Maidexpl Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Hattie I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

SimonJack "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.

FilmBuff1994 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

Alexandr Katafias (Galaxian92) This film gets rightfully undeserving backlash for no straightforward apparent reasoning (at least, not to my knowledge). I saw this back in 1998 on a VHS when I was 7; this meant whatever I saw could be wound and rewound again, and again. I remember my mother and I would sit down on our comfy sofa, curled up by the fireplace next to the tree, with a cup of hot mocha, every Christmas week, every Christmas eve, and almost every Christmas day to watch this beloved rare nostalgic treasure. Every year that I watch it, the heartwarming memories come flooding back to me. To me, it holds a special place in my heart as a timeless tale of warmth, joy, belonging, and togetherness, a feeling that most live-action "kids" films now adays, especially "family pictures", seem to bypass, confuse, or forget. This film does what a number of Christmas Fantasy Films began to emulate: the "fantasy". It feels like an Historical Family Christmas Comedy/Drama, if that makes any sense. It touches on themes of upbringing, unconditional & unconventional compassion, helping those in need, love, belief, faith in one's self, and most of all, destiny.. that we can choose to follow our own path; a path towards enlightenment, a path towards a better life, a path to a brighter future, for everyone. I know like I'm sounding as if this turned into a paragraph-long sermon for some sort of masterpiece that gets wrongfully accused of being "too commercialized", "too adult, sometimes", "too weird", "too strange", "too 80s", "too much like watching a set", "too cheap looking visual effects", "too long", "too drawn out", "too boring".Well, here is my final statement: This film, to me, captures EXACTLY what Christmas is all about; not only that, but it can show young and old, children and adults alike, that with "a little magic", anything can happen (I know, a corny line, but here me out).. You just have to BELIEVE it will happen.. And ALWAYS hold on to faith.......Final Grade: 10/10 --------- A glorious beautiful masterpiece that will continue to transcend the ages as One of the Pinnacle of Defining Christ-mas movies that shows every child should "never stop believing".

Scott LeBrun From the makers of the 1978 - 1987 "Superman" film franchise comes this likable look at the origin of Santa Claus: how a gift giving man named Claus was chosen by elves long ago to be a worldwide distributor of gifts, the introduction to the workshop, the reindeer, and all of those good things. Eventually more modern touches are given to the material: Santa Claus restoring hope to a homeless boy (Christian Fitzpatrick), and the machinations of a sleazy corporate villain named B.Z., played by John Lithgow at his hammy best. When an elf named Patch (Dudley Moore) has his heart broken as his dreams of being Santas' assistant don't pan out, he journeys from the North Pole to NYC and is manipulated by the heartless B.Z.These touches can't really sour the charm of this disarming fable. It's so wonderfully performed that one does get caught up in it. The under appreciated character actor David Huddleston has a nice warm presence as the man selected to be Saint Nick, as does Judy Cornwell as his wife Anya. Moore is a delight as Patch, a forward-thinking elf with grand ideas and new ways of making toys. Lithgow is a hoot as a completely unsubtle character. Jeffrey Kramer (Deputy Hendricks from "Jaws" 1 and 2) is fine as snivelling flunky Towzer. Burgess Meredith has a great cameo as a wise old elf who gives Santa a hearty welcome. The kids, also including Carrie Kei Heim as Cornelia, are likable enough.Capably directed by Jeannot Szwarc ("Jaws 2", "Somewhere in Time", "Supergirl"), the most impressive asset that "Santa Claus" can boast is its production design. The 2.35:1 aspect ratio treats us to a true "eye candy" assortment of details when it comes to Santas' workshop and residence. Henry Mancini does the music, and Sheena Easton belts out the touching closing anthem, "Christmas All Over the World".There's enough of what could be considered "magic" here to make this decent family viewing.Seven out of 10.