Rating: 
Summary: Cute, but not the same calibre as the first
Review: Tim Allen returns as Scott Calvin -- aka Santa Claus -- in this sequel that brings back the original cast in all their roles, although except for Tim Allen (and Bernard the head elf), in significantly reduced roles from the first. Scott's ex-wife and psychiatrist husband are now supportive, having discovered Scott's secret in the first film, and so they aren't the adversary.Actually, this movie fights on three fronts rather than the one of the first movie. In the first corner, Scott has to deal with his son, Charlie, who has turned up on the naughty list for butting heads with his cynical principal, and using grafitti as his weapon of choice. In the second is Toy Santa, the imitation Santa Scott leaves behind to run things in his absence, but who decides he's the real Santa and ALL children are naughty, and therefore deserve coal instead of toys. And finally, the second Santa Clause -- the Mrs. Clause -- that states that if Scott doesn't locate a wife by Christmas Eve, he'll cease to be Santa forever. Much to Charlie's chagrin, Scott sets his sights on Charlie's beautiful principal, Carol Newman. Overall this isn't a bad movie, but it lacks the magic of the first. In the original, Scott only had to deal with coming to terms about being Santa, and everything that happened in the movie was a direct link to that storyline. This time, there are three seperate stories going on (albeit linked), none of which earning much screen time. At the end, I walked away feeling as if none of the stories had been developed nearly as well as the single story was done in the first movie. Frankly, the storyline of warming the principal's heart -- she's abhored Christmas ever since her parents broke her heart by telling her the "truth" that there is no Santa. It also would have been interesting to see more of Charlie and his dilinquent behavior, handled all to quickly and neatly for my tastes. But then there's the chaos at the North Pole with the Toy Santa's takeover, an interesting storyline unto itself but one that never felt like much more than Disney showing off a few makeup tricks (as the Toy Santa, Tim does look like a giant toy Santa). Consequently, this movie has an overall feel that's so different from the first, it never felt like a continuation of the same story. From beginning to end, it never felt as happy and comfortable as its predecessor. Ultimately, this one will wind up on the video shelf next to the original. But it will never share the same place with the first in my heart.
Rating: 
Summary: (In fact 2.5 Stars) The Film Offers Many, But Ends Up Flimsy
Review: In 1994, Tim Allen's feature debut film "Santa Clause" was released to be a commercial success. Eight years later, somehow they decided to make a sequal to the original, which, by the way, I didn't remember much. I saw it, that's for sure, but no images remain in my mind. Possibly the same fate would be waiting for this one, which features the titular character Scott Calvin, now called Santa and living around the North Pole with cute elves. He is happy, working for the good kids all over the world,; however, he is suddenly informed that there is one clause he should have known much earlier. That is, Santa must have a wife, Mrs. Clause so to speak, and he has to find a spouse within the deadline. And that is coming very near, like, about one month. Five scriptwriters are credited to concoct the story, which I find very weak and even dated -- I said to myself, "must be married?" The filmmakers clearly didn't think about the possibility that not all the children watching this film share the same image of "family," but I can forget that part. That's a comedy, so just make us laugh. And as a comedy, "Santa Clause 2" doesn't work well. There are some funny moments such as plastic Santa played by Allen in special make-up, or flatulant reindeer, but I don't think adults would find them memorable. In fact, I don't believe that kids watching the film might be bored unless they are very young pre-teens. The production designs are decently done, and Tim Allen and other cast do their best to be amusing, but how do you think when the film begins with a scene in which you see the surprised faces of airplane crew flying over the North Pole, who happen to hear the Christmas song of Smokey Robinson coming from underground? Is this tame gag so funny? It is said that Hollywood studios, including Walt Disney company which produced this film, lack in originality, but the true problem is not that. It is that they lack confidence. If only the script pursued the premise of marrying Mrs, Clause much further, I was thinking about that while watching the film. Elizabeth Mitchell plays superbly the headmaster of a school with her rather cold, cynical attitude towards kids, and the romance between her and Tim Allen has some good moments. Of course, her cynicism is to be dismantled. But the film meanders among the unnecessary sub-plots about Scott Calvin's son, Judge Reinhold - Wendy Crewson family (did you remember they were in the original?) and the conference of traditional fairies. There are many sketches, but none of them can sustain the whole film. People say "kids might love it"; perhaps they might, but you cannot underestimate kids. (I'd really like to know the opinions of teenagers, especially above 16.) As for adults, I don't think this is a good idea to spend the time. The premise of "Be married, be a Santa" never sounds enticing to me.
Rating: 
Summary: Much better and more fun than the first
Review: Last Sunday I saw this movie. It was fun. This theater was filled so I had to sit in the front. Now all movies, I really get scared of sitting in the front, but this one had no trouble. Three words, why. IT'S RATED G. Well this theater was in midtown and I live at uptown. I took a taxi; I would had taken the subway, instead but, I took it to get home. Well let me get back to it. The Santa Clause 2 was much better. The animation to this movie was much better, the action was much better, and the plot was more fun. This would be a comedy for kids of all ages.
Rating:
Summary: It's A Wonderful Life, this ain't
Review: Christmas is a wonderful time of the year, and this is one of the better movies of today. But even as a fantasy, this film is mediocre at all standards. Scott (Tim Allen) has been divorced from his marriage in the first movie and, as 'Santa', he needs to find a Mrs. Claus before Christmas Day or else... And time runs short. Charlie, now a grown-up teenager, gets in trouble for defacing school property. Not once, but several times. And the school's outer wall has grafitti all over it. One of the better parts of the film is that the school staff gets the toys they wanted since their childhood days ... good for a chuckle or two, but warm-hearted nevertheless. Yet another advertisement for Christmas commercialism.
Rating: 
Summary: CHECK IT OUT, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO PUT FOR A TITLE!
Review: Some reviewers said that this movie reeked & exited in the first 5 minutes. Boy, did they miss out. I'll be honest, the beginning & end of the movie is kind of rough. The five-bucks-a-day kid actors at the beginning & the "believing" stuff @ the end doesn't really help. But overall, the movie was very creative & funny. (remember, Tim Allen is in that sit-com?...) It'll probably be five stars from your kids, & something good from you, probably. If you can get throught the first five minutes, well, its just good.
Rating:
Summary: Humor for all ages... almost.
Review: This is an adorable movie for kids of all ages.... well, except maybe critical 14-16 year old teenagers. The script has Tim Allen signature humor written all over it. Kids will laugh at and love one part, adults another. Teens will probably find it "cheesy." The magic is more fun and less disturbing than Harry Potter. The music is fun, too. The future "Mrs. Claus" comes to believe too suddenly, but kids won't care. To them it is part of the magic and probably not their favorite part of the story. Overall, a fun movie for kids. For adults, a relaxing time of laughter with the family.
Rating:
Summary: for a sequel, this movie really works
Review: I think this film did very well for itself, considering it's a sequel that really could have been messed up and made really corny. I thought it would be really bad and stupid, but it wasn't. It upholds a strong enough plot to keep the movie from sinking under the "lame sequel" title. Tim Allen returns as Scott Calvin, our beloved Santa Claus who, along with all the elves and everyone in the North Pole, is busy preparing for the busiest time of the year which is known as Christmas. When Santa receives word that his son Charlie has gotten himself on the naughty list for rebellious behavior at school, Santa must get himself a replacement so that he can fly back home and help Charlie. Of course, this is not the only reason Santa has to get home: according to the rules, he must find himself a Mrs. Claus if he intends to go on being Santa. Simple enough plot with some very funny, gentle, touching, and altogether engaging moments. I think one thing that made this movie successful was the return of so many of the actors/actresses from the first Santa Clause movie. Tim Allen, of course, is back as Santa, and so is Eric Lloyd as Charlie, and Charlie's mom and stepfather Laura and Neil. I think Lloyd did a very strong acting job here and put some good depth into Charlie's character. Charlie is hurt and angry inside because his dad has the best job in the world, and he has to keep quiet about it--thus, he falls into some behavioral problems. Later, though, he discovers how special this secret is, which is a very touching moment in the film. And of course, you can also enjoy some new characters this time around. Curtis the elf will have you laughing, and Charlie's little stepsister Lucy is quite the little charmer. She is a cutie, and a special moment between her, Charlie, and Santa at the end was my personal favorite in the movie.I don't want to give away too much in this review, but I will advise you to go see this movie because it is one of the very few movie sequels out there that really works.
Rating:
Summary: Fails compared to the original
Review: Sometimes one Santa is enough. The Santa Clause 2 picks up several years after the original left off, with the new Santa (Tim Allen) fully adjusted in his job. Unfortunately any magic and authentic holiday spirit the original film contained is lost in this second chapter. Now, while I admit sweet sappy family films are not my cup of tea, if they're done right I can certainly enjoy them. Especially good Christmas films which help me settle into that holly jolly spirit. The first Santa Clause sat just fine with me, offering enough entertainment to keep me watching and avoided too much of the saccharin-drenched family goodness that can make me sick to my stomach. The story of an ordinary man, divorced and trying to have a good relationship with his son, who falls into becoming the mythical Santa Claus was perfect holiday fare. Not a masterpiece by any measure, but sweet innocent fun. It's sequel, however, falls into a retread of similar themes and worse: Using cliched Christmas movie gimmicks. In other words, there isn't much originality here. The story this time around is that another clause (rule) has been discovered that says Santa must marry or he'll lose his powers (rather convenient they found this rule out after 7 years on the job just moments before he starts losing his magic). Meanwhile, his son Charlie is on the naughty list and he must go home to put him back on track. Despite some plot holes, it seems this idea could work. But it doesn't. What made the original work was the slow discovery of the magical world of Santa Claus amidst our real world. While being a fantasy, it had serious roots in the world we know. But the sequel is rooted in the fantasy world, the outside world plugged in as though it were an afterthought. Then it goes a step further into fantasy when other mythical creatures such as the Tooth Fairy and Mother Earth appear, making the film seem more silly then charming. This movie is strictly for children and their parents who are into family fare. Those that fit into this category, don't let me sway your decision to see it. But for anyone who is at all serious about movies: Don't waste your time.
Rating:
Summary: Better than the first
Review: I saw this movie this weekend and I just cannot see how it has gotten such bad reviews! I laughed at this one more than I did the first The Santa Clause. Tim Allen is hilarious and the cute little elf addition (played by "The Kid"'s Spencer Breslin) really made this move fun! And Bernard, the senior elf, is still around and just as neat as before. In this sequel, Santa Clause must find a wife or he loses his job as Santa Clause. The North Pole hasn't been happier since he became Santa and now he only has 28 days to find a Mrs. So, he returns home to his son, who has grown into a delinquent and rebels against his principal, and strives to find a wife. Meanwhile, at the North Pole, things are not as they should be. This movie is so much fun! Add a new clutzy reindeer-in-training, a Santa double, and some mean looking toy soldiers, and you get a wonderful new holiday favorite! I must say it tops my list up there with 'Scrooged' and National Lampoon's Christmas! OH! And have a holly, jolly Christmas!
Rating: 
Summary: We had to leave after about 15 minutes.
Review: I cannot for the life of me understand how anyone could sit through this pile of unoriginal--and unfunny--drivel. I had to tell my two children to give it a chance after each of them, about 5 minutes in, turned to me and said that they wanted to sit in the car. It's that formulaic, that predictable, and that boring. God, even Ice Age, as lame and unoriginal as it was, didn't drive us from the theater like this steaming bowl of tripe. Hollywood, believe it or not, has really hit a new low with this awful stuff. But, for all of you who love mediocrity, enjoy. I feel so much better getting this off my chest. And if you want to see a real film for children and adults alike, with real intelligence and real humor, go see Spirited Away. Problem is, most theater chains don't give their audiences enough credit to show such films.
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