NETFLIX seems to be messing with their audience with all of their ridiculous original Christmas films. Their latest entry, The Knight Before Christmas, is no exception in the continuation for them to see how absurd they can make these movies. A film that only seems to exist because of a pun, The Knight Before Christmas finds a knight named Sir Cole Christopher Frederick Lyons (Josh Whitehouse) — living in 1334 Norwich, England — transported to 2019 Bracebridge, Ohio by an Old Crone (Ella Kenion) so he can fulfil a quest to become a true knight.

The Knight Before Christmas has immensely lazy writing when it comes to explaining the time travel aspect of the film, and the plot is predictable as ever. The pacing feels quite off. As Sir Cole spends a few days with Brooke (Vanessa Hudgens) before Christmas Day, often doing nothing to figure out his quest, the film utilizes many recurring tropes from other conventional NETFLIX originals of this calibre. It has the production value of a made for television film; the costuming for the present day is lovely, but the scenes that take place in medieval England look like a high school play, and the knights’ costumes feel as if they were plucked straight from the racks of a discount Halloween store.

There are some special effects used to illustrate the magic of the Old Crone, but it looks atrociously fake and overdone. However, in contrast, the recurring snowfall is quite well done. There is also a scene that takes place in a grocery store. Since The Knight Before Christmas was filmed in Bracebridge, Ontario, Canadians will recognize this as a Giant Tiger store, which felt jarring and could take people out of the film who know the iconic yellow tiger stripes. Despite its flaws, the film excels in catering to its target audience. It is meant to be cheesy and is quite a fun, brainless watch.

The performances in The Knight Before Christmas are the standout. This is Vanessa Hudgens’s second Christmas original for NETFLIX — the first being 2018’s The Princess Switch — and she does well as a lead in romantic comedy roles. Her characters are always likeable, kind, and sincere; it is easy to see why the male characters are so drawn to her natural charisma and energy. This settles quite nicely into her role as the current reigning queen of NETFLIX Christmas films.

Josh Whitehouse puts forward a decent effort in his role as a medieval knight discovering how to operate in a modern setting. There is a point when Sir Cole uses Brooke’s Alexa to explore the internet. Internet slang begins to be mixed in with his medieval vernacular and is one of the most amusing aspects of the film, even including a passing line that calls back to NETFLIX popular A Christmas Prince that dedicated fans will pick up on. These are all small but entertaining aspects of a film that struggles to have any prowess in a growing saturated market.

People who enjoy NETFLIX original films and acknowledge that they are awful in a fun, self-referential way will enjoy The Knight Before Christmas. Despite its bizarre plot, The Knight Before Christmas is one of NETFLIX‘s better Christmas features with lovable, amusing characters, strong performances and just the right amount of cheese for a delightful yet self-aware romp.

The Knight Before Christmas is released November 21st, 2019.

The Knight Before Christmas

Klaus

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