CREDIT: A24; Warner Bros. Pictures/Screenshot; Disney/Screenshot; Disney/Screenshot

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim

Starring: Gaia Wise, Brian Cox, Luke Pasqualino, Mirando Otto

Director: Kenji Kamiyama

Running Time: 134 Minutes

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: December 13, 2024 (Theaters)

Babygirl

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Antonio Banderas, Sophie Wilde, Esther McGregor, Vaughan Reilly

Director: Halina Reijn

Running Time: 115 Minutes

Rating: R

Release Date: December 25, 2024 (Theaters)

Moana 2

Starring: Auliʻi Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Hualālai Chung, Rose Matafeo, David Fane, Awhimai Fraser, Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Rachel House, Gerald Ramsey, Alan Tudyk

Directors: David Derrick Jr, Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller

Running Time: 100 Minutes

Rating: PG

Release Date: November 27, 2024 (Theaters)

Mufasa: The Lion King

Starring: Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr, John Kani, Seth Rogen, Billy Eicner, Tiffany Boone, Donald Glover, Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James, Blue Ivy Carter, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Preston Nyman, Anika Noni Rose, Keith David

Director: Barry Jenkins

Running Time: 118 Minutes

Rating: PG

Release Date: December 20, 2024 (Theaters)

Oh hi, there! Well, you know how it goes. That annual time between Thanksgiving and New Year tends to be busy, both in terms of social obligations and new movie releases. So even someone who frequents the cinema as often as I do struggles to catch absolutely everything right when they arrive. But I do my best to catch up with them eventually! So here’s a roundup of my thoughts on recent holiday flicks with a focus on how much they put me in the holiday spirit.

I managed to fit in The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim a couple of days before 2025 dropped, which felt familiar, as the cinematic Tolkien-verse has certainly made itself comfortable in December. This is a deep cut that pretty much stands on its own, which is a plus for someone like me who’s not quite willing to fully commit to every single episode of Rings of Power. So in that regard, it was a thoroughly holiday occasion, because I can’t imagine I’ll be re-watching this any other time of the year. Furthermore, it didn’t leave that much of an impression, although I’m still happy I checked it out.

Now on to Babygirl, which is actually set around Christmas. An erotic power struggle between a married CEO and her much younger intern may not fit most people’s ideas of yuletide, but I tend to be pretty expansive when it comes to what makes a Christmas movie. Alas, Babygirl doesn’t do much to capitalize on its setting. Surely there could’ve been space for Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson to frolic around with some naughty Santa and Mrs. Claus cosplay! This movie certainly had the ingredients to make me feel something, and from what I’ve heard, plenty of viewers have been gushing. But instead of making me shout “Ho ho ho,” I kind of just went, “Oh.”

Now onto the Moana sequel, aptly titled Moana 2. This movie may have come out the day before Thanksgiving, but it sure looks warm and sunny around Motunui! Although I suppose it wouldn’t exactly be wintry around the holidays in such a tropical location. Anyway, I watched this one in January about a week into the new year, and it didn’t exactly make me want to turn back the calendar. Now, let me be clear: I of course wish that it were still Christmastime, it’s just that Moana 2 didn’t exactly further fuel that desire.

And finally, I managed to fit in a theatrical trip to check off Mufasa (or Mufasa: The Lion King, to be official about it) from the to-watch list. Having just watched another family-friendly Disney release in the form of M2 a few days earlier, I was expecting to see pretty much the same set of trailers. But there were actually a few notable differences in the preview lineup, which is surely a sign of the holidays, as it announces, “There are so many new movies waiting to be unwrapped!” But as for the actual movie, it had the distinct problem of all of the new characters failing to make much of an impression on me. One of the key features of the holiday season (or at least a successful holiday season) is a series of memorable moments, and it just doesn’t look like I’m going to have many (or any) unforgettable memories about the adventures of young Mufasa.

Grades:
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim: A Pleasant Gift Box Wrapped Moderately Intricately
Babygirl: Milk and Cookies on December 26
Moana 2: Your Presents Are on Another Island
Mufasa: The Lion King: Scarred Coal