Movies that Deserved Better: 'Christmas Island' (2023)

         On November 11, 2023, Hallmark Channel premiered 'Christmas Island' as part of it's largest grouping of holiday film offerings to date. Unfortunately, with such a large amount of offerings it seemingly has slipped through the cracks despite being one of the best holiday films from the family friendly network. In the film, "When a snowstorm diverts Kate's first private flight to Christmas Island, she must team up with an air traffic controller to secure her dream job as the family's pilot." The ensemble cast includes Rachel Skarsten, Andrew W. Walker, Kate Drummond, and Jefferson Brown. But what did the critics say?

        Gissane Sophia of Marvelous Geeks Media notes, "In order to fully invest in and enjoy Hallmark’s Christmas Island, viewers must first suspend disbelief and omit asking questions. The logistics here don’t matter. Yes, it’s all conveniently working out in favor of this couple because it’s a Christmas movie, and that’s how it needs to happen. In some cases, Hallmark movies try mapping more out, but here it just feels like they gave all the chemistry to the actors and told them to go running. (We can maybe blame the strikes. Maybe. I’m not sure.) That said, Christmas Island is indeed one of the year’s better films so far." Adding, "The film takes a charming turn halfway through when Oliver proves to be peak boyfriend material and switches his snark for kindness, resulting in a lovely little date and moments of vulnerability with so much heart that only Andrew Walker could pull it off at this point. The chemistry starts to sizzle into something delightfully dorky, making it easy for viewers to find themselves grinning from ear to ear despite how saccharine everything gets."

Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

       Maddy Casale of Decider says, "While I think Rachel Skarsten did a great job bringing genuine emotion and charm to her lead role as Kate Gabriel, for me, the scene stealer was ultimately Lincoln MacNeil as Finn Sharpe. Every time he was onscreen, he did something or had some sassy little quip that made me laugh and felt so natural I almost wondered if it was ad-libbed. One of my favorite scenes from the whole movie is just a brief shot of him through a window where he’s in front of what appears to be a green screen background trying to catch fake snow on his tongue. He’s just so committed to the task, how could anyone not be delighted?" Continuing, "STREAM IT. While you can expect a certain amount of cheesiness with any Hallmark movie, Christmas Island has enough charm and original touches to make for an entertaining viewing experience this holiday season."