When Santa Fell to Earth

Film-makers have been lamenting the commercialisation of Christmas since George Seaton's Miracle on 34th Street in 1947 and German director Oliver Dieckmann similarly dismisses the big-business mentality in this adaptation of a 2004 novel by Cornelia Funke (author of the Inkheart trilogy). The villain here is Gerold Geronimus Goblynch (Volker Lechtenbrink), who wishes to outlaw festive traditions and replace them with new customs revolving around expensive presents. Luckily, Niklas Goodfellow (Alexander Scheer) manages to escape in his caravan before he can be captured by Goblynch's sinister Nutcrackers. But he requires the help of youngsters Ben (Noah Kraus) and Charlotte (Mercedes Jadea Diaz) to regain control of the Christmas Palace. Despite being becalmed by the odd longueur and hindered by CGI that isn't quite up to Hollywood standards, this is an amiable tale that finds room amid the fantasy to touch upon trust, loyalty, neighbourliness and even the global recession.