A Castle for Christmas
Review:
A Castle for Christmas is a decent rom-com with a really cool setting, and a decently entertaining plot. Surprisingly enough, there is more to this movie than just a sappy, funny love story. We have a lot of solid secondary characters that keep the movie on track, and an underlying plot that surrounds more than just the love story being told.
Both Sophie and Myles are very reclusive characters emotionally when they first meet, and it’s interesting to watch them open up and develop due to the people around them. The knitters are a group of locals that provide the perfect medium for giving information about the castle and Myles that wouldn’t have been disclosed without an omnipotent narrator. They allow for the love story to recharge by creating moments that are just scenes. They don’t really change the major story at hand, but they are entertaining and develop our characters a little bit. It also allows for the tone to swing up and down and never get too heavy.
The movie itself is gorgeous, and the castle environment is immaculate. I thought the visuals were amazing, and the camera work was pretty good. I didn’t always love the dialogue, we got a lot of clichés that you see in Rom-Coms, and it doesn’t quite feel as real as I would have liked. It just comes off as a little bit forced at times, and that interrupts the good flow that the crew works so hard to create. Kinda the same way I feel about the plot. Big picture, really solid. Entertaining plot that moves nicely, and gets to the end in a logical way. Small picture, there are a couple of scenes that probably didn’t need to exist, and it gets slow in a couple of spots. Other than that, a really easy movie to watch and enjoy. Absolutely worth the time, and maybe even a second watch.
Favourite Moment (Spoilers):
My favourite moment has to be when Miles throws the snowball through Sophie’s window, and hits her in the head. It’s such a funny moment, and it displays that awkwardness that always seems to occur in real-life situations like these.
Review:
A Castle for Christmas is exactly the type of film you think you’re going to get when you hear that title so I knew what I was getting into and I enjoyed it. Now of course most Christmas rom-coms are quite standard in plot and this one does stick to the formula though with a few changes here and there. I think it’s safe to say my favourite part of this film was the setting. I love Europe and have wanted to travel there for a long time so this movie being set in Scotland was a plus for me. The atmosphere that was gained from this different location did make this film stand out compared to other films in the genre. Whether we’re talking about the accents, different terms, the beautiful scenery and with the movie taking place in a castle it did give the film it’s own vibe. The actors do a good job bringing these characters to life though I wouldn’t say they are the most developed characters or anything, they are decent and you do get to know them well enough to care. As a history minor I really enjoyed the castle and the story about the warrior and how they incorporated that into the story was interesting. So yes it’s cheesy and a bit formulaic but it is enjoyable and charming.
All in all, this is a fun Christmas rom-com that I would recommend if you’re looking for a new Christmas movie and you’re scrolling Netflix. Check it out for yourself and see what you think.
Favourite Moment (Spoilers):
My favourite moment had to be when they sang loch Lomond in the pub simply because I sang that song in choir and have enjoyed it ever since.
Review:
A Castle for Christmas was an alright romance movie. Now, how much of it revolves around Christmas is another discussion, but overall, it was a fun movie. It has its clichés, and it was pretty predictable, but it did have a few aspects that I enjoyed.
To start things off, the movie is filled with clichés and predictability. Now to some, this might not be a problem to some, to me, it made the movie a bit boring. The movie was also predictable, and I saw through each plot point. This might provide some comfort to some following this style, but to me, it was a bit boring.
On the plus side, I have a bit of a soft spot for accents. Since the story takes place in Scotland, which is also a plus, it was fun to watch a movie with characters that have a different accent. It helped make the movie stand out just a little bit more. As I mentioned earlier, the setting of Scotland was also a nice touch. I loved watching a movie revolve around an old castle, and the setting made things unique as well. Besides the setting, I loved the side characters. All of them were archetypes, but some of them grew a bit and I loved watching their interactions.Overall, A Castle for Christmas was an alright romance movie. With some predictability and clichés, viewers might not be interested. But for those who like accents and a new setting, then this one is one you could try.
Favourite Moment (Spoilers):
My favourite moment in A Castle for Christmas is when Sophie and Myles go on their “date” exploring certain areas and ending their night at the pub. That whole sequence of events was quite heartwarming and fun to watch.
