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4 Christmas Movies You Didn’t Realize Are Secretly Sci-fi Masterpieces (Seriously)
Some movies are clearly marketed as Christmas-focused science fiction. In Steven Spielberg’s Gremlins, for example, all the trouble begins with a child getting a mogwai as a Christmas gift, and movies such as Brazil are set during Christmas even though the holiday isn’t a big part of the plot.
Conversely, many classic Christmas movies are not explicitly sci-fi, yet several of them have science fiction elements. In a certain sense, any movie involving Santa or miracles falls into the science fiction or fantasy genre. Some classics have even more sci-fi elements, even though they were not intended to be part of the genre at all.
4) Scrooged
Any version of A Christmas Carol is a sci-fi movie in disguise, because, of course, the story involves time travel, as Scrooge has visions of his past and future thanks to the ghosts that visit him. Even Doctor Who had a version of this story, but the one that is most a sci-fi masterpiece is 1988’s Scrooged.
This Bill Murray-led version of the classic Christmas story turned Scrooge into a TV executive who was visited by three ghosts that looked like the antagonists in 1980s sci-fi movies such as Robocop or Terminator. In addition, Murray’s character didn’t just have visions of the past and future; he was immersed in them as if he were in a virtual reality simulation or alternate universe. These aspects allow Scrooged to fully fit in with other classic sci-fi movies of the era.
3) A Miracle on 34th Street
This film is one of the most famous movies about Santa Claus, starring Edmund Gwenn as Kris Kringle, a department store Santa who claims to be the real thing and who ends up in conflict with people who don’t believe in Santa, even having to go to court over it. This classic Christmas movie has a lot in common with sci-fi comedies such as Bewitched or My Favorite Martian, where a benevolent otherworldly character joins a family and must try to act like a human.
Arguably, this version of Santa is a similar character whose powers derive from another realm and whose real identity is rejected by Earthlings. The Twilight Zone episode “Night of the Meek” has a similar plot about a department store Santa who becomes the real deal, further demonstrating that A Miracle on 34th Street has a solid sci-fi premise.
2) How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
The Jim Carrey live-action version of the classic Dr. Seuss story has the feel of an evil alien vs. human sci-fi movie. The Grinch in this film could easily have come from another world, as he was found abandoned as a baby in a basket, has superhuman abilities, and has advanced technology in his cave that humans aren’t familiar with.
Most importantly, the Grinch doesn’t understand Whoville. He constantly observes residents from a distance and decides to steal Christmas because he’s angry that he doesn’t fit in with the community. Grinch follows Dr. Seuss‘ template, offering a happier ending than most alien vs. human movies, but fits perfectly with this subgenre of science fiction.
1) It’s A Wonderful Life
It’s a Wonderful Life is one of the best-known Christmas movies. Thanks to this film, the idea of someone thinking the world would be better off without them and seeing in real-time what that would actually be like has become a trope in its own right, often being used comically in sitcom episodes.
This premise is also a vintage sci-fi idea. George Bailey being eliminated from the alternative universe he sees is an example of the butterfly effect, and the film scores extra sci-fi points by having Bailey be the only one who remembers the experience once he is returned to his home universe. The sci-fi/horror show Black Mirror has a Christmas episode with a similar premise in which someone’s choice has ripple effects in many universes, further demonstrating how sci-fi coded It’s A Wonderful Life is.
What Christmas movie do you think is a hidden sci-fi masterpiece? Leave a comment and join the conversation at the ComicBook Forum.
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