8-Bit Christmas (2021) User Reviews

Another Christmas Story

[thesar-2 · 8/10 · 28 November 2021]

Thank God it wasn't what I thought it would be: a Jingle All the Way reboot.

Actually, for about the first two-thirds of this, I saw basically a remake of A Christmas Story. Almost beat-by-beat. But, I didn't mind it like I normally would. They made it their own and more importantly, I was laughing out loud quite frequently.

Normally, this is where I'd give you the synopsis, but I just did. This is a retelling of 1983's A Christmas Story and you'll have to replace the sought out Red Ryder BB gun with the sacred OG Nintendo. Also, it's about 40 years after when A Christmas Story was set and narrated about 40 years later, present day.

Again, I didn't mind this version of the story and luckily, they made the last third completely original and 100% touching. I can really see this becoming a classic on its own. It's sweet, funny, nostalgic - WITHOUT it being forced down our throats and, in the end, lessons will be learned.

Highly recommended. This was my first Christmas movie of the 2021 Christmas season and I'm happy it was.

***

Final Thoughts: Oh, boy. I can RELATE. I wanted a Nintendo, or heck ANY game system when I was their age. In fact, *I* WAS their age when this movie takes place. I didn't get one, but I did make a lot of friends who had all the systems. So, compromise.

should be a classic

[A_Different_Drummer · 8/10 · 28 November 2021]

To be brutally frank, it is not so much how good this is, as it is how bad 99 out of 100 X-Mas movies are. Most are produced as part of a strange seasonal production line, pre-sold, profitable before anyone even sees them, and destined to be forgotten by New Years. In contrast this is sharp, witty, sassy, has great timing and the young actors are all self-aware and loving it. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

An Instant Christmas Classic

[gianthaole · 8/10 · 24 November 2021]

Every year I watch Home Alone 1 and 2, Jingle All The Way, Die Hard, A Christmas Story and more. 8 bit Christmas has now been added to the list. This movie speaks volumes to the generation of the 80s. Its fun, funny, entertaining, a great story, has a lesson more kids need to learn today, and has heart. Go watch it on HBO Max right now. You won't regret it.

An era I grew up in

[Yesideez · 7/10 · 24 November 2021]

What an amazing film, brought back so many memories watching this. I was born in 1973 so the 80s was a massive part of my childhood. I fell into computers going through the BBC Micro, Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64 computers and experiencing several more. There's a fashion reference which instantly made me think of the bright fluorescent socks and you'd never wear matching pairs.

There's going to be several parts throughout the film that's going to trigger some great memories for most that watch it who experienced those wonderful years. The music sets the scene in many places and the use of Obsession by Animotion is extra magical for me.

I went in not knowing what to expect with a cast I've never heard of, wondering if I'd be switching it off half way through but was hooked until the end.

This is one of those films that's going to be a classic with the whole family.

Old school, fun film

[samyoung-82648 · 7/10 · 25 November 2021]

It's wonderful to be able to watch a lighthearted family friendly movie without having politics rammed down your throat.

This is a decent film, suitable for families with younger children (probably around 10 or so) who want to watch something to do with Christmas that will keep the kids entertained.

This is worth watching at least once.

Retro good

[laragi · 6/10 · 24 November 2021]

Some funny lines regarding today's technology generation and they are all true. Good little actors. Great ending! A bit sentimental but that's the whole point! What's missing from this social media generation and the gamers before them is the sentimentality of life (and a work ethic). It's worth a watch.

Could've been better

[The_nibs · 6/10 · 28 November 2021]

I suppose this movie was intended to pull the nostalgic heartstrings of Gen Y while they watch it with their kids, but it missed the mark as either a movie about gaming or the 80's. I truly expected this film to be saturated in 80's culture and it was something of a let down.

My husband first noticed that the film had opened with a weird, wishy washy muted colour palette, so he was expecting it to jump into the rad day-glo colours of the 80's once the flashback ensued, but it didn't. There was hardly any vibrancy to this film. Set design was sort of 80's, sort of not, costumery was generic minus a pair of old school gloves and boots. The 80's music selection was comprised of maybe four songs that didn't really fit, and Animation's "Obsession" is played into the ground for comedic effect (it was Fashion Television's theme here in Canada, but anywhere else it's pretty much about sex, kinda weird to play it for a kid wearing boots lol). That's not even getting around to the NES portion of the film, which equally disappoints. It's remastered graphics and fake games were a huge let down!

I grew up on a myriad of consoles so I was drawn to the film for the gaming aspect and what you get is not what we grew up on. It's kind of a slap in the face, really, because they baited us with the promise of 80's gaming culture and what we got could've honestly been any hot toy from any previous decade.

Does the film borrow elements/formula from A Christmas Story? Yes. Do I care? Hardly because I find this more digestible than that movie. It's a cute kids Christmas movie with a moving conclusion. But it should've been way funnier, had the atmosphere of Christmas in the 80's, and actually related to the NES and what it was to be a child gamer in the 80's.

Ralphie Meets John Hughes

[zkonedog · 10/10 · 4 December 2021]

Truth be told, I had very little expectations for this new holiday film. I had previously read the book and found it "just okay", while the trailers made it out to be little more than goofy kids stuff. But in a surprising turn of events, "8-Bit Christmas" ends up a movie that might just stand the test of time for viewers of a certain age.

For a very basic overview, "8-Bit Christmas" tells the story of young Jake Doyle (Winslow Fegley.), the prototypical "80s kid" who wants just one thing for Christmas '88: a Nintendo Entertainment System. Much like Ralphie chasing his beloved Red Ryder, Jake concocts scheme after scheme (often featuring his grade school pals) to make sure a NES is underneath the tree on Christmas morning.

On one hand, "8-Bit" is very much nostalgia-bait for 80s (or even early 90s) kids. It is absolutely chock full of period-specific references, decor, clothing, language, etc. Fortunately, it never comes off as too hokey or pandering. Director Michael Dowse does a remarkable job of capturing the essence of that time period. It often made me feel as if I was re-living my own childhood!

Yet, I also strongly believe that one can enjoy this movie even without having been birthed from 1980-1990 or so. The entire plot is basically a frame narrative told by Old Jake (Neil Patrick Harris, riffing on his How I Met Your Mother notoriety), and it features some great performances by Young Jake's parents (Steve Zahn & June Diane Raphael). Despite some of the sillier or goofier material that is indeed present throughout, this movie has a poignant family-based message about the holiday season.

Until the final 10-15 or so minutes, I had this one pegged as perhaps 8/9 stars. But the final scenes? As touching and meaningful as anything I've ever seen in a holiday flick. All of the subtle character-building delivers a payoff that might just have you wiping your eyes (but smiling at the same time).

Just by the way pop culture worked back in the era depicted, there is about a ten-year age window (my own, of course) of viewers that will connect to the material here the most. For them, this is one to show the kiddos "what it was like back then". For everyone else? Even if you don't fully appreciate the disappointment of the Power Glove or have never sold items door-to-door to win a school prize, the overall message of "8-Bit Christmas" can still shine through.

"I'd become one with Nintendo!"

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 27 November 2021]

Every holiday season seems to bring with it another new Christmas movie standard, and this one makes it's bid for 2021. It will almost certainly appeal to those who were teens or young adults in the late Eighties, with numerous pop culture references built around a plot that involves every kid's fascination for Nintendo back in the day. Neil Patrick Harris narrates the childhood memories of one particular Christmas that his character, the young Jack Doyle experienced with a handful of youthful friends in Batavia, Illinois during the Christmas season of 1988. He relates his obsession for the Nintendo game system to his granddaughter Lizzy (Bellaluna Resnick), who's fixation on getting her very own cellphone becomes the stated goal of her Christmas wish list. The picture will surely call to mind 1983's "A Christmas Story", one which has greater resonance for those of an earlier generation like myself. Both films make the case for traditional family values as a way to see through the increasingly commercialized aspects of the holidays, a dynamic that helps them maintain their appeal year after year.

Expected "The Wizard"...

[Marcin-13 · 4/10 · 28 November 2021]

Did not receive it. This movie doesn't really feel like an '80s movie, but an '80s themed party set in 2020s. Even the NES games weren't real but made for 2020s audience. The whole movie fell flat for me, and if you're looking for a true 80s movie about Nintendo check out The Wizard.

Surprisingly one of the best modern X-Mas Movies

[arod_85 · 8/10 · 27 November 2021]

I love the iconic Christmas movies like Home Alone, Elf, the Santa Clause, and even National Lampoon's Christmas vacation. However, this Christmas, I started to get a little tired of seeing the same movies over the last 10-20 years. The problem was, there hasn't been a recent Christmas movie of any quality in the last decade....until now. The movie feels a lot like a current "Christmas Story", but instead of the Red Rider, the lead tells the story of his childhood pursuit of a Nintendo. High quality child actors mixed with a classic, yet current feel. It was cute and wish they would put more out like it.

Good but not 80's accurate

[scp23 · 7/10 · 27 November 2021]

When I saw the trailer for this movie, I really wanted to like it. As an 80's kid myself who had to "earn" my first Nintendo, I thought I might have a connection plus I was an avid baseball card collector as well. The basic plot was good, the characters were good, and it paid homage to the original Christmas Story movie. But if you are an 80's kid like me, you won't be able to ignore a few items from this movie that are not "80's correct."

Flaws: Billy Ripken "F@@@-Face" error card was '89 Fleer, the movie takes place in '88, they used fake cards. But showed '88 Topps later.

Chris Sabo? RC in '88 traded/update, unlikely to be in packs.

Nintendo game "Silent Fists" they played with the power glove doesn't exist. And the graphics are 16 bit, not 8 bit

They didn't make a 42" inch CRT tv. 40" was the biggest.

Great set up but a horrible payoff

[mishahaynie · 4/10 · 29 November 2021]

I don't know... this movie really had a good start, but as the movie dragged on. It's just got really pointless and lackluster. I was really excited and hoping for another Christmas classic but it just was more about getting a Nintendo system rather than Christmas. It was just a little bit of a let down.

Decent watchable effort, but nothing special

[aidanratesmovies · 6/10 · 5 December 2021]

Its hardly measurable to other Christmas classics throughout the years, but 8-Bit Christmas does manage to have a decent amount of charm and fun to a decent but somewhat uneven story. First off, as a huge fan of Nintendo myself, I immediately wanted to watch this movie from the sound of it. The film mainly is a combination of films like Jingle all the Way, A Christmas Story, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. It doesn't do much for originality but it does manage to be entertaining nevertheless. Neil Patrick Harris provides his role as the charming narrator and grown version of our main character, who is also pretty decently played by young actor Winslow Fegley. The rest of the kid actors range from decent to subpar, but no one is excruciatingly bad so I guess that's a plus, and thank God they weren't so lazy with casting child actors as many films around the holidays often are. The film has a sweet message, but feels a bit depressing at times, and seems to drag it's main plot out to the point of exhaustion. I know it means we'll and it's ending is sweet and heartfelt, but there are certainly moments you wonder if it was all really worth the effort and instead just a nostalgic blend of potential. In the end, 8-bit Christmas is no NES of Christmas films, but it does manage to be a decent holiday flick to put on in the background. It may not do much for me, but I'm sure some families will enjoy it, and find a deeper connection with it, despite it's somewhat lackluster execution.

My Rating: 6.2/10.

Heartfelt & Funny

[actaction · 7/10 · 26 November 2021]

It's rare nowadays to have a Christmas film not afraid to be sentimental, as dumb critics and cynics tend to criticize films for following Christmas sentiment. I enjoyed the film and was happy it borrowed from A Christmas Story, not ripped it off.

If A Christmas Story and The Wizard had a baby...

[cricketbat · 6/10 · 9 December 2021]

If A Christmas Story and The Wizard had a baby, it would be 8-Bit Christmas. However, this movie doesn't quite have the same sweet nostalgia as A Christmas Story. It's a little more cynical as it looks at the past through the lens of today. Nevertheless, there are a few moments that made me laugh and there's some genuine emotion at the end. I liked this movie, even though it's trying a little too hard.

Wasn't bad, kinda forgettable.

[WinterEcho · 6/10 · 24 November 2021]

I'm about the same age as the main character in this movie and also a big gamer. I was hoping for more of a love letter to the NES or video games, but it really kinda wasn't. It wasn't a bad movie at all, but it was just kinda forgettable.

I don't think this will ever become a Christmas Classic, but it's still worth a watch.

for the grumpy...

[ops-52535 · 8/10 · 24 November 2021]

Men and woman that today are grandparents and even greatgrandparents around the world,this flick will be a return to the unbelievable 1980's, where everything was magic, especially on the gaming front, where a nintendo or a sega made you the king of the hill in your neighbourhood, or made you become a looser like me due to lack of money and far too conservatively concerning parents of a secondhand pre 2nd world war born generation, being convinced that every digital gadget contained a death beam and that the violent nature of the games would damage the fragile numbheaded kid of theirs, meaning i had to thievelend for five bucks pr weekend a handheld gizmo acting as firefighter saving poor jumpers from a hirise on fire, giving me nightmares of the neurotic kind, becoming nervously hit by a mental issue called counting or numerologia that still 50 years later riding my grumpy old mind...

well its that kinda movie that the young generation of today will scratch the back of their neck, but much of the realism of back then is told very well in this christmas carol called 8-bit christmas. Its a well made movie, with a great cast of kids with no stagefright at all, a story us gompers can giggle of and the kids of to day relate to, and most of all show how expensive everything new and everybodys urge to mustve stuff was back then. It will rewoke the child in you, cause the props and staging and the coloured wire light bulbs will light a fire of emotions and longing back to when life was bright and easy, a pandoras box of of reminissence and nostalgia.

So join into the story told by a father torn apart due to his daughters tormenting one and only and never ever ever after wishing wish to have a smartphone for christmas, and let that be a guideline for your gift investments for once in a lifetime, and a merry yule for you too. Its a recommend, and my wish for christmas is english for birthlanguage...

A New Christmas Classic

[Draysan-Jennings · 7/10 · 4 December 2021]

I'm sure a lot of people will disagree with my heading but this was the best Christmas film I've watched in recent years. It definitely brought back some good childhood memories. I'm an 80's kid so I definitely relate to wanting a Nintendo for Christmas. I'm glad someone finally made a movie about it. I really liked the storyline and the writing had me busting up laughing. I'm glad I decided to give this film a shot. It's definitely worth a watch.

Yet another empty nostalgia flick for Gen-X'ers

[chrsstout · 4/10 · 27 November 2021]

It's just bad writing. Sold like it was some kind of modern Christmas story. Nothing like Elf. It's boring...so so boring. Decent enough little actors, but man the writing is...bad. Lol idk how else to put it. It's not a good movie. It tries to be nostalgic, but like the only thing nostalgic about it is the Nintendo? They keep saying "it was the 80's!" But there was otherwise nothing much to indicate that it's the 80's. Like "chores" are vaguely a thing of the 80's? As if they don't exist anymore? Wtf?

Dads were stoic. Everyone smoked cigarettes. Nobody listened to kids.

This is a filler movie for the last generation to actually pop out kids. Just *waves hands* vaguely nostalgic.

Turned off half way through. Good to have on in the background with company over or something.

Wait til the end

[loubal · 8/10 · 24 November 2021]

Stupid Christmas story movie ... All the way to the end and it made me get the tingles. Such a sap for this kind of stuff. Done well, I was surprised liked. Reminded me of childhood. No cell phones really made life moments more meaningful. Thanks HBO Max for bringing to us. Nice reminder it's okay to feel good. Will look forward to watching again.

So close to being something really good.

[ohthatguyproductions · 6/10 · 10 December 2022]

The major theme has to do with the kid's father and his friends. Unfortunately, this movie suffers from having so little set up to pay off those themes. It's about trying to get an NES. There's like only one scene where the friends are actually working together. There's also very little set up with the father to make how it ends work. There's a lot of potential to make the ending emotional and heart-warming but after reaching the end you wish it tried harder to make the payoff more impactful than it was.

It's a shame because this could've been a new generation's Christmas Story (sounds sacrilegious, I know) but they just didn't go hard enough.

Meh.

[cg67045 · 3/10 · 29 November 2021]

It's not that funny and I'm a child of the 80's. It tries so, so hard to nail all these 80's references. The problem could be the casting or the script, or both, but it just doesn't deliver.

A surprising Xmas themed delight

[eddie_baggins · 7/10 · 1 June 2022]

Hitting HBO Max late in 2021, family yule-tide themed movie 8-Bit Christmas arrived with very little fanfare or expectation but Michael Dowse's fun, heartfelt and even surprisingly nostalgic-tinged trip back to the late 80's ended up becoming one of the years most surprisingly enjoyable efforts, one that is sure to become a family Xmas favourite in the years to come.

Experienced in the comedic landscape thanks to films such as Goon, What If and Stuber, Dowse knows his way around a good joke but importantly for the film and the audience, Dowse has managed to neatly combine some fairly hearty laughs within his newest effort in amongst some solid feel-good moments and even emotional ones, ones that the very best Christmas movies manage to juggle to stand out from the pack.

Told in both the modern day through Neil Patrick Harris's Jake Doyle, with the main focus on the time in Jake's younger years (here played by the solid Winslow Fegley) where Nintendo was king and Christmas time was all about him managing to get his hands on a newly released Nintendo console and its here that Dowse manages to craft a pretty out there narrative featuring doll dealing shady characters played by a scene-stealing David Cross, falling TV accidents and snow top climbing bullies, giving 8-Bit the feel of a comedic movie of yesteryear that balances well the new with the old.

The film could've easily been lost in yet another trip down memory lane but while it at times feels like a modern retreading of cult favourite Nintendo themed outing The Wizard (including Power Glove themed moments!), 8-Bit has enough originality, personality and charm to make it stand by itself, including an end game that won't be entirely predictable for those that feel as though they know exactly where Dowse's film is heading.

While at days end 8-Bit doesn't do anything extraordinary or groundbreaking, there's a gentle and subtle goodness too much of the film, making it easily one of the family films of 2021 and a finely attuned trip down memory lane for anyone that knows their way around a video game console or a Xmas memory that has defined who they are today.

Final Say -

With no right to be as enjoyable as it is, 8-Bit Christmas is a genuinely enjoyable and likeable family themed ride that stands out head and shoulders above most other festive themed movies from the last few years.

3 1/2 Cabbage Patch Dolls out of 5

For more reviews check out Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)

A nice christmas movie

[mertafor · 7/10 · 26 November 2021]

Honestly I quite enjoyed it as a person who was a sucker for video games back in those days. I still remember how those magical boxes (Nintendo, amiga, commodore etc.) made you blind to any naysayers. It was a good idea to point out that resemblance with today's tech gears. Though I wouldn't compare a smart phone to a console that opens all the doors of creativity and imagination.

But ending is more sad than I could imagine. I wish he would have got the nintendo instead of a tree house. I mean, how many people have a house with a backyard that they can build a tree fort! I know it's not the point at all but I guess a $200 Nintendo could have been much realistic for the expectations. They should have found out another way to bring out the christmas soul.