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8-Bit Christmas        review by Bobby Blakey

8-bit christmas.jpg

Some of the best Christmas movies are about people either fighting for that perfect gift or a kid trying to convince their parents to get them that dream gift. The latest 8-Bit Christmas starring Neil Patrick Harris, Winslow Fegley, June Diane Raphael, David Cross and Steve Zahn is that exact kind of film looking to be the next holiday tradition. Could this film bring the fun and holiday fun or will it be a gift not worth fighting for?

8-Bit Christmas follows a humorous and heartfelt look back at the adventures of childhood. Set in suburban Chicago in the late 1980s, the story centers on ten-year-old Jake Doyle’s herculean quest to get the latest and greatest video game system for Christmas.

I loved the idea of this film, but that was about all I knew going in. With these holiday films they are very hit and miss so tried to keep my expectations low, but glad to say this film is a ton of fun. Most of it is the nostalgia of the 80s so it will obviously hit closer to those that grew up during this time knowing and experiencing these trends and no doubt love of the Nintendo.

The overall tone of the film is a cross between Jingle All the Way and A Christmas Story with a lot of the story beats being almost identical. This usually annoys me, but the entire film felt like a not to nostalgia and those films being right there in it. The variety of kids remind me of the world of Diary of a Wimpy Kid in the best way possible.

Some of my favorites are the stranger kids in the group with some of them not even main characters. They are all full of unique personalities that are over the top and just silly and hilarious. Everyone looks to be having a blast and the fun shines through making for a flick that really is a good time.

This film isn’t breaking down in barriers with anything overly new and original, but they are taking familiar territory and making it their own. Traveling down the 80s nostalgia of the world of Nintendo took me back to my childhood and I had a blast flashing back to my own memories of getting my first one.

Grab your copy of 8-Bit Christmas available now on DVD and then on EST on November 1st from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

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