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December is the time of year when multiple new Christmas movies premiere. 8-Bit Christmas came out a little earlier this year but it still focuses on the holidays. More specifically, a dad tells his daughter a story about how he wished for a Nintendo for Christmas as a young boy and decided to get it no matter what. The movie will be relatable, especially to people who also grew up in the 1980s, and maybe even wanted Nintendo as well.
However, thanks to its subtle sense of humor, Christmas atmosphere, and excellent actors, 8-Bit Christmas has the power to attract even a wider audience. Those who enjoy the movie have multiple other films to choose from that either take place during Christmas, focus on getting presents, or evolve around video games to a large degree.
7 Gremlins (1984)
Even though 8-Bit Christmas starts in the present day, a large portion of it takes place in the 1980s. So does the now-iconic movie Gremlins that spawned a movie series. The story happens during Christmas when a young boy, Billy, gets Gizmo, a Gremlin.
But because Billy breaks the rules about how he should care for Gizmo, many more Gremlins, who can be quite dangerous, swarm his city. The movie manages to combine horror and humor, and besides creating a Christmas atmosphere, it contains several memorable scenes (such as when the Gremlins visit the local movie theater).
6 Jingle All The Way (1996)
Jake really wants to get Nintendo for Christmas and has to find a way how to get it. In Jingle All the Way, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a dad who's trying to buy the Turbo-Man action figure for his son Jamie. The only problem is the figure is sold out everywhere so Howard, whom Schwarzenegger plays, has to run all around his town in order to find one. And even then, he might not make it.
Schwarzenegger is best known for his action roles but in this movie, he proves his comedy chops as well. The critics weren't thrilled with the movie but any viewer who really wanted a certain toy for Christmas and worried they wouldn't get it will enjoy the story.
5 The Polar Express (2004)
Sometimes the greatest gift a child can get for Christmas isn't a new toy or Nintendo but the belief that Santa Claus is real. The main hero of this animated movie currently available on Netflix is a young boy who stopped believing in Santa Claus. That slowly starts to change when he boards the Polar Express heading to Santa's village the night before Christmas.
The movie speaks both to children and to the adult audience who can remember what it was like when they believed in Santa Claus. It has a magical atmosphere and also the ultimate Christmas gift - a bell whose ringing a person can hear only if they are certain that Santa is real.
4 Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019)
One of the few more light-hearted video game-based movies is this 2019 crime comedy. Ryan Reynolds voiced the titular detective Pikachu and Justice Smith stars as Pikachu's unwilling partner in a world where it's normal for Pokémons and humans to coexist.
The movie is a lot of fun and understandable even for those who never collected Pokémon cards or played games. The creative environment in which it takes place as well as the funny side of the movie make it similar to 8-Bit Christmas.
3 Jingle Jangle (2020)
Some Christmas movies are all about getting the right toy......and others are about making toys. Jingle Jangle fits in the second category. A toymaker has long since stopped creating toys but his life changes when his granddaughter shows up and brings more light into his glum existence.
Jingle Jangle has both a sympathetic heroine and a strong Christmas atmosphere it needs to be a feel-good movie. Plus, it includes multiple songs that fit the story and makes the end result even more memorable.
2 Sonic The Hedgehog (2020)
Video game movies are often serious, dark even. That isn't the case with Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic leaves his home and goes on the greatest adventure of his life. He also makes a new friend, Tom (James Marsden). The movie is both a video game piece, a buddy movie, and a road movie.
But above all, it has a similarly light and relaxing atmosphere as 8-Bit Christmas. So even when Sonic and Tom face dangers, it's possible to believe that everything will turn out alright. And the viewers will get to laugh a lot along the way.
1 Free Guy (2021)
Many video game players never stop to wonder about the NPCs in the game. Free Guy shows what happens when one such NPC becomes independent and starts building his own life.
Ryan Reynolds stars as the titular Guy in a movie whose storytelling elements will be familiar to many people who often play video games, whether they use PC, Nintendo, or any other platform. The movie has a lot of jokes and Easter eggs that make it fun to watch.