christmas
Netflix has just released “Operation Christmas Drop”, a seasonal romcom, one of many films produced for the festive period.
Netflix has just released “Operation Christmas Drop”, a seasonal romcom. This year alone they have also produced “Holidate”, “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey”, “Alien Xmas”, “Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square”, “The Christmas Chronicles Part 2”, “Angela’s Christmas Wish” and “Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker” for the festive period.
This sweet film features two inherently likable, attractive romantic leads, a fine supporting performance by Virginia Madsen, a moral message and a high quality cinematic style because the movie was filmed on Andrews Air Force base in Guam and the surrounding beaches, jungles and islands. The scenery lends “Operation Christmas Drop” a feature-film look on a low budget.
The film is inspired by the real Operation Christmas Drop which the longest running humanitarian airlift in the world. Every year since 1952, U.S. Air Force personnel at Anderson deliver toys, food, medicine and much-needed supplies to the inhabitants of small islands in Micronesia.
In “Operation Christmas Drop”, the movie, the tradition and the base itself might be done for, as Virginia Madsen’s tough congresswoman Angie Bradford faces calls to cut military spending and has Anderson as a target of that. “If we’re looking to close down bases, this one’s flashing red and green,” says Bradford, who sees the mission as nothing more than “using military equipment to drop Christmas presents.”
Bradford sends her political aide Erica Miller (Kat Graham) to Guam and asks her to report on all the superfluous expenditure on the base. Erica is on the beach when she meets Capt. Andrew Jantz (Alexander Ludwig), the charming officer who has been assigned to show Erica around and stop her from having the base closed.
The two instantly clash and there’s plenty of arguing to start off with but there’s a Christmas miracle as the two have more in common than initially believed and eventually romance blossoms.
“Operation Christmas Drop” has endless clichés, from the obligatory FaceTime conversations in which tech-challenged OAPs struggle with devices, to a romantic interlude of Andrew and Erica snorkelling in crystal blue waters, to Erica having to choose between career and caring, to the advent of a major storm that could side-line the mission before a single plane takes off. It’s a light and predictable romcom, where Erica and Andrew get their happily ever after, as does the Operation Christmas Drop mission. Mancunians won’t go in the street for Christmas Markets this year, but at least they will enjoy this movie at home.
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