Christmas films can go either way, which has been my experience watching overtime the festive output of Lifetime, UPTV and Hallmark etc. They can either be well-meaning, charming, warm-hearted and don't feel too heavy. Or they can be too over-sentimental, cheesy, contrived and bland. There have been many films of theirs that have fallen in both camps and in the camp where there is a bit of both. And 'Christmas Explorer' did have the sort of premise where the execution could have gone either way.
Mostly, the execution fares reasonably well in 'Christmas Explorer'. It is a long way from great and could have done more with its premise, even when judging it for what it was trying and aiming to be and taking it for what it was, and it is easy to see where those that didn't care for it are coming from. As far as Lifetime's 2021 Christmas output goes, 'Christmas Explorer' is somewhere around high middle. It starts rough but does get quite a lot better, so just about worth sticking with.
By all means it isn't perfect. It is another film where it did take time for me to warm to the female lead character and the story. The female lead character could have done with more personality to start with and her character traits are not too endearing, seeing her combative attitude towards others being overdone and she seemed too uptight. Eva Avila is a bit too stiff to begin with.
Story-wise, 'Christmas Explorer' is a slow starter, with it taking too much time to get anywhere in terms of story development. The hostility is somewhat too overwritten and has a bit too much of a mean spirited edge, while the tension is too lukewarm. Some of the dialogue early on is awkward and the ending is predictable and too pat.
However there is a lot to like and 'Christmas Explorer' does deserve a fair chance, no matter how tempting it is to bail. When her character softens later and eases, Avila looks and sounds a lot more comfortable and is charming. Ronnie Rowe, as the more consistently written and likeable character, is very easy going and liked that he was charismatic but in an understated way. He and Avila do have some nice natural chemistry together, even if it doesn't fire completely on all cylinders. The supporting cast are fine and of the characters there were only issues with Avila's one early on.
Furthermore, the festive atmosphere is very well done and there are a fair share of sweet though thankfully not sickly scenes. Was not crazy about the script early on, but it did have a nice mix of funny and poignant lines. The story may be thin but has a warm heart and charm and doesn't take itself too seriously. The scenery is typically lovely and the music is overdone in tone or placement.
In summary, decent but not great and inconsistent. 6/10.
