Last Train to Christmas

I watched this primarily as it was a Michael Sheen film and it promised some nostalgia. As always Sheen was excellent but the whole piece was very well done with a strong supporting performance from Cary Elwes. Nathalie Emmanuel also shone. The film was well crafted and despite its fantastical storyline it held together remarkably well. There was a great attention to detail and the cinematography and use of light in particular was such that I was convinced at one point that we were back in the 1980's. Overall it was well worth a viewing with entertaining and touching moments and a good heart and soul at its centre. Nice to see a Simon Aldred song get an outing at the end as well.

There is no doubt, there are elements of some classic Christmas films used in last train to Christmas. Whether it be a Christmas Carol, It's a wonderful life and a touch of sliding doors thrown in. First and foremost this is Michael Sheen's film. He is in every scene playing same person at various stages of his life had things turned out different between himself and his brother/nephew.

There is plenty to enjoy here with some enjoyable cameo appearances from the likes of Hayley Mills, John Thompson and Phyllis Logan. The only disappointment which stops me from giving it a higher mark, was the confusing ending. 7/10.

People don't recommend movies to me very often; I think they assume that I've probably seen everything already. One of my friends though asked me to watch "Last Train to Christmas" as he'd seen it, and he wasn't sure what to think of it. I agreed, assuming that, as it's bundled with a lot of other Sky produced releases this festive period, that it would be light Christmas froth. It certainly wasn't that.

In 1985, Nottingham based empresario Tony Towers (Michael Sheen) boards a train home from London, with his fiancé Sue (Nathalie Emmanuel), brother Roger (Cary Elwes) and his wife Paula (Katherine Kelly). The brother's relationship is strained as Tony plans to a risky strategy of opening a number of clubs across the East Midlands. As Tony looks for the buffet section, he walks to the next carriage and inexplicably finds himself in 1995. In shabby clothes, he comes to learn that the clubs have failed, and he is near destitute. Tony discovers that each carriage on the train is a different decade in his life and he can change aspects in his own past. Despite the best of intentions though, the changes often have unforeseen consequences.

Again, I came to this one expecting light Christmas comedy, akin perhaps to something like the "Nativity" films. The opening scenes tend to support that idea too. Sheen is sporting a comedy mullet, his sparring with his brother and sister-in-law is fun, though with a little edge to it. The longer the films runs though, the darker the storyline gets, as family secrets are exposed, characters come and go from the story and none of Tony's changes turn out as planned. I see from some of the other reviews, that people struggled to follow the storyline. I can't say that was a problem for me, but I was surprised as it kept expanding and we saw further and further back into Tony's life.

Sheen is brilliant in everything, and there's a capable cast surrounding him. Some characters get more screen time than others, but Cary Elwes is excellent too. I live in the East Midlands. I think it's a really hard accent to nail without drifting too far North and becoming Yorkshire and I think, though not perhaps note perfect, both actors do a good job of landing it. There are aspects of the recreations that I liked, particularly when it comes to the train itself and despite not being a real comedy, there are regular funny moments.

Why not a higher score then? It too has been said in other reviews, but it's the ending for me. I don't need every film I see wrapped up in a nice little Christmas bow, but I felt the journey that Tony went on warranted a less ambiguous happy ending than the one we got. (I do have a specific one in mind, but I want to keep the review spoiler free).

That issue aside, I felt that "Last Train to Christmas" was an interesting and moving film that I wasn't expecting at all and am still thinking about days later.

This isn't the upbeat fun Christmas film I was expecting, in fact, I'm not sure that it even needed to be set at Christmas. Perhaps they were trying something new, as I'm always hoping they will with seasonal films, but it didn't have enough Christmas going on for my tastes and the time travel and cause and effects that occurred were never really explained. Was it magic, technology or was it some form of dementia, as Mr Sheen looked back over his years?

Michael is his usual brilliant self, as he gives a great performance in the lead role and the supporting cast are all very good too, Cary Elwes was completely unrecognisable.

'Game Of Thrones'' Missandei has come a long way from 'Hollyoaks' too, she's actually a very good actress now and does well in her role.

I personally loved the nostalgic touches. It was great to see an old Woolworths carrier bag, Hooch Lemonade and Now albums that took me back. I could also recognise elements of my parents past too, but I'm not sure that everybody would understand the references, people don't seem to look back very much anymore. There's a lot of "How am I supposed to know? It was before I was born!" I hope that I am wrong and people can enjoy these thoughtful touches.

I did find that the chronology was a bit confusing, as you don't know which year he has gone back or forward to, because he's always changed something and there's no obvious explanation as to what was happening to him next or what effect he had made straight away. I also found the ending confusing? How does he fill in the gaps having reached the destination?

Overall, it wasn't really my thing, a bit too gritty and real for me, but I can see that it's been thought about, even down to the different film or filters used to match the various eras. I would have just liked a bit more clarity.

519.71/1000.

Time travelling drama set on a train. A successful nightclub owner boards a train with his wife and brother. He discovers that as he moves forward along the train, he also moves forward in time.

Stars Michael Sheen and Carey Elwes.

A low budget film, seems more appropriate for TV. The plot is like an extended episode of the Twilight Zone. I think Michael Sheen should probably be above such things now but it's an interesting movie concept about time travel, love and destiny.