It’s Christmas Day here at Movies and Drinks, and Santa has delivered another holiday review for you—one last vodka-spiked cup of nog featuring familiar faces and characters…and after reviewing all these Christmas movies these past couple months, I’m especially looking forward to the nog.

By Jason Hink

That’s because I have a slight case of deja vu with Imagicomm Entertainment’s DVD release of Christmas in Wolf Creek, a 2022 romantic wintertime adventure that only feels like deja vu because it’s actually a sequel to Love in Wolf Creek (you can find my review of that earlier film here). And the old gang is back in action, including co-leads Tim Rozon and Nola Martin, along with familiar faces (if you watched the previous entry) Madeline Leon, Mary Long, and Bobby Daniels. New to Wolf Creek this time are youngster Ava Augustin, earnest Vijay Mehta, a scheming Ish Morris, and gravitas (along with acting chops) from Art Hindle as an aging rancher.

Produced by Brain Power Studio in association with INSP Films and distributed on disc by Mill Creek Entertainment, Christmas in Wolf Creek isn’t as fun as Love in Wolf Creek and lacks the action of its predecessor, but still slathers on the Velveeta for those looking for pat, happy endings in the snow during Christmas season viewing.

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Back in Wolf Creek (state unknown, but there’s a Wolf Creek near me here in my Pacific Northwest state, so I can pretend), animal refuge manager Sam (Nola Martin) has her task-happy hands full again, juggling multiple issues and putting out fires. This time, she’s not traipsing through the forest (yet) trying to save an injured wolf; she’s attempting to rally the youngsters of Wolf Creek to take their acting seriously for the annual Christmas play—an important element of Christmas Town, the town’s annual Christmas celebration. But with her attention elsewhere, she has little time for her boyfriend Austin (Tom Rozon).

But Austin has problems of his own. He’s the best ranch hand in the whole damn county, and his boss, ranch owner Jason (Art Hindle), reminds him of that fact. But best or not, Jason needs a commitment from Austin…and spending time helping Sam save the animals over at the refuge ain’t gonna cut it. Jason gives Austin an ultimatum and Austin must decide if he wants to work the ranch full time or be replaced by one of the many hungry ranch hands that want the job. Austin doesn’t tell Sam his plight, leading to the pair becoming distant, and relationship problems arise (of course).

Meanwhile, the annual Christmas celebration is indeed underway in Wolf Creek. Event organizer Felix (Vijay Mehta) loves the holiday and wants to keep the event free for the townsfolk…but his son, wheeler-dealer Terry (a sneering Ish Morris) is in charge of the finances, and there is no way Terry is giving away candy canes for free this year. Having procured a real-life reindeer to star in the children’s play, Terry is hoping to also charge an entrance fee to the show to cover the rising cost of, well…everything. (This is 2022, after all; Wolf Creek’s suffering from inflation, too.) Felix and Terry continually butt heads as Terry threatens to shut down the entire operation. (Seriously, nobody thought to beat the crap out of this dude for his rudeness? But then again, maybe they agree with his financial analysis.)

If this all sounds like a rough time, things are about to get rougher for our squabbling heroes, Sam and Austin. Local store owner George (Bobby Daniels) is babysitting his teen granddaughter, Annie (Ava Augustin) who takes a liking to Cupid, the penned up reindeer in the town square. Annie, disappointed her dad can’t be in Wolf Creek with her and her grandfather for Christmas (he’s out of town on a job; those checks don’t grow on trees), decides to go on an adventure with Cupid, freeing the animal from the enclosure for a walk in the snow.

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While Sam continues rehearsals with the kids for the big play, it’s learned that the real star of the show—Cupid the reindeer—is nowhere to be found. When Cupid escapes from Annie and takes off on a trek of his own, Sam must pull away from the play rehearsal to hit the forest and rescue not just the reindeer, but Annie and grandpa George (who went searching for Annie), who are both lost in the snowy forest. Austin won’t let her go alone, so he tags along, rekindling the adventure-style romance that first brought them together in Love in Wolf Creek. Of course, this leaves Sam’s sister Sunny (Madeline Leon) in charge of the little runts rehearsing for the play. Thankfully, she gets a little help from Austin’s ailing grandmother, Mariana (Mary Long), and the pair must bring it all together as evil Terry threatens to end the entire show, killing a decades-long tradition.

What on earth is going on in Wolf Creek!?! There sure is a lot of drama and excitement…and that’s not a bad thing (it’s a movie, after all). While not a bad time-waster at all (if you’re into these types of Hallmark-style cable films, that is), Christmas in Wolf Creek fails to capture the scope and adventure of its predecessor, Love in Wolf Creek, which also aired on the UPtv cable network in 2022. Where Sam and Austin battled all manner of elements in that earlier film (giant rocks to climb, cliffs to leap from, deadly wasps to run from) along with dangerous wolf poachers looking to kill them, Christmas in Wolf Creek tones down the adventure elements, with Sam and Austin’s trek into the snow-filled forest in search of a missing reindeer standing in for the action of the first movie.

Instead of high outdoor adventure, returning screenwriter Neale Elizabeth Kimmel (Christmas in the Rockies) layers on the relationship drama in Christmas in Wolf Creek, turning every situation into an obstacle that threatens Sam and Austin’s budding romance. Director Marco Deufemia, also returning to Wolf Creek, stages the wilderness adventure well again (for small-budget, niche cable), and utilizes the snowy Canadian wilderness to great effect, giving the film extra visual sweep (it truly feels like Christmas!).

The performances are again straight-up extra-cheesy Dorito, and you’ll either love it or hate it…but it’s almost intentionally done and fits with the expectation of these kinds of movies. Those just-too-long awkward stares and the over-the-top, stately earnestness are hallmarks (hehe) of the form. Here, the most fun is had watching Ish Morris sneer his way through the film as Felix’s awful son, Terry. Morris steals every scene he’s in and plays it so well and over-the-top that the viewer spends the entire movie wondering which character will say Enough! and put him in his place.

Will Sam and Austin stay together? Will the Christmas Town event survive financially? Will Sunny and Marian pull off the children’s play? Find the answers to these questions by spending Christmas in Wolf Creek.

Jason Hink is a writer, editor and content producer. Sign up for his Email Newsletter here. For more of Jason’s reviews, visit here.