This weekend, the first big-budget, major studio Christmas movie of the year hits theaters everywhere: Red One. The film boasts an impressive cast, featuring mega stars like Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, and Lucy Liu, and J.K. Simmons as Santa Claus. Directed by Jake Kasdan, known for successful action movies like Jumanji and Jumanji: The Next Level, which also starred Johnson, Red One seems to have all the ingredients for a fun, festive holiday romp. However, the film suffers from an identity crisis that left me questioning who it was truly made for. Red One promised a shiny new bike under the Christmas tree, but ultimately delivered a lump of coal.
The plot is straightforward: Santa Claus is kidnapped by a mysterious special ops team. His head of security, Callum Drift (played by Johnson), has a limited amount of time to rescue Santa and save Christmas. Along the way, he recruits a super hacker named Jack O’Malley (Evans), whose claim to fame is that he can find anyone, anywhere, anytime. Of course, O’Malley is on the naughty list—a level 4 Naughty Lister, no less. He reluctantly partners with Callum to save Christmas and, in the process, finds himself reformed and rediscovering his Christmas spirit. While the film includes several classic Christmas movie tropes, it unfortunately lacks the classic charm associated with those films.
The acting falls short in Red One, from the main villain played by Kieran Shipka to Cal Drift. Dwayne Johnson appears to be sleepwalking through his role, seeming unengaged and disinterested. The charisma that has made him famous is completely absent. Although he is supposed to portray a stoic character, he takes it to an extreme, displaying no emotion or fun—which ultimately detracts from the entire movie. Simmons plays an intriguing Santa, but his limited screen time makes it difficult to gauge his performance. I will say he convincingly plays a captured, unconscious Santa. The one bright spot was Chris Evans, who consistently brings his A-game. He was the only actor who appeared to be enjoying himself; his character reminded me of his Ransom Drysdale character from Knives Out. Honestly, he was great.
The script is disorganized. The scenes where Santa interacts with kids are sweet and wholesome, and watching him deliver presents at the end is enjoyable. However, everything in between feels disjointed, highlighting the film’s identity crisis. It attempts to be a superhero-type movie centered around Santa Claus and Christmas—akin to the Netflix film Christmas Chronicles. This initial concept intrigued me, as I thought my 8-year-old would love it. However, the film includes inappropriate language and references that feel out of place in what seems to be a fun, superhero Christmas movie made for kids. The Aruba beach scene particularly drew me out of the film; it simply didn’t belong. While the film is rated PG-13 and certainly earns that rating, it felt misaligned with the intended audience.
Red One had a staggering $250 million budget, most of which seems to have gone to the cast’s salaries, as the visual effects were subpar. It often resembled a Disney Channel movie. The CGI was poorly executed, looking fake and animated, not at all up to 2024 standards. The costuming added to the cheap visuals; making red and green Christmas elf outfits look tough and cool proved unsuccessful. Combined with a messy script and a loose plot, the film fails to deliver a cohesive experience. Did I laugh at moments? Yes. Did I have fun? Occasionally, but it was typically at the film’s expense rather than because of it.
Overall, my experience with Red One was underwhelming. If you’re looking to capture the Christmas spirit in November, I recommend sticking with the classic holiday films. And if you want a story about a naughty adult who must redeem himself to save Santa and Christmas, check out Fred Claus.
My Rating: 2 stars
Red One releases in theaters everywhere on November 15 and is rated PG-13 for language and some comic book violence.
Red One Misses the Mark
Red One is a big-budget Christmas movie featuring stars like Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans, but it suffers from a lack of charm, coherence, and engaging performances. The plot revolves around Santa Claus being kidnapped and his head of security tasked with saving him, but the film struggles with an identity crisis, mixing kid-friendly elements with inappropriate humor. The visuals are subpar for a $250 million budget, resembling a Disney Channel production. Overall, the film fails to deliver a satisfying holiday experience, with the reviewer giving it a rating of 2 stars and recommending older Christmas films instead.
