Giving a movie like Red One an absolutely eviscerating review would be easy. In many ways, Amazon’s big-budget Christmas action-comedy starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans is the epitome of everything that’s wrong with modern big-budget movies. It’s constantly trying to build its own strange mythology to set up sequels that might never come, cracking jokes that rarely hit, and struggling to decide whether it wants to take itself seriously or be more self-aware about its general absurdity.

But contrary to what the trailers have led many to believe, Red One isn’t quite the disaster it’s been painted as. Maybe it’s the Christmas spirit that the movie is genuinely full of. Or it could be that this feels like a movie that would’ve been the biggest hit of 2005, versus the Year of Our Lord 2024, where it’s destined to land on Prime Video in a month. Red One is not the lump of coal in your stocking that you thought it’d be. That doesn’t mean it’s a pretty present under your tree either.

What Is ‘Red One’ About?

Callum Drift (Johnson) is the head of the North Pole’s E.L.F. unit, essentially acting as the head of security for Santa Claus himself (J.K. Simmons). The two have been working together for centuries, but Cal has become disillusioned by the lack of Christmas spirit that seems to diminish every single year, leading him to hand in his letter of resignation, stating that this Christmas season will be his very last. Of course, the muscle-bound Santa is kidnapped mere days before Christmas, by the evil witch Grýla (Kiernan Shipka). Cal calls upon the supernatural surveillance director, Zoe Harlow (Lucy Liu), to help him out, and the two discover that the North Pole’s location was leaked by the expert hacker, bounty hunter, and all-around sleezebag, Jack O’Malley (Chris Evans).

Jack is a loser, make no mistake about it. He’s failed at being a parent to his son Dylan (Wesley Kimmel), takes candy from babies, and worst of all, he’s a Level 4 Naughty Lister. However, he didn’t really know what he was even doing when he compromised the North Pole’s location. After all, he’s never believed in Santa Claus. Jack is plucked out of his miserable life and transported to the North Pole, where he’s forced to work with Cal to help track down Santa Claus. It’s essentially the same kind of buddy-cop formula we’ve seen Johnson do before to varying levels of success in films like Central Intelligence, Baywatch, and Red Notice.

From battling monstrous snowmen, breaking into Krampus’ (Kristofer Hivju) fortress, and transforming Hot Wheels cars into real-life automobiles, Cal and Jack go on a globe-trotting holly jolly adventure, that you’ve seen before if you’ve seen any other movie starring The Rock. Except this time it’s Christmas-themed.

‘Red One’ Doesn’t Know Its Audience
Image via Amazon MGM Studios

With talking polar bears, creepy uncanny valley-looking CGI elves, and Ol Saint Nick himself, Red One certainly seems like it’s being targeted at the 10-and-under crowd. The age group that still believes in Santa Claus. Which makes no sense, since the film is rated PG-13. If Red One were to simply cut out the few seconds of profanity, it’d probably end up with that PG rating. Sure, the big-budget film does have enough Christmas cheer and a few good genuine laughs to make it watchable. However, when some of the movie’s target audience won’t even be able to see the movie because of its rating, well, that just feels like the problem is with the filmmakers.

It’s not like director Jake Kasdan hasn’t found success with Johnson before. After all, his Jumanji movies were far better than anybody could have ever expected. While those films were able to appeal to everybody, Kasdan doesn’t seem to have a grasp on the kind of movie he wants to make with Red One, and instead, it just feels like he was roped in because Johnson liked working with him previously.

‘Red One’ Has Moments of Charm

Even as the film struggles to find the right tone between self-parody and a world-building franchise starter, there is still something so innately watchable about Red One. There are laughs to be had, intentional like Evans’ constant befuddlement at all the holiday mayhem, to unintentional, like anytime Johnson opens his mouth to deliver the most outlandish exposition you’ll ever hear in a Christmas movie. The world-building is interesting and creative. Simmons’ Jacked Santa fits perfectly into a holiday action-adventure movie starring Johnson. As bizarre as the concept of a militarized North Pole is, especially in a kids’ movie, it does make the movie feel at least a bit more memorable. However, Red One never seems too interested in diving deeper into any of the more interesting concepts, and instead is more focused on slapstick comedy and the buddy-cop dynamic between Johnson and Evans.

Perhaps the movie’s biggest highlight is when Cal and Jack visit Krampus’ hidden fortress. While most of the movies’ CGI backgrounds and character designers range from noticeable to uncanny valley, this is the one sequence in the movie that relies more on practical makeup for its characters, and it’s truly great. The Krampus design, for as uncomfortably horny as it is, is certainly different than any other incarnations of the character. The designs of the creatures feel like the one time the movie dared to be more creative in its visuals.

2:31 Related The 10 Best Dwayne Johnson Movies, Ranked Johnson has created an endearing screen persona that makes him perfect for action films

Johnson is playing the same kind of character he typically plays in his blockbuster movies, as the confident and often cocky straight man. It works, it’s not a poor performance in any way, but it isn’t particularly memorable either. Unlike something akin to Central Intelligence and Jumanji: The Next Level, where he dares to let his goofy side shine, he never really allows himself to go all in on the silliness. For as much as it is easy to lament that Evans is in desperate need of a new agent, he does bring a lot of charm to Jack. The character starts similarly to his character in Knives Out, and while Evans will always be remembered for playing the noble do-gooder Steve Rogers, he has always shined at playing pricks. He allows himself to be dopey and oafish. Even if it’s not entirely believable that a binge-drinking, oafish hacker would look like Captain America.

Everyone else is pretty much sidelined. Liu’s sole purpose in Red One is to stand in corners and deliver more exposition. Shipka feels entirely miscast as the villainous Grýla, a character who we’re told has a layered backstory, yet we never hear much of it. Simmons does prove to be perfectly cast as a more tough and badass Santa Claus, but after the movie reaches the 20-minute point, he is not given much more to do.

Red One isn’t a terrible movie. It’s just also not a movie that you need to rush out and see on the big screen. However, if you do choose to wait for the film’s arrival on Prime Video, there’s a chance it’ll be able to deliver at least a little bit of Christmas spirit, at least until you remember that this film cost over $200 million.

Red One isn’t quite the lump of coal that we’ve been led to believe it is, but that doesn’t make it a holiday treat either.ProsEverything revolving around Kristofer Hivju’s Krampus is truly great.Chris Evans and J.K. Simmons still manage to charm despite being given poor material. ConsThe movie wastes its creative mythology and world-building for a generic buddy-cop dynamic.The movie struggles between whether or not it wants to take itself seriously.The film doesn’t seem to know who it was even made for.

After Santa Claus is kidnapped, the North Pole’s Head of Security and a notorious bounty hunter embark on a globe-spanning mission to rescue him. This action-packed adventure unfolds as they navigate various challenges to safeguard Christmas, emphasizing teamwork and determination against a backdrop of festive intrigue.Release Date November 15, 2024 Director Jake Kasdan Runtime 123 Minutes

Red One comes to theaters in the U.S. on November 15. Click below for showtimes.

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