Red One Review
Red One (2024) Film Review, a movie directed by Jake Kasdan, written by Chris Morgan and Hiram Garcia and starring Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, J.K. Simmons, Bonnie Hunt, Kristofer Hivju, Kiernan Shipka, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Wesley Kimmel, Nick Kroll, Wyatt Hunt, Clayton Cooper, Lanz Duffy, Marc Evan Johnson, Makana David, Samantha Benson, Ashleigh Domangue and Cody Easterbrook.
Red One is said to have cost $250 million to make and, however messy the film is at times, the money is mostly up there on the screen. Directed by Jake Kasdan, this is a story that gives off some appealing action movie vibes that make it a memorable mess instead of a forgettable one. It opens in a sloppy kind of way that could remind one of the Arnold Schwarzenegger belly-flop, Last Action Hero. Like that 1993 dud, Red One begins with many things going on and only when the core of the plot kicks in does the movie truly get interesting. Unlike the Schwarzenegger movie, Red One improves as it goes on. Keep in mind Red One is rated PG-13 and is not for little kids although the holiday-themed plot will probably sound like it’s more kid-friendly than it actually is.
The new film opens with a nasty and cruel character named Jack O’Malley (Chris Evans). He sets a fire to cause a distraction so he can steal something, and he does somewhat evil things that automatically will make the viewer dislike him as a character. However, the movie sets him up that way so he can change over the course of the movie. Jack has a young son, Dylan (Wesley Kimmel), who doesn’t want any Christmas gifts this year being that Jack doesn’t attend important events of Dylan’s anyway.
We also meet Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons) who is interacting with kids at a mall with his bodyguard, Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson), by his side. The plot gets underway as Jack does a job that could jeopardize the nature of Christmas as we know it forever and Santa soon disappears right before he’s ready to deliver presents to kids all over the world on the beloved holiday.
Enter a secret officer, Zoe (Lucy Liu), who needs to get to the bottom of the case of who kidnapped Santa and remedy the situation before the holiday officially arrives. She confronts Jack who admits he didn’t know why the person who had him kidnap Santa, Gryla (Kiernan Shipka), had him do so. Of course, Gryla has a scheme that she is trying fulfill in order to negatively change the nature of Christmas forever.
Callum feels like he did something wrong after working for Santa for hundreds of years and then messing up by losing him. Callum planned on retiring but sets out alongside Jack to find out who is responsible for Santa’s kidnapping and what the villain is trying to accomplish. Besides dealing with Gryla, the pair of lovable characters encounter the monstrous Krampus (a great Kristofer Hivju). When Jack helps Callum out in terms of outsmarting Krampus and his bandits, there are some humorous and touching scenes that follow.
Callum can shrink and grow and, also, smack Krampus in the face really hard when he needs to. It all comes to down to a daring escape, and then, overcoming Gryla’s attempts to bottle Jack and Dylan up in snow globes forever for being too “naughty.” There are funny explanations of things here, too, like how Santa needs a whole year to read the naughty and nice list to prepare for delivering presents at Christmastime. It is argued that Callum is an excellent worker. In a clever scene, we see him take some toys (the game, Monopoly, among them) from a local toy store while preparing to go through to the setting he needs to in order to advance the plot. This movie embraces the notion of the North Pole being accessible through the back of an everyday toy store in a humorous way.
There are a number of dark action scenes that don’t feel kid-friendly in the least, but the movie lightens up a bit as it proceeds towards its latter sequences. It’s not for kids of every age but the teens who could embrace it may be delightfully surprised by its unique style. This is a dark Santa Claus story that doesn’t always generate enough suspense, but the confrontation parts in the near-concluding scenes are nevertheless successful in an unconventional sort of way as they feel zany and offbeat but, more importantly, fresh.
Chris Evans’ performance here could take some time to warm up to. His character’s a lowlife hacker when we meet him and a mystery man who finally discovers the true nature of the Christmas spirit by teaming up with Callum. This film’s heart is in the right place with very sweet scenes throughout the latter stages of the picture, including a demonstration of how Santa gets it all done in one night regarding his giving presents to their owners on Christmas.
Dwayne Johnson rules the roost here with yet another likable performance. He is forced to recite dialogue that can occasionally be a bit crude and inappropriate for younger kids. However, the older ones will definitely enjoy it. Johnson is always personable and enjoyable to watch and here is no exception. Bonnie Hunt’s supporting performance as Mrs. Claus is way too brief, however though it’s nice to see the actress working again.
Red One could have benefitted from a stronger villain, too, as Gryla comes off as one-note and rather one-dimensional in some of her scenes within the new picture. There are also a few funny reindeer scenes that could put a smile on viewers’ faces. J.K. Simmons, in particular, is a hoot in a very entertaining turn as the one and only Santa Claus. This film is one of several projects that the actor has done recently.
While Red One is flawed and too long, its budget is up there on the big screen for all to see. The movie isn’t going to win any major awards, but it keeps your interest and has fun with the material at hand making it a minor recommendation for fans of the actors. Since it’s a holiday movie, its success is probably limited in terms of its longevity at the box-office.
Red One is a fast-paced, action-packed extravaganza that should appeal to fans of Johnson and Evans in addition to holiday movie fans. Both actors acquit themselves admirably in their roles here and have fun on-screen whenever they appear together. The creativity of it all is Red One‘s greatest asset.
Rating: 6.5/10
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