Movie Review: ‘Red One’

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Review by James Lindorf

It continues to pay off to be a friend of Dwayne Johnson’s. His long-time producer, Hiram Garcia, had an idea for a new holiday action film, and the actor bought in. Next, he signed on the writer of multiple Fast and Furious movies and the two-time Jumanji director to bring the story to life. Like Santa himself, Amazon MGM Studios will bring the movie to families everywhere when the film opens on November 15th.

Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons), code-named Red One by his security team, is gearing up for his biggest day of the year. Everything seems in place after a last-minute trip to a mall to meet with children and an intense gym session with North Pole’s Head of Security Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson). While they are finishing their preparations, Jack O’Malley (Chris Evans, the world’s most infamous hunter of people and information, is completing a mission that will put Christmas in danger. Less than 24 hours before Christmas Eve, Red One has been kidnapped, setting Jack and Callum off on a globe-trotting, action-packed mission to save Christmas.

With Garcia having the story credit and Chris Morgan writing the screenplay, it is hard to discern just who was inspired by what, but watching the film, it is clear what movies impacted the creation of “Red One.” There are touches of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, “The Santa Clause,” “Black Panther,” and “Hellboy” throughout the film, from the design of the elves and the North Pole to the dark and twisted side of the Mythological world. These unique elements make ‘Red One’ a distinct and intriguing holiday film. Catching these similarities is one of the three main elements that will lead to an enjoyable time while watching “Red One.” The second is admiring the world they have built through the writing and set and costume designs, and finally, the charismatic performance of its two leads.

Johnson gives a very similar performance to his last dozen films, but the jokes about how big he is are cut in half. A welcome reprieve for me after I started a counter during the fairly dreadful “Jungle Cruise.” Evans, however, does get to bring something to the table we haven’t seen from him much. He is usually the nice guy, the tough guy, or the romantic interest and here he is none of them. A distant father, a rogue who literally steals candy from a baby, and decidedly single, O’Malley is the most selfish kind of level 4 naughty lister. It will take a true Christmas miracle to get his name off that list. The two play well off each other throughout the movie, and it never gets old like several of Johnson’s recent team-ups like “Hobbs and Shaw” or “Red Notice.” The box office this weekend will strongly indicate whether we will see Red Two or whatever they may choose to call a sequel, but I would be happy to see this pair do more.

On the other hand, I would be less excited if they chose to have Chris Morgan return. There is nothing distinctly wrong with his script, and it is far from offensive to our sensibilities or intelligence, but that is most likely because of how basic and well-worn its story elements are. The story is made up of elements we have seen many times before, and every time you expect the film to zig, it does so predictably. There is nothing that will catch a seasoned moviegoer by surprise, which might leave some feeling cautious about the film’s originality.

The story in “Red One” will work for kids, giving them the perfect holiday message that every moment is a chance to be good. If the humor and banter between Johnson and Evans work for adults, this could be a successful four-quadrant film, appealing to all age groups. “Red One is a fun blend of the dark and light sides of the world, both real and mythological. However, inconsistent CGI and repetitive story elements bring its score down to 3.25 out of 5.

Title: Red One
Original Language: English
Genre: Holiday, Action, Adventure, Comedy
Rating: PG-13 (Language|Action|Some Violence)
Runtime: 2h 2m
Release Date (Theatrical): November 15th, 2024
Director: Jake Kasdan
Screenwriter: Chris Morgan
Producer: Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, Jake Kasdan, Melvin Mar, Chris Morgan
Production Co: Amazon MGM Studios, Seven Bucks Productions, The Detective Agency, Chris Morgan Productions
Distributor: Amazon MGM Studios