Throughout history, there have been many Christmas movies, and many of them have been so good that you are glued to your seat and unable to get out. Some of these films include Elf, Santa Claus, Home Alone, and The Polar Express. Red One just might be one movie to add to the list.
Even though Red One came out just this past year, it may become a top-five Christmas movie of all time. It has the star talent of Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, J.K. Simmons, and Kiernan Shipka. The squad creates a symphony of humor and action that keeps the movie entertaining for its entirety. The movie is also perfect for younger audiences but does have a PG-13 rating for mild language and violence.
Red One is about a guy named Callum Drift whose main job is to help Santa deliver toys on Christmas. However, as Callum is about to retire, a man named Jack O’Malley leaks Santa’s address by accident to a witch whose main goal is to destroy Christmas. Her strategy is to take Santa’s energy so that she can use it to punish all of the people who have ever been on the Naughty List. After the witch takes Santa, Callum and O’Malley team up to get him back.
This film is very similar to the movie Santa Claus 3 with Jack Frost; however, Red One includes a wicked witch, whose main goal is to destroy Christmas and to punish everyone who has ever been on the Naughty list. On the contrary, Jack Frost tried to manipulate Christmas into a corporate business for his own good in Santa Claus 3. The plot is similar though, as the goal of both movie’s villains is to destroy Christmas.
While watching, I felt like I was living in the film’s world because of how engaged I was. I was impressed with how well it did to keep me entertained the entire time.
I rate this movie a solid 4.4 out of 5 stars as I think Jake Kasden was really creative with how he directed the film, creating an adventure that was amusing from start to finish. Also, watching Chris Evans and Dwayne Johnson on the big screen was like viewing Kobe and Shaq on the court. Kobe and Shaq were the most dominant duo to ever play the game of basketball, destroying teams to win championships. While, in my opinion, Johnson and Evans’s acting felt like a connection that was as if they were inseparable, and if they did another movie together it would create a true dynasty between the two. Like Kobe and Shaq, they did something for the movie industry that had never been seen before.
The film received a 31% on rotten tomatoes. This is evidence of the film’s struggle to connect with general audiences. One of the reviewers, Dennis Schwartz, said “If you want to see a decent Xmas film, this spiritless and convoluted atrocity is not it.” I get why reviewers may describe this movie as “bad”, given its struggle to balance its more childish and mature elements. Another reviewer named Lael Lowinski said “ It’s worth hanging in there, because [Chris Evans and Dwayne Johnson] are just so fun to watch together. They know how to sell a big action movie.” Audiences are split on whether Red One should be treated as a joke or taken seriously.
I recommend going out to see the film and making your own opinion, as the audience’s reviews are all over the place when it comes to this movie. Red One is out now in theaters.
