Red One Review

Directed By: Jake Kasdan
Written By: Chris Morgan
Runtime: 122 minutes
MPA Rating: N/A

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson – Callum Drift
Chris Evans – Jack O’Malley
J.K. Simmons – Nick/Santa Claus
Kiernan Shipka – Grýla
Lucy Liu – Zoe Harlow
Bonnie Hunt – Mrs. Claus
Kristofer Hivju – Krampus
Nick Kroll – Ted

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Chris Evans team up to save Santa Claus and Christmas day in the new yuletide comedy, Red One. Red One features well-trodden territory, mashing up a Christmas comedy with an action-thriller bent, wherein Santa Claus and the mythical creatures of the North Pole are real. Johnson partners with longtime Fast & Furious writer-producer Chris Morgan, who penned the script. Red One utilizes well-trodden material, but it would be wrong to say a group of unlikely misfits teaming up to save Christmas has never before worked onscreen. On its own, Red One features a setup that sounds clever and fun. However, Johnson and director Jake Kasdan fail to execute the material in a fun, hilarious way.

The world of Red One crafts a universe where Santa Claus and mythological creatures are real. However, Santa Claus, dubbed Nick (Simmons) for short, is positioned as a top asset, working under the oversight of world governments and a Mythological Oversight and Restoration Authority (MORA). Nick’s main secret service-esque security force is the Enforcement, E.L.F. and Nick’s immortal head of E.L.F. security, Callum Drift (Johnson), is ready to call it quits after hundreds of years on the job. Although Callum respects the job, he has grown disenfranchised with the holiday and the transgressions of the adults, with this year’s “naughty list” now outnumbering the “nice list.”

With just hours to go before Christmas day, the mythological witch Grýla (Shipka) kidnaps Nick. She plans to use his magical energy for a sinister purpose and wage righteous punishment on all the naughty listers. With time running out, Callum recruits the freelance mercenary and tracker, Jack O’Malley (Evans), a longtime naughty lister who detected Nick’s movements using seismology tech. It’s now up to Callum and Jack to put aside their differences and save Christmas and Nick for the entire world.

What truly makes or breaks material such as this are the charisma and chemistry of the leads. Johnson and Evans are talented performers, but they don’t manage to elevate and master this concept. Evans’ character harkens back to his earlier career roles as a more comedic, vapid personality. Johnson plays the stoic, overly serious Callum Drift, and he’s more like a Christmas Grinch. The problem with The Rock portraying a character such as this is that Callum Drift does not make good use of his “Final Boss” and “The Great One” charisma. That’s not to say Johnson needs to play Callum Drift like a pro wrestling character, but stoicism and self-seriousness are not his strong suits as an actor. Johnson’s characterization and relationship with Jack O’Malley fall disappointingly flat.

Despite a reported budget of about $250 million, that overall feeling of flatness pervades the entire film when it should feel immersive, imaginative, and warm. Red One features copious special effects set in a world where mythological and folkloric creatures are real. On paper, E.L.F.’s hacker “trolls” and special agent polar bears sound amusing, but the characters and world-building never look convincing or inspiring.

One of the film’s bright spots comes from the appearance of Krampus (Hivju), reimagined here as Nick’s estranged adopted brother. Krampus plays like he should have had a larger role in this story, which feels like a missed opportunity. J.K. Simmons also brings surprising warmth to his role as the buffed-up, badass version of Santa Claus.

The best, most imaginative sequence in Red One visualizes how this version of Santa Claus delivers presents across the world in one night, with the help of his highly-organized E.L.F. crew, high-tech equipment, and a little bit of Christmas magic. Had the rest of the movie infused a similar type of imaginative energy as this sequence, Red One might offer a more satisfying experience.

4.0

The final score: review Poor

The 411

Dwayne Johnson and Jake Kasdan fail to make the most of a decently clever premise in Red One. The film is underwhelming, albeit inoffensive, yuletide family fare. Kids might even enjoy watching this. However, Johnson and Evans fail to inspire or elevate the material with their substandard chemistry and relationship dynamic. There are some moments showcasing a better, more entertaining film here, but Red One fails to bring it together.