Red One review: Chris Evans and Dwayne Johnson can’t save festive flop
As a long-time fan of action-adventure films and Christmas movies, I was eagerly anticipating the team-up of Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans in “Red One.” However, after watching it, I can’t help but feel that the film is more like a lump of coal in my stocking than the shiny, wrapped present I was hoping for.
Collaboration between Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans on a holiday-themed escapade, directed by Jake Kasdan, who has delivered two blockbuster Jumanji films, seems like the perfect ingredients for an explosively fun Christmas surprise.
Unfortunately, Red One ends up more of a festive flop.
A week prior to its U.S. premiere, the movie “Red One” was screened in UK cinemas first (likely for a Christmas release on Prime Video). The film offers a fresh take on the North Pole as a highly organized facility run by a security team, led by Callum Drift (Johnson). His sole mission is to ensure the safety of Santa Claus, codenamed Red One, portrayed by JK Simmons.
On the eve of Christmas Eve, Santa finds himself kidnapped by wicked forces. The prospect of a joyous Christmas hangs in the balance now, with only the notorious bounty hunter, the Wolf or Jack O’Malley (Evans), standing between us and potential holiday disaster. Will Callum and Jack, despite their past disagreements, join forces to rescue Santa?
As I prepare for my impending retirement, I can’t help but feel a tad jaded about the holiday spirit. It seems like folks these days have lost their way, becoming more naughty than nice. On the flip side, there’s Jack – a father who struggles to find common ground with his son.
They embody the spirit of both naughty and nice lists. It’s clear that Jack falls into the naughty category, given his actions like swiping candy from an infant (in this alternative version of Santa, he’s using a mall trip as a pick-me-up for Christmas). On the other hand, Callum shows himself to be a kind soul by preventing an influencer from jumping the queue to meet Santa.
If their back-and-forth feels reminiscent of the Fast and Furious movies, it might not come as a shock since writer Cris Morgan has contributed to numerous films in that franchise, including Johnson’s standalone Hobbs & Shaw. However, unlike those movies, there’s little enthusiasm or amusing dialogue; instead, Evans is mostly repeating “what the heck” in response to all the bizarre things he’s witnessing.
In the film, Evans’ diverse responses are meant to give viewers a quick understanding of the intense situations, yet Red One rarely seems overly bizarre. Despite being set in a mythological realm, the movie tends to be surprisingly ordinary, with scenes that feel familiar, such as Krampus and evil giant snowmen, which we’ve encountered before.
Any fun idea, such as using toy shops as the secret way for Callum and Jack to globetrot, is smothered by a sense we’ve seen it before. For instance, one of Callum’s tricks is to ‘realise’ toys such as turning Hot Wheels cars into actual cars, but Ant-Man did that in 2015. Callum can also make himself smaller as a fighting tactic to add to the Ant-Man vibes.
If the set pieces were effectively carried out, this recurring problem wouldn’t be so significant. Unfortunately, the primary events transpire in a predominantly digital and ambiguous environment, worsened by them occurring at night. Poor editing and the underutilization of Lucy Liu (she spends mere seconds fighting) contribute to an overall lack of excitement.
The movie’s shining light is JK Simmons as a muscly Santa who can easily do 500 press-ups in five minutes. He manages to sell the schmaltzy lines and is a great fit as Saint Nick in his second Santa movie outing following Netflix’s exceptional Klaus. Unfortunately, the plot means he’s off-screen after the first act and the movie suffers for it.
As a gamer, I’m left scratching my head about who this Red One character is meant for. The humor feels more suited to kids, but it’s way too immature for adults. Plus, the language is raw and rough, which isn’t appropriate for younger audiences. Even Grýla, played by Kiernan Shipka, seems a bit too menacing for the little ones as she stares intensely at the camera most of the time.
If “Red One” happens to be available on Prime Video by Christmas, it might be most enjoyable to watch it after your Christmas dinner when you’re feeling a bit drowsy and are looking for something light to pass the time before “Doctor Who” and “Gavin & Stacey.
Red One is out now in UK cinemas and is released in US cinemas on November 15.
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2024-11-06 09:48