Synopsis: After Santa Claus – Code Name: RED ONE – is kidnapped, the North Pole’s Head of Security (Dwayne Johnson) must team up with the world’s most infamous bounty hunter (Chris Evans) in a globe-trotting, action-packed mission to save Christmas.
The world isn’t what it once was and that’s okay. As a matter of fact, not only is it okay, it’s expected. Together we grow, change, and evolve, as does the society around us. The problem lies in those who change for the worse and evolve in the wrong direction. Tomorrow was never supposed to look like yesterday and it never has. We should strive to be better than our past selves and in turn, those who came before us. Even at our collective worst, we find a way. We dig deep and find the strength, courage, and determination to recapture and reclaim the good. It may take a while, but we’ll right the ship again.
“I love the kids. It’s the grownups that are killing me.”
Ho ho holy shit! Christmas just got a hell of a lot cooler and way more interesting. Santa is jacked and can probably bench-press a Buick. Luckily for you, he sees the good in everyone even when you don’t see it in yourself. So, I think there’s still time to get your name off the naughty list. Directed by Jake Kasdan, Red One is a comic-coded Christmas classic. Are you tired of the same repetitive, overly mushy, overly sentimental, and potentially boring Christmas movies? Well, prepare to open a present early because Red One just smashed its way into your yearly holiday rotation. It’s charming, funny, cheesy, heartwarming, action-packed, and is the only Santa-focused film that gives detailed insight into how the Christmas Eve delivery night is possible. With its bag of humor, sleigh full of excitement, a positive message, and superpowered spin on Kris Kringle and company, you may have yourself a new holiday favorite.
I can’t be the only person who saw the cast and instantly noticed the MCU and DCEU collision course. We have Captain America, Black Adam, Kalypso, and J. Jonah Jameson all on the same side, and there are plenty of very obvious nods to our favorite heroes and the world they reside in. You’ll notice similarities to Wakanda, Black Widow, Ant-Man, Winter Soldier, the Infinity Gauntlet, and probably more that I didn’t catch. While they could be throwaway injections, they are instead perfectly incorporated and serve a purpose to the story. Red One succeeds in recapturing the joy and creativity that makes Christmas fun. There’s still a Scrooge, snowmen, elves, and everything else we’ve become accustomed to, only now, the North Pole is run like S.h.i.e.l.d, the reindeer are gigantic, toy stores have portals, and the head elf, Drift is a lot like Coulson while Santa is Nick Fury. And if all that wasn’t enough to make this seasonal story contemporary, Chris Evans plays a dismissive unscrupulous grump of a black hat hacker named Jack O’Malley. Jack represents everything that’s wrong with the world. He’s selfish, immoral, lacks kindness, and will do anything for money. Oh, and he’s also a deadbeat dad.
Nevertheless, we can all redeem ourselves and as much as the film is about rescuing a kidnapped Santa Claus, it’s equally about finding the good buried within a broken person. Jack, like the audience, will soon discover that anything is possible when you surround yourself with good things and good people. Also, there’s no winning at Krampushlap.
“The world is a mess because they fear nothing.”
Prepare for nonstop entertainment from beginning to end. From mythological creatures, changing the reality of toys, to covert ops, there are zero dull moments. The duo of Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans works better than expected. While the chemistry isn’t quite what you see when Johnson is paired with Kevin Hart, it works well enough because of Evans’ delivery and his silent expressions. Yes, Dwayne essentially plays a version of himself that we are familiar with, but it always seems to work. Not for nothing, who knew J.K. Simmons was a perfect Santa?
Besides some wonky CGI in a few spots, the film looks great. As someone who isn’t big on Christmas films, I’ll look forward to this every year. The set pieces are well-crafted, the makeup and SFX department outdid themselves, and the script is a ton of fun. As an adult, Red One is like being a kid again and combining your love of D&D with your large cache of action figures. It may not be perfect, but you’ll have a great time and we could all use that right about now. Its rewatchability is medium-high.

Pace & Pop
Featuring a jam-packed script, the film’s pacing is more balanced than you’d expect. As the story has numerous emotions and sentiments it wants to express and Santa aspects it chooses to explore, it pumps the brakes occasionally to keep itself on task and stretch its legs in its moral ponderings. What popped for me was the presence of Krampus, the Dark Lord of Christmas. Not only is he badass looking but his charisma and diction could melt ice.

Credit: Karen Neal/Prime
Characters & Chemistry
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Kiernan Shipka, J.K. Simmons, Bonnie Hunt, Lucy Liu, Kristofer Hivju, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Nick Kroll, Wesley Kimmel
Firstly, we need the redemption season of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Kiernan Shipka’s performance brought memories of what could’ve been. Dwayne Johnson is as entertaining as always. Unfortunately, it’s still only one note. I know there’s more there, we’re trying to smell what you’re cooking, Rock. Chris Evans resurrects his persona from Knives Out for Jack O’Malley. Fortunately, Jack is open to being a better person. The duo of Johnson and Evans only works because Evans can flourish as the funny man as Johnson takes a backseat. Nonetheless, the stand out in this film is Kristofer Hivju as Krampus. The performance feels effortless and full of life as he steals the scenes he’s in. In an age of endless sequels, I can see this becoming a franchise.
Red One releases in theaters on November 15, 2024. Stay safe and be better.
Rated: PG-13 Runtime: 2h 3m Director: Jake Kasdan Story: Hiram Garcia Screenplay: Chris Morgan Producers: Hiram Garcia, p.g.a., Dwayne Johnson, p.g.a., Dany Garcia, Chris Morgan, p.g.a., Jake Kasdan p.g.a, Melvin Mar

Red One is a comic-coded Christmas classic. Are you tired of the same repetitive, overly mushy, overly sentimental, and potentially boring Christmas movies? Well, prepare to open a present early because Red One just smashed its way into your yearly holiday rotation.
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GVN Rating 7
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