Review: Dwayne Johnson & Chris Evans’ Slightly Absurd Christmas Action Comedy Commits To The Bit
https://deadline.com/2024/11/red-one-review-dwayne-johnson-chris-evans-1236165948/
The latest in an ongoing trend of action-packed Christmas movies, J.K. Simmons takes on the white beard from Kurt Russell, Mel Gibson and David Harbour in Red One, a $200 million Amazon MGM Studios streaming-turned-theatrical production that blends genres for some family-friendly holiday fun with a generous dose of self-aware absurdity.
The action comedy, which reteams filmmaker Jake Kasdan with his Jumanji leading man Dwayne Johnson, follows the latter as Callum Drift, the head of North Pole security, who is ready to retire just as Simmons’ Santa — code name: Red One — is kidnapped two days before Christmas Eve. With the help of legendary tracker and “Level 4 Naughty Lister” Jack O’Malley (Chris Evans), Callum pays a visit to a few Christmas folk legends come to life, in the form of Kristofer Hivju’s Krampus and Kiernan Shipka‘s Grýla, the Christmas witch.
Yes, it’s cheesy, but this movie is best when it leans heavily into the cheese. If that makes your eyes roll, keep in mind this is a Christmas movie ultimately intended for kids who’ve made it all the way through the MCU on Disney+ twice and their parents now need a reprieve. There are still some jokes aimed at the cold-hearted adult who will inevitably be dragged along on the family cinema outing.
Red One leans into the camp factor, taking itself so seriously that it whips back around to being totally absurd, 100% committed to the bit, with dialogue about the Naughty List that sounds like they could be talking about nuclear codes. It’s like when a toddler hands you a fake phone, you answer that call. Kasdan and screenwriter Chris Morgan definitely answered the call.