REVIEW — “Red One”

Directed by Jake Kasdan based on a screenplay by Chris Morgan and story by Hiram Garcia, Red One follows Cal (Dwayne Johnson), the North Pole’s Head of Security. Much like a Secret Service agent to the president, Cal and his E.L.F. team detail Santa Claus’ every move and whereabouts with military precision to ensure Santa – Code Name: RED ONE – safely gets from A to B so Christmas is executed each year without fail.

Similar to other characters he’s played in the past, Johnson’s Cal is a no-nonsense bad ass; however, he is conflicted. Cal has become disillusioned with humans and how, more and more, they are choosing to be naughty instead of nice to one another which has caused the naughty list to hit record levels. He believes that type of behavior does not deserve to be rewarded, so he decides to retire after one last Christmas serving alongside Santa.

But when the North Pole is breached and Santa is kidnapped, Cal must team up with The Wolf (Chris Evans), the world’s most infamous bounty hunter, in a globe-trotting, action-packed mission to save Christmas. As slick, cynical and wise cracking Jack/The Wolf, Evans lays down his shield and dusts off his actual Boston accent to portray the master tracker, thief, and man-child Dad to son, Dylan (Wesley Kimmel). Evans and Johnson play well off each other, and their odd-couple chemistry provides most of the film’s laughs.

The film features a great supporting cast led by character actor JK Simmons as a slimmed down, secretly jacked Santa Claus who lifts weights and eats healthy. While he is the most fit Saint Nick ever put on screen, he still has a sentimental twinkle in his eye and brings a fatherly warmth to the role. Meanwhile, Mad Men and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star, Kiernan Shipka is wonderfully wicked as the film’s twisted villain; she is both fierce and formidable and delivers her lines with a cold stare and a devilish grin. And the wonderful Bonnie Hunt is perfectly cast as Mrs. Claus. Though she isn’t given much to do in Red One, hopefully Kasdan figures out a way to bring Hunt back into the Jumanji universe for what could be the third and final installment of a beloved series that she kicked off alongside Robin Williams 30 years ago (fingers crossed).

From enormous reindeer to monstrous snowmen, Red One relies on an abundance of CGI; however, the practical creature makeup for Kristofer Hivju’s Krampus is amazing. The film’s action sequences are over-the-top and animated, but entertaining nonetheless. And the finale is quite impressive as we see how Santa pulls off the miraculous feat of delivering toys to children all over the globe in Mission: Impossible fashion.

While I do not see Red One becoming an annual must-watch Christmas movie tradition, it is an entertaining (sleigh) ride that’s a little naughty, a little nice, and a lot of fun. Also starring Nick Kroll, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, and Lucy Liu, Red One is a Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em start to the holiday season! 3/5

Rated PG-13 with a running time of 2 hours 2 minutes, Red One opens in theaters on November 15, 2024.