HOLLYWOOD—I was surprised by the Christmas movie “Red One.” I truly thought it was going to be hokey, another run of the mill Christmas tale with little excitement. I was proven wrong because I think “Red One” might be one of my newest Christmas classics. It joins the list of “Home Alone,” “Home Alone 2” and “Die Hard.” This movie works because it gives something for everyone young or old and it has plenty of laughs and action throughout.
What works so great is the chemistry between Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Chris Evans. Evans has been known to portray smarmy characters throughout his career. I secretly would love to see Evans really portray a villainous role where he gets his hands quite dirty. With that said, Evans portrays Jack O’ Malley, a hacker, who is considered a loser to a degree. He has an interesting dynamic when it comes to the lore of Santa Claus.
Johnson portrays Callum Drift, the head of security at the North Pole and Santa’s protector, portrayed by J.K. Simmons. Yes, Simmons portrays a jacked up Santa which is different yet hilarious at the same time. Lucy Liu portrays Zoe Harlow who is the Director of M.O.R.A (Mythological Oversight and Restoration Authority). “Red One” has some great chemistry amongst its cast of characters and that propels the narrative that keeps you invested in what unfolds.
Santa Claus has been kidnapped and it’s a journey for Callum to utilize Jack’s hacking skills to locate Santa’s location and we meet some interesting people along the way. Those people include Krampus, Gryla, a witch with a nefarious past and a few other unique mythical characters. There is this scene involving a talking Polar Bear and Jack that left me in stitches.
“Red One” delivers a lot of action-packed sequences that are so fun to watch. Johnson does what he does, but Evans also showcasing his fighting skills, and we see gigantic snowman that put a brutal beating on our protagonists. This movie has plenty of heart and that is what I thoroughly enjoyed while watching. I cared about these characters on the screen, I wanted to see how things would end and the laughs are relentless. Yes, you will laugh watching this movie, much more than I ever expected which says a lot about this film.
Director Jake Kasdan does an exceptional job balancing family moments, witty banter, action and the special effects that are so realistic that you feel immersed in being at the actual North Pole. I can tell you right now the kids will fall in love with this movie, and the adults will be surprised by what they receive. “Red One” proves why as kids we adore Christmas so much. There is this hope that just maybe, just maybe Santa Claus actually exists and that reindeers help Santa and his sleigh delivers gifts to families all around the world.
