Red One

When Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons) is kidnapped days before Christmas, the head of his security (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) will team up with a snarky bounty hunter (Chris Evans), whose actions led the kidnappers to the North Pole, in order to find Santa and save the holiday. Geared mostly towards preteens and teens, Red One is exactly what you would expect for a family Christmas action film with a big budget to blow on stars and special effects and far less time spent on plot.

The standard oil-and-water coupling of Callum Drift (The Rock) and Jack O'Malley (Evans) plays out with the degenerate naughty lister and the cynical security guard both rediscovering the spirit of Christmas. We also get Lucy Liu as the head of the Mythological Oversight and Restoration Authority, Wesley Kimmel as Jack's estranged son, a CGI Polar Bear (because why not?), Krampus (Kristofer Hivju), and Kiernan Shipka as our villain out to punish the naughty this Christmas.

While I've seen some take greater umbrage at the film, I can't get all that upset at something no better or worse than most of The Rock's action flicks, this one tied in a yuletide bow, or any number of throwaway Christmas moves. For the most part, Red One knows what it is and works well enough in that structure for a one-time film you aren't likely to ever watch again.

I enjoyed the surprisingly high-tech version of the North Pole and Callum's making use of size manipulation the pursuit of Santa. There's also something quite enjoyable seeing Evans play a bastard (or what passes for one in a PG-13 movie). The film doesn't offer much in the way of surprises, and it gets a little too cute at times with bits that overstay their welcome, but there are a few laughs and action sequences aplenty before you get to the inevitable Christmas moment for each character bringing everyone together for the holidays.

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• Title: Red One
• IMDb: link