As the holiday season approaches, new movies full of holiday cheer are being released, hoping to be a classic one day. Red One, a brand new movie starring Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, and J.K. Simmons is no exception.
The movie starts off with Santa Claus (Red One) getting kidnapped and Chris Evans, who plays a bounty hunter, is tasked to bring Santa home to save Christmas with the help of Dwayne Johnson.
To no one’s surprise, Johnson (Callum) and Evans (Jack) are a fantastic dynamic duo. Their characters both struggle with different situations in life and it’s a fun time to watch them find comfort and deal with their problems together. Callum has a hard time fully believing that anyone can be good or change while Jack is struggling with his own personal life issues. Their on screen friendship is a fun way to spice up this movie.
The plot is pretty generic and some say over done, but it still does capture the holiday spirit many come to the movies to see. On top of this, the special effects were done very well, which is no surprise due to the surplus budget this movie had. Every scene is fairly colorful and the locations are interesting.
This movie also includes a lot of aspects that make it different from other holiday adventure movies. Instead of just wintery creatures they also include mythological creatures, like goblins and witches. It’s definitely a unique choice that pays off in the end.
However, the plot goes a little haywire at times and can be hard to follow. This, in part, is the fault of multiple villains, such as the witch. Also, the dialogue can sometimes feel generic and uninspiring, especially during some heartwarming scenes. Some viewers also believed that Santa, J.K. Simmons, lifting weights in the gym is not an accurate depiction of what children come to see from Santa Claus himself.
Rotten Tomatoes gave this movie a 32% and it received a 6.9/10 on IMDb. I agree more with IMDb on these ratings. Overall, this movie is a fun experience for families to come view to get in the holiday spirit. But, this movie won’t be a classic in my book.
