Movie Review: Red One

Is Red One another forgettable Dwayne Johnson action flick? Yes and No. At least you’d always remember Buff Santa and his E.L.F (Enforcement, Logistics, and Fortification) team.

Christmas came early with this one, and courtesy of Film One and Filmhouse Cinemas Lekki, this author got front-row tickets to the movie premiere. (I’m just kidding. I’d never sit in the front row of a movie theatre. Middle seats or nothing). 

It’s that time of the year again when Hallmark and Netflix compete for the title of cheesiest holiday movie maker. We know these movies are silly, but we love them for the escapism they bring. 

Red One is an action comedy Christmas flick straight out of a Dwayne Johnson blockbuster catalog. It’s over-the-top, fantastical, action-packed, and ridiculous, but it still manages to be enjoyable.  

So, I grew up watching and enjoying popular Christmas movies like the Santa Clause franchise (the one in which Tim Allen’s character mistakenly kills good ole Saint Nick and has to become the next Santa and deliver presents to kids everywhere), Elf, Love Actually, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Klaus, or even the family Christmas ones like Home Alone.

Christmas movies always had one formula: they usually revolve around family, finding love, friendship, or redeeming oneself. Most of the movies I mentioned earlier follow this formula, with a few incorporating comedy and feel-good stuff that tugs the heartstrings. But more recently, we’ve been getting another genre of Christmas movies, of the action or horror variety. 

Last year was my horror Christmas movie phase (such a fun time). I watched a few flicks like It’s a Wonderful Knife, Christmas Bloody Christmas, and Violent Night (although this one was more action comedy than horror). Two of the three I mentioned were not bad, but the Christmas Bloody Christmas was terrible (we’re talking low-budget slasher horror). 

Anyway, Red One falls under the action Christmas movie category. Right off the bat, we see a buff Santa doing over a hundred press-ups (a large contrast to the pot-bellied overweight ones we’re used to) and counting calories. 

Red One is predictable right from the start, but that doesn’t stop you from enjoying it. With its A-list cast like Chris Evans playing a professional tracker/deadbeat dad who’s high up on the naughty list, Dwayne Johnson playing himself as usual, J.K Simmons, Lucy Liu, and Kiernan Shipka (of Sabrina the Teenage Witch). 

The movie gives off Red Notice vibes—yet another forgettable The Rock movie with a tough, buff guy and a sassy accomplice. 

The Plot

Callum Drift, Santa’s chief of security and all-around tough guy, is ready to hang up his ELF boots after one final Christmas Eve shift. Centuries on the job have left him jaded and disillusioned, as the world’s naughty list has now outgrown the nice list, and his faith in Christmas cheer is slipping. But just when he thinks this year couldn’t get any worse, an elite infiltration team storms the North Pole and kidnaps the big guy himself. 

Now, with Christmas hanging by a thread, it’s up to Callum to save Santa, the holiday, and maybe even rediscover the magic of the season along the way. 

Jack and his team, which includes a giant Polar bear and Lucy Liu’s Zoe, the head of the Mythological Oversight and Restoration Authority (MORA), must find Santa and deliver the presents before Christmas morning. 

To round up the team, they capture Jack O’Malley (Chris Evans), a mercenary hacker who is the reason behind Santa’s disappearance, and offer/threaten him to help locate the missing Santa.  

Action comedy movie hijinks ensue, and you can already tell how the movie ends. 

My Two Cents

It’s a typical The Rock action/adventure movie, except this time, it’s wrapped in nice Christmas packaging. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think it was another Netflix high-budget action movie packed with A-listers and designed just to be glorified ads/product placements. 

Overall, it wasn’t a bad way to spend the weekend. The movie premiere was fun. There was food and drinks, and did I mention more popcorn than I could eat? And a tree lighting event (which, apparently is a thing we do here now). 

Is Red One another forgettable Dwayne Johnson action flick? Yes and No. At least you’d always remember Buff Santa and his E.L.F (Enforcement, Logistics, and Fortification) team. The E.L.F. is basically the North Pole’s version of the Secret Service, with Santa (code name Red One) as the president. 

You’d also probably remember Dwayne’s character constantly reminding the other characters that he’s not an ‘Elf’ but rather the head of the ELFs. It seemed like they were trying to knock you over the head with that joke. 

And on a side note, I loved Chris Evans as Captain America, but I think I’m beginning to enjoy it when he plays a slightly shady/cocky, wise-cracking character (like in Knives Out). It’s like the complete opposite of Steve Rogers, and he does it so well. 

Would I recommend Red One? Yeah definitely. It’s a fun way to pass time with friends and family. There’s something for everyone, from cheesy jokes to action sequences to cute family moments and characters redeeming themselves.