Red One isn’t the movie of the year, but it might be the most important film you watch in 2024.
Few Christmas movies are Oscar-worthy or even good films overall, and Jake Kasdan’s Red One is no different. They’re often stories focusing on the spirit of the holiday season and reconnecting people with the joy they felt as children around this period. Again, Red One follows a similar snow-covered path as the hulking Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson) and his security personnel enlist the help of Jack O’Malley (Chris Evans) – a master tracker and level four name on the infamous naughty list – to find the kidnapped Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons) and save Christmas.
The scrappy buddy comedy isn’t only about the physical act of saving Christmas, but also healing the souls of the characters and renewing their belief in the most magical time of the year. It proves predictable and formulaic for its two-hour runtime, but the non-cynical and comforting story wraps its arms around the audience and never lets go. It’s what everyone needs now more than ever. Mild spoilers for Red One follow.
Screenwriter Chris Morgan handles the scripting duties for Red One, bringing his wealth of experience of penning multiple Fast & Furious movies. It shows in the story as Red One doesn’t shy away from death-defying action set pieces that one could imagine Dom Toretto partaking in. Let’s say that Santa’s sled has never looked cooler or faster than it does now. However, Morgan amps up a more Bad Boys-influenced dynamic between Dwayne Johnson’s Cal and Chris Evans’ Jack rather than treat them as Dom and Brian O’Conner. The two different personalities bicker and clash at points, but they also find common ground for the greater good.
Nothing about their character archetypes are new or unseen in cinema, but they work well as a ragtag team on screen. Johnson plays the stereotypical no-nonsense, all-action character he does in all his movies – to the point in which it’s memeable – but Evans reminds everyone that he isn’t only defined by his time as Captain America. Before he suited up as Steve Rogers, Evans thrived in roles that allowed him to show off a more cocky side. In Red One, he’s freed from the stars, stripes, and shield, flexing his comedic chops and serving as the eyes and ears of the audience in this story.
Even though Cal and Jack behave differently, their respective journeys converge into one. Cal is on the cusp of retirement as the head of security for Santa because he’s lost his belief in people being good. For him, he sees the names on the naughty list growing more than ever and that hardens his heart. Whereas Jack has never believed in Santa nor Christmas to begin with. He remains cynical about the world, and himself, as he avoids his son, Dylan (Wesley Kimmel), because he’s afraid of letting him down. For Cal and Jack, they need to rediscover the belief in people – and themselves – once again.
From killer snowmen with the ability to freeze whatever they touch to gargoyle hellhounds chasing a wild chicken and Cal using a special device to turn toys into real items, Red One believes bigger is always better. No idea seems too outrageous as director Jake Kasdan commits to every preposterous premise and possibility. In truth, it’s no different to what Kasdan did with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Jumani: The Next Level as there are genuine W-T-F moments littered throughout the film when the CGI goes full throttle.
Sure, a viewer might think: “Ah, c’mon. This is totally unbelievable and far-fetched.” However, this is a film based on a story about a man riding around in a sled pulled by reindeer who delivers presents to every child around the world in a singular evening. Maybe it’s best to not treat it like it’s Wuthering Heights.
There’s a bit of every iconic ’90s Christmas movie stuffed in here too, as Red One borrows from The Santa Clause, Jingle All the Way, and Jack Frost to create a cheesy Christmas caper that never asks anyone to take it too seriously. Just go with the flow and don’t pull on the logic too hard or else everything might fall apart.
Watching a film like Red One, it’s all too easy to become cynical about its occasional dodgy CGI, ludicrous action scenes, and formulaic plot. It’s loud, flashy, and embodies every negative quality of a Hollywood blockbuster that received a big budget purely because of the people involved. Yet, it delivers what it sets out to do from the beginning: It’s a brief respite from what’s happening outside of the cinema, while putting a smile on the viewer’s face and leaving a glimmer of hope in the heart.
Is Red One something that people will remember two months from now? No. Is it the best film of the year? Of course not. However, by the time the credits roll, only a stone-hearted heathen is capable of pushing away the warm and fuzzies that take over. Make no mistake: 2024 has been a challenging year for the entire planet and everyone appears to be more on edge than ever before. Sometimes, it’s the silliest and most unexpected movies that sprinkle much-needed hope in our lives. They remind us that people can be good and the choice to be better is always there.
Red One comes out on November 15, 2024.
