Red One (3 stars out of 4)
As fun as it is to dive into the holiday movie season, it’s easy to feel like you’re just watching the same titles over and over again…and not just because you’ve stumbled onto some 24-hour marathon of “It’s A Wonderful Life” or “A Christmas Story.” There are lots of great Christmas movies out there, but new options always feel welcome.
With that in mind, Jake Kasdan’s “Red One” probably won’t crack many Top-10 Christmas movie lists, but it should offer a fun option for anyone on the hunt for a new route into the Christmas spirit this season.
You’ve probably heard about “Red One’s” basic plot by now: Santa Clause (J.K. Simmons) gets kidnapped, and it’s up to his chief of security (Dwayne Johnson) and a modern-day Grinch (Chris Evans) to save him.
The most creative and distinctive aspect of “Red One” is the way it interprets Santa’s operation. Instead of the jolly, heavy-set institution we’re all accustomed to, Simmons’ Santa is a weight-lifting, super-active (but still cookie-loving) specimen who reportedly burns four million calories during his yearly delivery. The factory and its workers are part of an expansive, tech-heavy yet magical system, complete with an extensive security attachment headed by Callum Drift (Johnson).
So it’s a bit of a surprise when a mysterious party breaches the North Pole installation and gets to Red One (Santa’s code name). With only a day to go before Santa’s due on his sleigh, Callum has to recruit an unlikely source to get the Man in Red back: a professional tracker named Jack O’Malley (Evans) who helped the perpetrator locate Santa prior to the abduction.
Together, Callum and a reluctant Jack are able to connect the dots to the culprit—a mythical Christmas Witch named Gryla (Kiernan Shipka)–and they uncover her devious master plan: finally bring cold and cruel justice to everyone who has ever been on the Naughty List. Can they thwart the Christmas Witch and rescue Santa in time to save Christmas? If you’re over 10, the answer to that question is never really in doubt, and “Red One” is mostly about how much fun you have along the way.
Answers to that question will vary, but the aforementioned creativity is a big help. “Red One’s” portrayal of Christmas is an enjoyable blend of traditional with modern, without bending the rules too far to feel alien. It doesn’t have the sustained magic of so many Christmas classics, but it feels comfortable in its own shoes.
As mentioned before, the final destination of the plot isn’t really the point, and not all of the steps to get there will keep you from considering a bathroom break or a run to the snack counter. But it’s fun to see a few familiar faces, and “Red One” does just enough with a couple of key character arcs for its protagonists to feel relatable in the holiday chaos.
Even if “Red One” isn’t engaging and inspired enough to make the all-time list, it’s plenty of fun. The only downside is that it earns its PG-13 rating just enough to make it off-limits to a lot of younger kids who would probably enjoy it.
“Red One” is rated PG-13 for scattered profanity, vulgarity, and general mayhem.