“Red One”

It was a chore to get through the ill-advised holiday action caper “Red One,” a chaotic, bizarre mish-mash of a movie from director Jake Kasdan. The idea is interesting, and this film probably could’ve been something truly special if the filmmakers had embraced one of two things: either turn it into a dark, twisted holiday romp or a full-blown cheesy action-fantasy. How disappointing that the film instead plays it safe and lands somewhere in that weird middle ground where it can’t decide whether it wants to be edgy or family-friendly. The result is a head-scratching exercise in total confusion and missed potential.

The story is as simple as it gets. After Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons) is kidnapped, the North Pole’s Head of Security (Dwayne Johnson) must team up with the a low-rent bounty hunter (Chris Evans) for the most important mission of all: saving Christmas. With the ancient witch Gryla (Kiernan Shipka) hot on their trail, the guys must enlist the help of Krampus (Kristofer Hivju) to fight back.

The plot has all the makings of a fun holiday action film and in theory, it sounds like it could be a riot. Apparently either Kasdan or the studio didn’t have the guts to fully commit to a direction that could’ve elevated the film to the next level. It’s too tame to be a hard-hitting R-rated, bloody holiday comedy, and it never fully embraces the campy, over-the-top absurdity it could’ve leaned into to make this a guilty pleasure and cult classic. Instead, it walks a weirdly centrist line, trying to play all angles and hedge its bets. This results in a movie that’s just… fine. But fine doesn’t make for a game-changer in the holiday genre, especially when you’re trying to establish a fresh, irreverent take on Christmas.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Chris “Poor Man’s Ryan Reynolds” Evans share a decent chemistry, but don’t expect to be blown away by any stellar banter. Evans, with his usual snarky, smarmy persona, comes off like he’s doing a low-energy version of a rip-off “Deadpool” shtick. His attempt to play the cynical, wise-cracking loser who reluctantly teams up with Johnson’s tough-but-sweet member of the ELF (groan) is fun enough for a few scenes, but it lacks the punch that you’d expect from two big names in Hollywood.

By the end, the film tries to inject some heart with its poignant messaging about the true meaning of Christmas. Unfortunately, it comes a little too late. The film’s attempts to balance action, comedy, and holiday spirit feel like it’s spreading itself too thin, never fully committing to any one tone.

“Red One” is not a disaster by any means, but it’s also not the bold, hilarious, or thrilling holiday classic it could have been. If you’re craving a holiday flick that’s both edgy and heartwarming, keep looking because this one doesn’t quite hit the mark.

By: Louisa Moore