With the coming of the Christmas season, Amazon MGM Studios released their Christmas action/comedy film: Red One. Packed with a cast of famous stars such as Chris Evans, Dwyane Johnson, and J.K. Simmons, Red One is a must-watch.
After about five months of filming, Red One was finally released to theaters on November 15. Upon the weekend of the premiere, AMC recorded about 2.4 million viewers. The film spans a total run-time of 2 hours and 3 minutes, and I found myself extremely entertained throughout the entire movie. With multiple action-packed scenes as well as a catchy musical score, Red One is sure to be a Christmas movie for the books.
From the beginning, one of the main characters, Jack O’Malley, played by Chris Evans, is characterized as being an extreme naughty-lister. This is primarily illustrated through Jack’s reputation as a skilled computer hacker and bounty hunter. On one specific task, Jack is issued to pinpoint a specific location in the Northern Hemisphere. However, during this task, Jack unknowingly puts the very essence of Christmas at risk. In a critical mistake, he reveals Santa Claus’s location in the North Pole. This slip quickly catches the attention of Santa’s bodyguard, Cal Drift, played by Dwayne Johnson, and after the two are forced to join forces, they are left in a race against time to locate Santa and restore the spirit of Christmas before it’s too late.
Some key elements throughout Red One are the character development and the importance of family. For instance, at the start of the film, the dynamic between Jack and his son, Dylan, played by Wesley Kimmel, is marked by tension and imbalance. Jack’s troublemaking tendencies and lack of empathy negatively impact their relationship, putting even more pressure on Dylan. However, as the story unfolds, I found it very interesting to watch Jack’s development as a character. Furthermore, an important lesson viewers can take away from Red One is the idea that ‘actions speak louder than words’ and even more importantly, ‘family comes first.’
In my opinion, I found this film stands out because of its remarkable attention to detail, impressive set design, and entertaining cast of characters. In one scene, viewers get a look into the movie’s interpretation of the North Pole. Within this scene, there are many vibrant colors and massive skyscrapers, all filled with different mythical characters such as elves, ogres, and a giant polar bear named Agent Garcia. Overall, I found myself obsessed with the look of this movie. The care and attention to detail was felt in every scene, making it a must-see.
There were some points in the movie where I did find the plot a little difficult to follow, although I think that as the story progressed, the plot got easier to understand. Even though the film had a slow start, the main element that kept me engaged was the performance of the actors. I’ve been a fan of Chris Evans since his time in The Avengers, and I honestly might not have watched the film if he hadn’t been a part of it. The same can be said for Dwayne Johnson. Although I appreciate the movie largely due to its celebrity casting, I genuinely think that both Evans and Johnson delivered strong performances throughout. To me, I found it evident that they connected with their characters on an emotional level, which further proves the fact that their acting skills are top-tier.
In all, Red One has got to be one of the best films I’ve seen in a long time. In fact, Martial Arts Action Cinema even considers it “an instant holiday classic,” and I would say that’s a spot-on description. Because of its fun-filled scenes, oscar-worthy acting, as well as its phenomenal casting, do not miss your opportunity to see Red One on the silver screen.