'Red One' Review: A Cinematic Lump of Coal
Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans attempt to save christmas in their big budget holiday adventure film red one, a holiday film that miserably fails to entertain and deliver what should have been simple.
In ‘Red One’, Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons) has been kidnapped from the North Pole, putting the entire holiday of Christmas in jeopardy as his whereabouts are unknown. Luckily, his head of security Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson) has recruited one of the world’s most infamous bounty hunters named Jack O’Malley (Chris Evans) to help him track Santa down and save Christmas. Rounding out the impressive cast, there’s Lucy Liu, Bonnie Hunt, Nick Kroll, and Kiernan Shipka as the sinister Gryla.
On paper, Red One had a considerable amount of potential, not only having a fun central premise, but a fantastic cast to see it through to the finish line. However, nearly everything goes wrong in this holiday film, resulting in one of the most joyless, mediocre Christmas movies in quite some time. Fortunately, the film isn’t without its merits. The casting of Simmons as Santa is inspired, the versatile, endlessly watchable actor nailing the charm and tenderness of the beloved holiday figure, lighting up the screen whenever he’s there. The mythology is also well established and brimming with potential should the film get a sequel, introducing audiences into a world where there is an organization that looks after mystical creatures from all different realms. Unfortunately, that’s about all the film has going for it.
For a film that cost over $200 million to produce, it’s one of the ugliest films of the year visually. The special effects are awful throughout and the cinematography isn’t doing the film any favors either. At the helm is director Jake Kasdan, who previously worked with Johnson on the past two Jumanji films. While their collaboration worked wonders in those previous outings, Kasdan feels lost here. The action sequences are incredibly forgettable and poorly shot, no sense of geography and littered with close-ups and quick cuts that don’t do any of the stunts justice. There’s one set piece involving evil snowmen that is one of the most laughably bad action sequences of the year. Kasdan clearly didn’t know if he wanted the movie to feel like Christmas film or a standard action adventure, mostly embracing the latter and forgetting to deliver the holiday cheer.
While the film has a terrific cast in its arsenal, most of them are stuck in thankless, underwritten roles that don’t even remotely utilize their talents. Evans and Johnson have virtually no chemistry throughout, their prickly, comedic dynamic coming across as far more grating than entertaining. It also doesn’t help that Johnson looks asleep at the wheel here, cruising on autopilot and never fully embracing the campiness of the material. Liu and Shipka are also completely wasted here, the former playing the one note head of the organization trying to track Santa down while the latter is given a villainous role that not even an actress like Meryl Streep could elevate off the page. It’s easy to see why the marketing of the film has largely minimized her exposure. In short, the film is an egregious waste of talent.
In terms of the story, it’s a massive waste of narrative potential. The central conceit is charming and somewhat original, but every facet of this story feels like heavily treaded ground. Instead of exploring the fascinating mythology it establishes early on and weaving it into the story organically, it instead jets from one location to the next, shifting from one mediocre action set piece to the next while delivering cringe worthy humor and gags. The film feels like a rushed mess, never slowing down enough to provide much needed character depth or warmth, especially in regards to O’Malley’s estranged relationship with his son which easily could’ve been the compelling emotional core of the film.
However, the biggest problem the film suffers from is that not only does it not entrench itself in the Christmas spirit like it should, it also ultimately feels like an emotionally hollow adventure. Any time the film tries to pull at the heart strings and wring any sort of potent emotion out of the material, it not only feels forced but overly manipulative. The heart never feels earned despite the best efforts of Evans and Simmons, resulting in a film that will leave audiences cold instead of warm and fuzzy.
Red One is a dizzyingly disappointing holiday film that fails to entertain or remotely earn its place among the very best Christmas adventures. Despite having a fun concept and a stacked cast, this holiday film never comes together the way it clearly should. What could’ve been a delightful Christmas treat for audiences this holiday season instead turns out to be a lump of coal in their stockings. Simply put, this film deserves to be on the naughty list.