The Reel Review
When Santa Claus – Code Name: Red One – is kidnapped, his security team from The North Pole must work with an infamous hacker to stage a rescue mission to save both Santa and Christmas. Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu and JK Simmons star in this family holiday action/adventure comedy.
A somewhat cute premise from director Jake Kasdan (the more recent Jumanji films) is about all that Red One has going for it. The actual story – in which the evil winter witch Gryla (Kiernan Shipka) wants to imprison those on the naughty list in snow globes (yes, this is the plot) is charmless, bland and silly, with inconsistent CGI that will be entertaining only to children too young to get the lame jokes and grasp how dull this all flash, no substance family film really is.
Johnson phones it in through most of Red One, despite valiant efforts from Evans, Liu and Simmons to breathe life into the tired screenplay. Parents with young children may find it a handy two-hour babysitter, but for everyone else this lame film is a lump of coal.
REEL FACTS
• $50 million of Red One’s $350 million budget was the salary for Dwayne Johnson, who reportedly caused significant production costs due to his lengthy absence and erratic behavior on set, which cost the production another $50 million. The film grossed $30 million before hitting Amazon Prime.
• Chris Evans dropped out of 2024’s Fly Me To The Moon with Scarlett Johansson to star in this film, replaced in that movie by Channing Tatum.
• In addition to the better-known Santa Claus and Krampus, Gryla (played by Kiernan Shipka) is an Icelandic myth, the mother of 13 Yule Lads who would wreak havoc and slam the doors in the homes of those who denied them charity.
Video & Photo
