- Director: Jake Kasdan
- Screenplay: Chris Morgan
- Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, J.K. Simmons, Kiernan Shipka, Bonnie Hunt, Kristofer Hivju, Nick Kroll
- Cinematography: Dan Mindel
- Editing: Mark Helfrich, Steve Edwards, Tara Timpone
- Score: Henry Jackman
- Genre: Christmas action adventure comedy
- Runtime: 123 minutes
It’s Christmaaaaaasssssss! It’s actually the 6th of November as I’m writing this, which is ludicrously early to begin thinking about the big day. There are two types of people; those who start planning the festivities practically in September, and those who sensibly wait until closer to the holiday. I’m in the latter camp – for me, the merry season begins mid-December. ‘Red One‘ is released in the States on November 15th, which is slightly more reasonable than across the pond (we only just had Halloween last week). Sleigh it ain’t so!
Anyway, Santa gets kidnapped by an evil witch up to snow good and it’s down to the chalk and cheese duo of Dwayne Johnson’s gruff North Pole security chief and Chris Evan’s deadbeat hacker to rescue him in time for Christmas Day. Santa (an underutilised J.K. Simmons, in a role he was surely born to play) lifts weight – you’ve never seen old Saint Nick in quite this way before. Throw in a jacked Krampus and we’ve got a veritable sausage fest.
Every festive trope is ticked off; elves, sleigh rides, mahoosive CGI reindeer – but the Yuletide spirit is nowhere to be felt. Again, the premature release date may be a factor but the recent Christmas-set ‘Terrifier 3‘ got me in the Xmas mood and that came out weeks ago. The routine ‘everyone has the choice to be a better person’ dialogue falls flat (when delivered by Evans towards the climax) but the movie isn’t a lost Claus though; the comedic interplay between Johnson and Evans and the spectacular visuals make it a watchable popcorn adventure.
The agency MORA (Mythological Oversight and Restoration Authority), headed up by Lucy Liu’s character, allows scope for a potential franchise involving other seasonal-based mythology. An Easter-themed entry could work (think supersized bunnies and monstrous spring chicks) – ‘Egg One’, perhaps?
My rating: 6 / 10
SilverScreen 