Over the years, there have been lots of films about Father Christmas, including Miracle on 34th Street, The Santa Clause, and Santa Claus: The Movie, just to name a few. Add to that list Red One, which asks: What if someone kidnapped good ole Saint Nick?

The film starts with the real Santa (J.K. Simmons) posing as a mall Santa in Philadelphia, accompanied by his trusted bodyguard/head of security, Callum (Dwayne Johnson). After talking to some wide-eyed children about what they want for Christmas, Santa – code named “Red One” by his security team – heads off on his supersonic sleigh and giant magical reindeer to return to the North Pole.

Once back home, Santa and Callum start working out to get ready for the big night. This will be Callum’s last trip with the jolly old guy as he plans to resign. “I love the kids, but the grown-ups are killing me,” says Callum, admitting that for the first time in history, the naughty list is longer than the nice.

Later that night, Callum is doing a routine security check when he discovers that someone has breached his elaborate security and kidnapped Santa. Callum leads a fast and hectic chase with his security team through all of Santa’s North Pole City – a giant, futuristic city protected by an invisible dome. Unfortunately, the kidnappers manage to escape with their prisoner.

With Christmas Eve only a few days away, Callum is forced to team up with Jack O’Malley (Chris Evans), the best tracker and hacker in the world who has been on the naughty list since he was a pre-teen. The unlikely pair must work together if they will have any chance of rescuing Santa in time to save Christmas.

Loud and hectic, Red One is a Christmas action movie minus any true Christmas spirit or joy. It’s an uneven, chaotic adventure with annoying characters and obnoxious-looking CGI.

J.K. Simmons is funny and endearing as Santa, but the movie wastes his talent since his character vanishes after the first 20 minutes and doesn’t return until the last 10. It’s a real letdown. Dwayne Johnson is solid as Callum, Santa’s loyal security chief who is having a crisis of faith in people but there’s not much depth to his character. He’s a strong bodyguard on a mission. That’s about it.

Chris Evans’ portrayal of Jack O’ Malley is very reminiscent of his character Ransom Drysdale from Knives Out, so it’s not much of a stretch. Also, Johnson and Evans have no chemistry in the film, so the bromance fails on screen. The film’s tone is another problem as it gets too dark and scary for the younger audience, especially the scenes involving the character Krampus and his entourage.

Soulless and missing any holiday magic, Red One will surely be forgotten by the time Christmas comes around.

GRADE: C-

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for language, action, and some violence

Running Time: 2 hour 2 minutes

Release Date: November 15, 2024

Directed By: Jake Kasdan

Studio: Amazon MGM Studios