Reviews and reactions are in for Red One, the new Christmas movie starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans – and they’re not great.
The film sees Santa Claus, played by JK Simmons, kidnapped. Callum Drift (Johnson), head of security in the North Pole, sets out to rescue him, teaming up with bounty hunter Jack O’Malley (Evans).
However, critics have decidedly not been charmed by the festive film, with most reviews trending to the negative.
“Amazon MGM’s $250-million bid at a Marvel-level Christmas franchise is a charmless, level-four naughty-lister that will make you wish Christmas was canceled,” reads IndieWire‘s take.
“This holiday entry, which could almost have been called A Fast & Furious Christmas, is so ugly, artificial and overlong that it should cure kids of any belief in magic,” is The Hollywood Reporter‘s verdict. “It’s a prime example of the ways in which CG effects have impoverished the imaginations of many contemporary filmmakers – making anything possible, but too often at the expense of a human heartbeat. In any case, Red One is the equivalent of a lump of coal in your Christmas stocking.”
“There’s nothing wrong with a big-hearted film for Christmas, but this commercial and formulaic slice of content is a toy destined to be forgotten, not by Boxing Day, but mid-November,” says The Guardian.
“The villains are shape-shifters, but the key thing about Red One is that the whole movie is a shape-shifter: arduous action jape, low-kitsch Christmas fairy tale, buddy movie, family-reconciliation movie – every quadrant and demo must be served,” says Variety. “At the movies, Christmas isn’t a holiday anymore, it’s a concept to be retro-fitted. Do you hear those sleigh bells jingling? Come on, it’s lovely weather for an over-the-top-of-the-North-Pole, through-the-supply-closet-portal, cargo-plane ride together with you.”
“The familiarity is the point with Red One, which might as well have been engineered to run in loops on cable, if that were still a thing. It’s a new movie that’s meant to feel like something you’ve already seen, like, I dunno, Jingle All The Way if the villain in Jingle All The Way were a Christmas witch played by Kiernan Shipka,” reads Vulture‘s review.
It’s not all bad, though, with some critics giving a slightly warmer review. It’s a reasonably entertaining three-star blockbuster with some fun ideas, a game cast, and a brisk storytelling style that never runs out of steam. I was never especially impressed, but I was just enjoying the fact that they somehow turned this absurd elevator pitch into a functional, breezy, slightly above average action-comedy,” says TheWrap.
“With a first installment ripe with DC and Marvel alums (and [Bonnie] Hunt), it’s easy to imagine a holiday action franchise taking off in this climate of existing IP. After all, the Santa we’ve come to know in U.S. culture was originally an 1863 illustration for Harper’s Weekly with the intent of making children behave and spreading capitalism… so not much has changed. And although the idea of a Christmas cinematic universe might initially make one’s eyes roll, the addition of Krampus and other lesser known holiday lore offers a refreshing take,” is Deadline‘s review.
Red One hits theaters on November 6 in the UK and November 15 in the US. In the meantime, check out our guide to the year’s most exciting upcoming movie release dates to plan your theater trips, or fill out your watchlist with our guide to the best Netflix movies.