‘Red One’ 4K Blu-ray (review)

Warner Bros.

There have been a lot of good Santa Clauses in movies over the years.

From Edmund Gwenn, Sebastian Cabot, and Sir Richard Attenborough in the various versions of Miracle on 34^th Street to Tim Allen, Kurt Russell, David Harbour, and, my personal favorite, French actor Alain Chabat (in 2017’s Santa and Co.).

Now, despite his being a little too slim for the role, you can add to that list the great J.K. Simmons, in 2024’s holiday action film, Red One.

In fact, my only real disappointment with the film is that Santa doesn’t get more screen time.

That’s where our first protagonist comes in.

In fact, he’s the one responsible for Santa’s predicament, although he isn’t even aware of it. Just doing a job.

First, we’re shown his childhood background, then we see that Jack O’Malley grows up to be a bad guy who does whatever anyone wants done, for money. As played by Chris Evans (Captain America), some viewers might have found that hard to believe so we’re shown him literally stealing candy from a baby. That’s how bad this guy is! Definitely on Santa’s naughty list.

“Red One” is actually the code name for Santa himself in this somewhat dark, over-the-top Christmas fantasy adventure.

In the beginning, we see him as the more traditional Kris Kringle but we’re quickly brought up to speed to find the whole Christmas thing is now ultra-high-tech, with the shielded North Pole operations coordinated from a modern, computerized control room.

Even the sleigh is a super-charged Batmobile type vehicle.

We’re introduced to Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson), who, we learn, has been the old man’s bodyguard and right-hand man for centuries, and is just about to retire. Well, that was his plan before the shield is penetrated and the boss is kidnapped, not to be seen in action again until near the end of the film.

Santa’s people discover Jack’s unknowing involvement in helping the villains find and get through the defenses. They realize he’s their only hope of tracking the kidnappers so they hire him and team him with the angry Callum and, presto, Red One is now a buddy film!

Evans looked so intimidating as Cap but he’s dwarfed by The Rock, here. The two bicker and banter to form an unlikely, uneasy bond as they search for the legendary St. Nick in various real and fantasy settings, including a creepy sequence with the anti-Claus, Krampus. Of course, in the end, Christmas is saved. No spoiler.

Lots of excitement along the way, with some state-of-the-art special effects, cool monsters, magic, and fancy gadgets. Lots of funny lines, too. Johnson—who also co-produced—is the best at delivering those. He is, as usual, larger than life and playing just the latest variation on the type of role he always plays, but his deadpan delivery is sharp and hilarious every step of the way. Both he and Chris Evans have that movie star vibe.

Evans’ character is slimy but we slowly see that his daddy issues from the opening scenes have carried over to his own son, who becomes involved in the plot, leading to some unexpected character development. Evans is a good enough actor to carry it off and his chemistry with the actor playing his son is fun to watch develop.

Lucy Liu and Bonnie Hunt are the only other actors I knew in Red One but there is, I should add, a giant polar bear with some good scenes.

Other reviews veered toward bad but I loved Red One when I first watched it last Christmas.

In fact, that same weekend, I sat down with my wife and son and watched it again! To me, it works on the epic scale it’s aimed at. I feel the excitement, the sentimentality, and the genuine rush of holiday spirit that other reviewers said it lacked.

Best of all, as we said at the beginning, is J.K, Simmons, back for a memorable ending in the title role as the one and only “Red One.”

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