Red One Review: Dwayne Johnson Brings the Laughs

Red One is far from the next great Christmas classic, but Dwayne Johnson brings the laughs in a frequently funny, perfectly passable holiday comedy.

If all it’ll take for Red One to win you over is a good amount of laughs and charm, it will have you covered very easily, mainly when it comes to Johnson and Evans. The Rock especially seems to know that the way to make this silly idea funny is to play it 100% serious, like when his character guards Santa in a mall with the same stone-faced intensity as someone in the Secret Service (and probably way more competently given recent events). When the whole movie takes on the tone of a hard-boiled Mission: Impossible-style plot, the contrast with it centering around Santa’s workshop, reindeer, and fantasy creatures is really amusing. One of the biggest laughs I got was when a stumpy, wrinkly troll who’d been scouring the internet – get it? – just had an average, everyday voice.

Chris Evans continues his streak of choosing roles post-Captain America that just let him cut loose, playing a dirtbag who literally steals candy from a baby but has a good heart deep down. True, a lot of his humor is basically just him going, “Holy sh*t!” when he’s introduced to one of the crazy mechanics of this world, but he’s so good at it that the gag doesn’t get old, especially when everyone else acts like it’s just another day of work.

It’s too bad that when Red One tries to be genuinely dramatic instead of jokingly so, it’s not nearly as good. I’m mainly looking at Gryla here, who’s another one of those villains who claims they’re acting on some big, noble purpose but smirks and mugs so often that you end up saying, “No, you’re just an evil nut.” There’s nothing interesting or funny about her, to a point where I was really wishing that this film’s version of Krampus (Kristofer Hivju, Cocaine Bear) could’ve been the main villain instead. Not only is he way more fun and fitting as a character, but he’s one of the few mythical creatures brought to life with great makeup and prosthetics instead of iffy CGI.

Which is funny because Krampus isn’t even relevant to the plot. Our heroes head to his lair because they think he’ll get them closer to solving the crime; it turns out he doesn’t, and then they just have to escape. It’s all made worth it to see The Rock get bitch-slapped – something I’m sure many DC fans dream of doing – but why not work such a cool location into the story better? There are a few instances like that where the movie is more about visiting half-decent set pieces than moving things forward, or trying to squeeze in some decently shot but really cartoony action sequences just for the sake of it. 

But I still keep circling back around to how consistently laugh-out-loud funny Red One is, in a way that caters to kids and adults without feeling like either is getting the short end of the stick. Yeah, it’s PG-13, but that’s just for a few swear words, and they sadly don’t even use their one allowed f-bomb. But rarely does that safe marketability feel like it’s getting in the way of the witty, charming writing and acting. Henry Jackman’s score definitely helps there; seriously, I really wasn’t expecting the music to get as ridiculously epic as it does. I can see this movie having very broad appeal, and that’s not easy to do without coming across as soulless or cynical.

Still, you’re mostly getting all the typical story beats and lessons you’ve seen before from a Christmas adventure involving Santa: someone losing the holiday spirit because of people’s behavior, questioning the logistics of how Santa does what he does, seeing that even “naughty listers” have humanity, a parent trying to do right by their kid, and of course the goal of saving Christmas. It’s all done fine enough but ultimately forgettable, except for one really surprisingly touching conversation between Callum and Santa near the start. If you’re looking for a Christmas film that has more of that something extra from start to finish, you’re not getting it here, no matter how hard the movie tries to make those magical moments happen.

If frequently funny material and charismatic lead characters are all you need to get your holiday comedy fix, Red One is a perfectly fine choice. If you watch the trailers and think it looks like a fun time, you’ll pretty much get what you’re looking for. If you think it looks too silly or generic, you probably won’t enjoy yourself. I could’ve used either more of an edge or more of an original spin, but considering the huge lump of comedic coal this could have been, I’ll gladly take a decent present that entertains me for a few hours.

Red One will be released in UK & Irish cinemas on November 6, 2024, in US theaters on November 15, and globally in theaters in November.