(Content warning: The review contains spoilers).
No one could have thought that a Christmas film filled with action-packed adventures and mythical creatures would ever see the light of day, but “Red One” made it work and delivered just the perfect holiday chaos.
The movie directed by Jake Kasdan is like squeezing fun, laughter and weirdness into one giant snowball and throwing it to the audience, with its over-the-top range of emotions that is both dizzying and enjoyable.
It follows North Pole’s head of security, Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson), who teamed up with infamous bounty hunter Jack O’Malley (Chris Evans) after Santa Claus was abducted by a villain who is bent on ruining Christmas for good.
Johnson and Evans’ comedic chemistry is a sight to behold, making it almost unbelievable that it is the first film where the two have appeared on the same screen.
It is also amusing to see how the on-screen duo’s relationship progressively resembled a dumb-and-dumber type of friendship, which is new and refreshing to see in Johnson who has always been typecast as the invincible and chivalrous frontman in his previous films.
An unexpected comic relief is also drawn from Evans, who is usually known for playing attractive and commanding male leads. What is similar from his previous roles to his latest one, on the other hand, is the ever-familiar character depth and inner insecurities that are bottled up inside his unflinching demeanor.
The most challenging character to pull off might be the legendary figure Santa Claus, who is played by J. K. Simmons. At first glance, Simmons appears to be wrong for the part as he fails to replicate the festively portly old man with spectacles and instead is a sturdy, averaged-height hunk who religiously works out days before Christmas Eve.
But as the story progresses, the reimagined character actually makes perfect sense as it funnily makes the audience realize how it would be quite literally impossible to drop presents to houses around the world in just one night if Santa were not physically fit.
The supporting cast Lucy Liu, who plays North Pole’s authority director Zoe Harlow and Bonnie Hunt, who portrays Mrs. Claus, were the weakest link in the solid ensemble.
Liu’s monotonous voice and dull facial expression were simply hard to watch on screen, while Hunt’s typical domestic wife character could have been scrapped completely and no one would even notice.
On the other hand, the winter witch Gryla (Kiernan Shipka) who kidnapped Santa was perhaps more terrifying in her human form than her monstrous form in the best way. Shipka’s potential villain roles in the future are definitely something to look forward to.
Meanwhile, the overblown visual effects and CGI that captured the vibrant holiday spirit are pleasantly balanced with a more sentimental subplot between Jack and his son Dylan (Wesley Kimmel), who is resentful towards his work-driven dad. It was clichè yet understandable as holiday movies cannot get away without portraying the importance of close-knit family relationships.
Overall, “Red One” takes a bold step in retelling the spirit of Christmas in a charming and unconventional way. While some critics deem it too juvenile and mawkish, it is not enough to stop moviegoers from having a wonderful time and not taking themselves too seriously.
The Warner Bros. Pictures film came out in local cinemas on November 6.
