*spoilers ahead!!!*
One of the only anticipated Christmas movie releases this year has already happened. Red One was released to theaters on November 15, 2024. This new classic features an age-old twist on a well-loved Christmas movie dilemma: What happens when Santa gets in a pickle? From a new Santa being picked in The Santa Clause featuring Tim Allen, to a missing reindeer in Prancer, everybody wants to know how the big man in red does it; especially when things go awry. Well in this case, it’s with a little help from none other than Dwayne The Rock Johnson (who plays Callum Drift, Santa’s right-hand man and leader of the E.L.F.)
In Red One Santa gets kidnapped by an ancient witch named Gryla who used to date his very own brother, Krampus. Gryla’s goal is to punish everyone on the naughty list, even those who have since made their way back to the right side of history. In order to achieve this goal, she kidnaps Santa Claus to steal his magic. Once this blasphemy is discovered, Callum enlists the help of a world-renowned naughty-lister and infamous underground tracker, Jack O’Malley played by America’s heartthrob: Chris Evans. Together, the pair, despite their differences, fight to get Santa back to the North Pole before Christmas. Of course, they succeed.
So on to the actual point of this article, reviewing the movie. I went to see it on December 1st with my mom at a theater in Canton. I was bored and looking for something to do so we decided to go and watch the movie after hearing lots of positive reviews from friends. I must spoil my review since I already spoiled the film: the reviews were correct.
Red One was exactly what I needed it to be: heartfelt, funny, and full of Christmas spirit! The humor was layered for all ages, and the light action made it entertaining even for those like my mom who are not huge action movie fans. This movie had everything, from suspense and intrigue to a little bit of sadness. The plot, although it sounds basic (with Santa getting kidnapped and all that) was far from it. The addition of Gryla the Christmas witch is something I’ve never seen before. I enjoyed that Red One added this character into the plot line because I love learning about different legends. Besides that, making Krampus a good guy at the end was another nice touch. It makes sense that he’d come around considering his brother St. Nick is the ultimate nice-lister. It runs in the family. Overall, I’d highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for something new to go see. Also, let’s be honest; who doesn’t want to see The Rock and Chris Evans in the same movie?
