"You better watch out, You better not cry, Better not pout, I'm telling you why: Santa Claus is comin' to town". But what if he wasn't? What if on December 23rd, someone broke into the North Pole Complex and kidnapped Santa Claus? Wait...What is that you say?!? Santa Claus isn't real!?! How can you be so sure? According to M.O.R.A (Mythological Oversight and Restoration Authority), he, along with the Headless Horseman and various other mythical creatures are real and when old St. Nick gets taken they have 24 hours to get him back before Christmas is ruined Worldwide.
Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) is the long-time head commander of E.L.F. (Enforcement, Logistics, and Fortification), the security team guarding Santa Claus and the North Pole. However, this will be Callum's last Christmas in charge because he has decided to resign since after 300+ years he has lost that "feeling" and can't see the joy in Christmas anymore. However, as he prepares to step down, "Red One" is taken and he, along with M.O.R.A, has to try and find him ASAP. Their first stop is to talk to the guy who helped find the elusive Claus - professional hacker, Jack O'Malley (Chris Evans; Captain America: The First Avenger).
"Red One" has a decent cast but with major box office draws Johnson and Evans on board, the movie will probably rake in more at the box office than it probably should. Johnson has the muscles and Evans has the charm, even when he is portraying a less than likable guy, to get the movie's attention during this busy holiday season. Joining them are Lucy Liu (Lucy Liu) as the Director of M.O.R.A and J.K. Simmons (J.K. Simmons) as the Jolly old man himself. Kiernan Shipka (Kiernan Shipka) is very good as Gryla, the Winter Witch; she kind of reminds me of a young Kelly Preston which is sometimes distracting.
Director Jake Kasdan (Jake Kasdan) works with what he was given, a lackluster script full of clichés written by Chris Morgan (Chris Morgan) and Hiram Garcia (Hiram Garcia). Dripping with "moral messages" about being good and remembering the holiday spirit, Red One is one saccharin moment after another until all you want to do is throw out all the cookies and milk you have at home.
The effects, for the most part, are well done though I'm not sure whose idea it was to put enlarged reindeer heads on Clydesdale horses' bodies. They come across as massive and intimidating and not child-friendly in the least. The same goes for Krampus (Kristofer Hivju; Game of Thrones) - large, scary, and not nearly as funny as the production team hoped he would be. The infamous sled, however, is rather impressive as is Santa's jungle gym, and obstacle course moves as he tries to deliver gifts to 8 billion people in less than 24 hours.
Red One, while not a great film, has its merits and is, if nothing else, cute with moments of fun and hilarity (The Chicken creating a "diversion" is especially warped but funny). I can see families sitting down in front of the television on Christmas Day to watch movies like A Christmas Story and Elf and...Red One. It is easily a new holiday tradition in the making that offers the kind of "warm fuzzies" one gets snuggled under a warm blanket with a mug full of hot cocoa and mini marshmallows.
Grade: C+
