Red One

**_Best Christmas Movie Ever!_** After a key figure is kidnapped from the North Pole city of Myra, the commander of security (Dwayne Johnson) teams-up with a mercenary black-hat hacker (Chris Evans) to locate the victim (JK Simmons). They go to sunny Aruba for answers before entering the creepy lair of Krampus, Santa’s estranged adopted brother. Could the one behind the nefarious plot be the Christmas Witch, Grýla (Kiernan Shipka)? “Red One” (2024) mixes the Santa Claus mythos with Marvel’s Thor movies for a totally kick-axx Christmas flick. For verification, there’s something similar to the Bifröst Bridge in Myra; Grýla is akin to Hela; there’s the similar technologically advanced flying crafts; trolls, ogres; and so on. The creativity scores out of the ballpark with one amusing bit after another, such as the Mythological Creatures Protection Agency (or whatever it’s called), the portals in the backs of toy stores, E.L.F., how Santa is able to make it down small chimneys, etc. Then there’s how the movie effectively appeals to both kids and adults, as well as the kids IN adults. Kiernan Shipka as the antagonist turned 23 during shooting. I knew when I saw her in “Totally Killer” that she was something special. Lucy Liu is also on hand in a fairly beefy role as the security director of Myra. It runs 2 hours, 3 minutes, and was shot in Georgia (Atlanta, Savannah and Jekyll Island) and Hawaii (Honolulu and Oahu). GRADE: A

I thought this came to the cinemas about a month early, but it's still an amiable adventure showcase for Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans. It all starts on Christmas Eve when Santa Clause (J.K. Simmons) is kidnapped from his North Pole home. It's retirement time for his head of security "Cal" (Johnson) so he's not best pleased after hundreds of years - and working with "Zoe" (Lucy Lui) he has to find out just how his boss's security was compromised in the first place - and then get to the rescuing bit. That search leads them to tech whizz "Jack" (Chris Evans) but he hadn't any idea whom his client actually was. After a rocky start, the two men must pull their resources and save Santa before Christmas really does start to deal with all of us on the naughty list. It's got bits of "Elf" in it, mingled with some "Harry Potter" elements and to be fair to all concerned, they all look like they are having some fun amidst a surfeit of CGI and very tightly choreographed action scenes that mix the modern and the mythological entertainingly enough. Simmons and Liu don't really feature so much and the moral of good vs evil isn't lost in the delivery but it isn't laboured either. Perhaps it's not a movie you will ever remember seeing, but as far as it goes it's a fun vehicle for it's stars to cheer us up as the festivities approach without too much sentiment or cheese.

The star-studded cast, featuring J.K. Simmons, Kiernan Shipka, Chris Evans, and Dwayne Johnson, brings a decent level of chemistry to the screen, which is one of the movie's few strengths. While the actors clearly enjoy playing off each other, the story itself is expectedly generic, relying heavily on predictable holiday tropes. The script fails to inject enough fun to offset its cliché formulas, and despite its festive intentions, the film feels stuck in cruise control, never quite capturing the magic or excitement one might hope for from a Christmas blockbuster. Technically, RED ONE falters with its visuals. Almost every scene feels confined to a studio setting, and inconsistent VFX work makes it difficult to stay immersed in the story. The action sequences, though admittedly frequent, are mostly dimly lit, which diminishes any potential impact they might have had. None of these set pieces stand out, leaving viewers with little to savor beyond the familiar faces on screen. While it's not as terrible as some have claimed, Jake Kasdan ultimately delivers just another forgettable holiday flick, weighed down by formulaic storytelling and overshadowed - quite literally - by its murky, dark aesthetic. Rating: C-