“Red One” is a PG-13 Christmas movie that came out last month. The movie follows Callum, the retiring head of security for the North Pole andJack, a hacker with gambling and alcohol problems as they journey to rescue Santa from the evil Gryla, a winter witch that wants to punish those on the naughty list.
Dwayne Johnson plays the loyal Callum and Chris Evans plays the naughty Jack, with J.K Simmons as Santa, Lucy Liu as Zoe, the head of M.O.R.A (Mythological Oversight and Restoration Authority) and Kiernan Shipka as Gryla.
The film seems like the average children’s Christmas movie, beginning with a young Jack’s disbelief in the man in red and ending with the protagonists saving Christmas. As the film progresses, however, it becomes clear that “Red One” was not made for young audiences.
“Red One” is the perfect movie for teenage and adult audiences looking for a fun Christmas movie that expands on Santa lore. Christmas is a much larger operation in “Red One” than what is typically portrayed in other movies. Christmas is portrayed as a global operation that relies on technology, military efficiency and the magic of Saint Nick himself.
Some of the lore that the movie plays around with is the existence of M.O.R.A., a global organization that seeks to keep the real and the mythological worlds separate. In the film, world leaders know of the existence of this world and, by extension, the existence of Santa.
Another fun addition to the Santa lore is Krampus as Santa’s adopted brother. Krampus is portrayed as a washed-up holiday star that spends his days drinking, slapping and partying along with his demonoid minions. The film adds another layer of lore by having Krampus and Gryla be exes that used to roam Eastern Europe punishing bad children.
The movie is heavily reliant on CGI for most of the mythical creatures depicted in the film, such as the elves, the humanoid animals, the internet trolls and Gryla’s true witch form. The movie does its best to create its own unique take on the creatures, such as its version of the elves, who are small alien-like creatures.
The titular characters are Callum and Jack. The start of the movie sees Callum and Jack as playful foils that teach each other about the meaning of life as the movie goes on.
Callum’s internal struggle throughout the film is accepting the idea that adults are naughty all the time and their misbehavior is not a reflection on their character. The movie uses Jack as a way to show that everyone is naughty at one point, but this does not make them naughty forever.
Jack is a deadbeat father who uses his own failures in life as an excuse not to see his pre-teen child. Despite Jack’s successful profession as a hacker and bounty hunter, he is down on his luck due to his alcohol and gambling issues. As Callum places more faith in Jack, Jack places more faith in himself and becomes a better father.
“Red One” explores the limits of our human understanding of morality. From the beginning of the movie, Jack is not portrayed as a great guy. He is only on the journey for cash to pay off his gambling debts, but consistently chooses to do small, selfless acts without second thought.
“Red One” is a fun and innovative Christmas movie meant for the older members of the family. I recommend checking it out with friends or teen siblings.