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Dwayne Johnson & Chris Evans' Christmas Action Movie Debuts To Coal-Worthy Rotten Tomatoes Score
Red One’s first social media reactions are divided as the new Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans Christmas movie approaches. Directed by Jake Kasdan, the upcoming holiday adventure film sees Johnson starring as Callum Drift, the head of security at the North Pole, who must team with bounty hunter Jack O’Malley (Evans) to rescue Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons) after he is kidnapped.Red Onetrailershave teased a festive, action-packed ride of blockbuster proportions, and the film has now finally screened for critics ahead of its wide theatrical release.
On X, formerly Twitter,viewers who got to attend earlyRed Onescreenings are now sharing their thoughts on the film. Though some reactions are positive, praising the world-building and festive spirit the film exudes, others are far more negative, criticizing everything from the lead actors' chemistry and the visuals, to the humor and the writing. Check out select reactions below:
Matt NegliaofNext Best Picture writes thatRed One is “on the naughty list for 2024.“He calls the movie “unfunny and visually repulsive"and takes issue with the unexciting action. One praise-worthy moment he points out, however, “features Kristofer Hivju in full-body prosthetics as Krampus, slapping the coal out of Dwayne Johnson.”
“[Red One] is an action-packed holiday showdown,” writesKristen Maldonado, “but my favorite part had to be the mythology introduced.” She calls the film “a blast for the whole family.”
Junior Felixalso praises the film, calling it “funny, full of great action and even better characters.” He also praises the mythology the film introduces, writing: “the world building is some of the best I’ve seen in a while!”
In another negative reaction,Jonathan Simcriticizes director Jake Kasdan’s tonal choices, writing that he “directs this outrageous premise like a very serious action thriller, only ever pausing to have Chris Evans' character scream, ‘What is happening?!’ every few minutes.” Sims also calls the film “cheap-looking at times.”
“I’d love to say how bad I thought Red One was, but to be honest, some holiday cheer came over me, and it ended up as a fun romp through the North Pole,” writesHunter Bolding.
K.E.V.I.N. FenixcallsRed One"pure Christmas magic!” In addition to praising the film for being “fun” and “funny,” he also calls out the “unexpectedly amazing world building that begs further exploration.”
Dancin' Dan in Halloweenlandshares another negative reaction, calling it a “cynical piece of overly digital Hollywood content masquerading as a feel-good, ‘edgy,’ Christmastime action flick.” Dan calls the movie “roteand uninspired.”
“[Red One] is a cute Christmas action movie with some fun adventures and nice nods to the holidayseason,” writesJohn Ngyuen. He does criticize, however, that “the on-screen chemistry between Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans felt lacking.”
What Red One’s Mixed Social Reactions Mean For The Movie’s Audience Reception
Will The Movie Be A Hit?
Many of Johnson’s past movies haven’t fared well with critics, but they are often more warmly received by audiences.Red Notice(2021), for example, scored only a 37% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, but a 92% from audiences, and it ended up being a major viewership success for Netflix. Since the reactions toRed Oneare more mixed than negative,the movie could actually end up being quite popular with general movie-goers.
The Rock’s New Movie Will Continue A Recent Christmas Movie Trend
The trailer for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s new movie just dropped, and it looks set to continue a surprising modern Christmas film trend.
Whether it ends up being enough of a hit, however, remains to be seen.Red One’s budget has been reported to be $250 million, a massive sum for an original Christmas movie. This could put the film’s break-even point as high as $625 million. The last blockbuster-sized movie that Johnson headlined wasBlack Adam(2022), and that movie made $393 million worldwide, which was considered a disappointing result. The genre and the rest of theRed Onecastlikely give it an edge overBlack Adam, but it’s still not a sure thing that it ends up being a hit.
A damning report released in April of this year claimed thatJohnson himself is to blame forRed One’s large budget, with the actor allegedly derailing production with habitual lateness.
Our Take On Red One’s Early Reactions
The Christmas Movie May Not Be An Outlier For Johnson
Johnson remains one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, but he arguably hasn’t made a good movie in quite some time.The criticisms levied atRed Oneare similar to the ones levied atRed Notice, which, despite an A-list cast and a massive budget, featured some glaringly poor VFX and a story that didn’t really hold together. It’s too badRed Noticedidn’t get a theatrical release, as it probably would have been a strong indicator as to howRed Onewill fare at the box office.
Red Onemight not end up being a great movie, but if it can offer up some festive entertainment for the whole family, that might be enough. It certainly sounds like there’s fun to be had, andthe world-building aspects suggest the filmmakers are keeping the door open for a sequel. With a theatrical release now only days away, it won’t be long before audiences are sharing their thoughts onRed One.
Source: Various (see above)
Red One
Cast
After Santa Claus is kidnapped, the North Pole’s Head of Security (Dwayne Johnson) must team up with a notorious bounty hunter (Chris Evans) in a thrilling, globe-spanning mission to save Christmas. This action-packed holiday adventure mixes comedy and festive magic, with an ensemble cast that includes Lucy Liu and J.K. Simmons.
