RED ONE
US, 2024, 125 minutes, Colour.
Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, J.K.Simmons, Bonnie Hunt, Kristofer Hivju, Kiernan Shipka.
Directed by Jake Kasdan.
Most films about Santa Claus require quite a suspension of disbelief - except for the littlies. But, this one even more disbelief than usual for those who say they don’t believe in Santa Claus. Most of us!
Santa, the Red One, though initially seen enjoying himself meeting all the children at a Philadelphia shopping mall, is suddenly whisked away in a super-powered sleigh, the sturdiest reindeers you have seen, to an extraordinary mythological North Pole, then the victim of a vast conspiracy, his abduction, an evil which determined to take his place on Christmas Eve rounds and imprisoning forever those on the “Naughty List”!
Not exactly the scenario we might have been expecting for Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans.
This is a piece of Christmas entertainment for older children (of whatever age!). The mythological story of the abduction, draining Santa Claus of his energies, the manufacturing of imprisoning it globes to be distributed on Christmas Eve to trap those naughty, is played out as the equivalent of a high-powered action show. Plenty of action – but always with its heart in the right place but not necessarily all those fighting fists.
Dwayne Johnson is obviously enjoying himself as Cal, Santa’s long time bodyguard, for several centuries, in fact. And, J.K.Simmons as Santa is enjoying himself even more. He even has bodybuilding sessions at the gym with Dwayne Johnson. As for Chris Evans, we don’t like him at the start, arrogant, mean minded (even snatching a lollipop from a baby in a pram). He has all kinds of tech skills, he is hired out to break into high-class systems, enabling the witch to abduct Santa. And he has a young son who rather idolises him but is disappointed in him.
In fact, there are quite a lot of pauses in the film for Dwayne Johnson to give moralising lessons for the young audience, basically to be good.
So, lots of fantasy, lots of action sequences, particularly enjoyable are those where Cal’s powers enable him to go into miniature form at a moments notice and then reverse, very handy for battling and tricking hefty opponents.
Lucy Liu appears as the director for mythological operations. There is also the Krampus and his ogre-like warriors, Mrs Claus (Bonnie Hunt) a range of elves and a huge benign polar bear key staff-member at the North Pole.
Director, Jake Kasdan, has made the Jumanji films so he is at home with fantasy blends of realism and imagination. Audiences seem to be enjoying the red One – and best to avoid reading reviews by critics who think that this kind of thing is beneath them!
- Red One, code for Santa Claus?
- The tone of the film? Christmas film? Santa Claus film? Variations on the theme? Not for the youngest audiences, four boys, for children (of all age)?
- Audience suspension of disbelief, belief in Santa Claus, Christmas Eve, the North Pole preparing all the gifts, travelling around the world, the deliveries, happy children? Variations on this theme?
- The opening, the children, the gifts, Jack as very sceptical – and audiences discovering at the end that the young sceptical Jack was the older Jack of the action?
- Santa Claus, at the mall, enjoying talking with the children, his personality, Cal present as his bodyguard, the intrusive man, the children waiting? Santa, ready to go to the North Pole, the reindeer and their size, the super sleigh, moving through space and time? The dome at the North Pole?
- Expectations of life at the North Pole, the elves, the polar bear, Santa Claus’s wife, the preparation of the gifts, almost Christmas Eve? Santa, going to the gym, exercise, push-ups, weights… Cal retiring?
- The witch, her pleasant appearance, her ugly appearance, her henchmen, her plan, abducting Santa, the deception of the break and the dome, keeping him at the North Pole, draining his energy? Her work, creating the globes, their finally worked in, miniaturising and capturing people? The intention to rid the world of naughty children, imprisoning them? Creating a better world?
- The introduction to Jack, his age, careless, his skills, supervision, taking the lollipop from the baby, visiting his son, the complaint of his wife, phone calls, to take him to meetings? His age, devotion to his father, the disappointments?
- Cal, the experience of the abduction, Zoe, her being in charge, the various meetings, the plans, the ruining of Christmas?
- Cal, his personality, the guard for centuries, putting in his letter of resignation, becoming involved, tracking down Jack, the interchanges, hearing about Jack’s son? Knowledge of the witch, Jack identifying the contacts for the plan, going to the resort, the interrogation of the contact, his fears, the arrival of the monsters, icy, transforming others into ice? The humour of the fight sequences, Cal and his being miniaturised? The toy cars and other aspects of the shop, from miniature to full-size, driving away?
- The visit to Germany, the Krampus, Santa Claus’ brother, the revolt, the ogres, the fight sequences in the slaps? Jack and Cal escaping?
- Going to the North Pole, the buildup to the confrontation, the witch and her success, the mass production of the globes, trapping both Jack and Dylan? The talk, Jack being good and kind, the breaking of the glass?
- The witch, preparing all the globes, the sleigh, getting ready to go?
- The arrival of the Krampus, the witch his ex-wife, his decision to be on the side of good?
- The fights, the sabotage of the sleigh, the breaking of the globes? Confrontation with the large witch, miniature fight? Her being imprisoned in a globe?
- Finding Santa, resuscitating him, going on his rounds, the speed and the possibility of delivering all the gifts everywhere in the world on the one night!
- Jack, the bonding with his son, and the revelation of the sceptical young Jack? Cal and his decision to stay on guard in Santa Claus?
