Red One - Review

By Kira Zahara Ahsan | KZA Enterprises

Grade: B

"Red One" is a super-cute movie addition to the family-friendly holiday movie canon. "Red One" provides a unique twist on Santa Claus by making him an extremely fit old man instead of a fat and jolly one. Santa (Nick), played by J.K. Simmons, does 500 pushups per day!

Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson plays a Santa's helper who needs to get Christmas gift delivery back on track after Nick is kidnapped. The Rock is helped, begrudgingly at first, by a man who is on the "naughty list" and has been a Santa Claus denier since childhood. Played by Chris Evans, the disillusioned adult predictably sees the error of his skeptical childhood ways and helps save Christmas.

The film is well-acted, has some good comedic moments, and offers up some unique twists on traditional holiday themes such as elves. In the movie, E.L.F. stands for a department at the North Pole called Enforcement, Logistics, and Fortification...and the head of the E.L.F. team is actually a giant polar bear. The polar bear, named Garcia, is a pretty obvious CGI creation, as are the massive reindeer, but they are all well-done animations and don't detract from the fun.

Bottom line: predictable but delightful; however, not worth a ticket at the theater unless you have young children (better to wait until it comes onto a streaming platform that you are already paying for).