Red One

"The mission to save Christmas is on."

2024 2h 4m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 3,187

ActionAdventureComedyFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After Santa Claus (codename: Red One) is kidnapped, the North Pole's Head of Security must team up with the world's most infamous tracker in a globe-trotting, action-packed mission to save Christmas.

“The mission to save Christmas is on.”

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Cast

Dwayne Johnson
Callum Drift
Chris Evans
Jack O'Malley
Lucy Liu
Zoe
J.K. Simmons
Nick
Bonnie Hunt
Mrs. Claus
Kristofer Hivju
Krampus
Kiernan Shipka
Gryla
Mary Elizabeth Ellis
Olivia

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jake Kasdan
Writers: Hiram Garcia, Chris Morgan, Federico D'Alessandro
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Budget of $250M — blockbuster tier. Only ~1% of films ever made reach this.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 74% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 2 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jake Kasdan, shot by Dan Mindel. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Henry Jackman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tara Timpone shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans and Lucy Liu carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The mission to save Christmas is on.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jake Kasdan directs. Dan Mindel behind the camera. Henry Jackman scores. Tara Timpone cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Budget of $250M — blockbuster tier. Only ~1% of films ever made reach this.
2Earned back only 74% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 2 years ago.
4Directed by Jake Kasdan, shot by Dan Mindel. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Henry Jackman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Tara Timpone shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans and Lucy Liu carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The mission to save Christmas is on.".
9IMDB entry: tt14948432 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 14 themes, including "rescue", "bounty hunter", "holiday", "kidnapping".
11Released under 14 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Dan Mindel
Original score: Henry Jackman
Editing: Tara Timpone
Production design: Bill Brzeski
Costume design: Michael Crow
Makeup / hair: Chris Diamantides
VFX supervisor: Jerome Chen
Stunt coordinator: Leesa Pate
Runtime: 124 min · 2h 4m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $250,000,000
Box office: $185,700,759
Return: 74% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Red One (2024)

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Jake Kasdan

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-11-10
★ 6/10
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.
Manuel São Bento2024-11-14
★ 4/10
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-
r96sk2024-11-22
★ 7/10
Pretty solid festive fare, this. <em>'Red One'</em> is perhaps slightly overlong and I didn't sense much chemistry between the cast, though those onscreen still give enjoyable performances and the plot is suitably entertaining whilst giving the necessary Xmas vibes. I was quite impressed with the special effects, I personally thought that side of this flick looked pretty neat. Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans are fun enough in this. Johnson is a bit more serious than usual and I liked that, while Evans' character ends up being the heart of the movie. J. K. Simmons, more than Johnson, plays against type, it's actually unnerving seeing him portray a true good guy - was almost waiting for him to shout down someone's neck, as per. Kiernan Shipka is decent, as is Kristofer Hivju - I rate their characters. Lucy Liu is underused, mind. Bonnie Hunt too, I guess. I can't really fault anyone from the cast though, they all do solid work. If I'm honest, I don't see this film having much of a lifespan in the old memory bank but, nevertheless, I'd still classify it as something worth viewing.