Review by Dan Berry and Alana Chancy
Directors: Jake Kasdan
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, and J. K. Simmons
Movie Length: 2 hours 3 minutes
What it’s about: Santa is kidnapped and it’s up to the head of Santa’s security detail (ELF) and a hacker to find and get him back in time for Christmas.
What Dan thought: From J.K. Simmons take as an agile, superhuman Santa Claus, to Dwayne Johnson playing…Dwayne Johnson, to Kiernan Shipka playing a witch (yes, the latest Sabrina the Teenage Witch is playing another witch), the movie is full of cheesy moments and laughs. The packed cast is rounded out with Lucy Liu as head of a mythological creature protection agency, the always “good for a laughing eye roll” Nick Kroll, Mary Elizabeth Ellis (the waitress from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) as Chris Evans’ ex, were great in their limited time on the screen.
The creatures that were featured in the scene at the M.O.R.A (Mythological Oversight and Restoration Authority), as well as the snowmen in a fight scene, were definitely one of the highlights of the movie (rumored to set the scene for another universe of movies), and were well done by the special effects team.
Minor spoilers ahead: Seeing Krampus (played by Kristofer Hivju) was great, and having him in a slap fight with Dwayne Johnson’s character was the proverbial cheese tart dessert capping this cheesy meal.
What Alana thought: If you’re looking for a holiday movie that is cheesier than grandma’s 3-cheese mac and cheese (whole block of cheese, baked with love), this is the movie you need to see this holiday season. The movie blends together characters yearning to feel the magic of Christmas with the superhero arcs we’ve come to expect from 20 years of MCU blockbusters headlining the silver screen.
Dan’s rating: 3 out of 5 Stars.
Red One is now in theaters
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