“Red One” is bringing in the holiday spirit. This action-packed movie combines modern aspects with old Christmas tales to create a truly magical movie.
by Charley Johnson
News Editor
The storyline of “Red One” showcases Santa Clause being kidnapped by the Winter Witch who has the plan of trapping everyone who has ever done anything naughty in a snow globe. Santa does not believe in punishing those who are naughty, so the Winter Witch kidnaps him which would allow her to use his sled to complete her plan. Santa’s commanding E.L.F. (Enforcement Logistics and Fortification), Callum Drift, played by Dwayne Johnson, has the duty of rescuing Clause in order to save Christmas.
The film reimagines the Santa we all know and love, transforming the image of Clause being jolly and fat into a bench pressing, macaroon hating, joyful fit figure. The film also effectively modernizes Santa Clause and his whole operation by including modern technology throughout the movie. In the beginning of the movie Santa is in a mall sitting and listening to children tell him what they want for Christmas; during this scene some young kids walking up to see Santa are interrupted by an obnoxious influencer who is livestreaming and trying to get Clause to repeat a slogan. The influencer is then scolded and sent away by Drift.
Soon after that scene Santa is escorted out of the mall and upon getting on his sleigh, he is guarded by fighter jets as he makes his return to the North Pole. Unlike the North Pole that many think of- a village lit with Christmas decorations somewhere up north in the snow- “Red One” pictures the North Pole with an almost city-like landscape, with skyscrapers and electronic barriers on each street, the whole place covered and hidden by a magic forcefield. These features allow Clause to be safe from danger in order to run his whole operation, or so they thought.
Jack O’Malley, level 4 naughty lister, unknowingly located the North Pole and sold it to a mysterious employer on the dark web, ultimately causing the kidnapping of Santa. In order to make money Jack regularly uses his technological skills in order to perform tasks most people can’t for anonymous employers on the web. However, this time, although he did not know what he was tracking for the employer, he happened to find the exact location of the North Pole. Essentially causing the successful kidnapping of Santa.
All of this leads up to the main focus of the film, rescuing Kris Kringle. Drift and O’Malley work alongside one another in order to find out who kidnapped Santa, which is later discovered to be the Winter Witch, Gryla, track her down, rescue Santa, and save Christmas. This film uses anticipation and action throughout, in order to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat.
“Red One” is a great watch for anyone who enjoys aspects of fantasy, magic, action, and adventure. Although this movie is not recommended for very young audiences because of slight use of profanity and some harsh content that may be a difficult watch for young viewers, it does convey positive messages throughout that the audience can implement in their own lives. Santa highlights the importance of making good choices, how there are not bad people just bad decisions. A message that many people would benefit from remembering today. Clause helps Drift deal with the difficulty of seeing how many adults are on the naughty list by reminding him of one thing, every adult was once a kid, a kid who believed in Christmas, and that inner child still needs the magic of Christmas, the joy from Santa Clause.
Movie Grade: B
