RED ONE: A Marvel Christmas Special
I’m not entirely sure who Red One was made for. It’s not for little kids because notable magical characters cuss a lot. So does Captain America. It’s not meant for adults really because ultimately it’s a story about rescuing Santa Claus. So, that must mean it was meant for teenagers but I find it hard to believe its target audiences will be flooding the movie theaters to watch this. Red One is bad but I feel it falls into that category of “so bad it’s good.” This very well may be the Jingle All the Way of the 2020s and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Red One is incredibly over the top and cheesy. Like, imagine one of those Christmas specials of yesteryear seen through the eyes of Marvel. I mean, Santa Claus isn’t some fat, jolly old man. In Red One he’s a muscular weight lifting gym nut who hates macarons. I’d say the only part of the film I truly liked was when our two main characters make a visit to the notorious brother of Saint Nicholas: Krampus! The practical make-up effects of every creature in that Christmas castle was amazing. Even Krampus himself had a gnarly design.
There’s no denying that Red One is an entertainingly bad movie. I have a terrible feeling that it’s going to flop at the box office. Me and maybe three other people sat in a Cine XL auditorium on opening day. That’s very concerning in itself. It’s too intense for children, too cheesy for adults and too corny for teenagers. I do have a good feeling that it may be a guilty pleasure in years to come. Or it may be totally forgotten and mark the end of the box office draw for the Rock. There’s no doubt that some amazing practical monster effects are on display for an extended scene but that’s about all I can say about it that’s positive. The best way to approach this movie is knowing you’re watching a super silly over the top Christmas action movie. It’s a Christmas movie pretending to be a Marvel movie, and not one of the good ones which is why I give Red One —
3 Hot Wheels out of 5
Red One is currently playing in theaters and is rated PG-13 for action, some violence and language.