Entertainment
Movie Review: ‘Red One’ tries to supersize the Christmas movie
Ah, the Christmas movie. That old chestnut. That cozy perennial pastime where — let’s just pick one scene from “Red One” — Dwayne Johnson, playing Santa’s body guard, faces off with a witch-possessed mercenary (Nick Kroll) and ice-sword-wielding CGI snowmen on the sandy beaches of Aruba. Can’t you just taste the eggnog?
Such are the ugly-sweater clashes of “Red One,” a big-budget gambit to supersize the Christmas movie. Countless movies before have wrestled with who Santa is. Does he really exist? But “Red One” is the first one to answer doubters with a superhero-like St. Nick who runs his North Pole operation like the army, who bench presses and counts carbs and who, given that he’s played by J.K. Simmons, looks like he could teach one heck of a jazz class.
There is ample time during “Red One,” which opens in theaters Thursday, to ponder who, exactly, put a Marvel-ized Santa on their wish list. The movie, directed by the “Jumanji” reboot filmmaker Jake Kasdan and scripted by the veteran “Fast & Furious” screenwriter Chris Morgan, was conceived by producer Hiram Garcia as the start of a holiday franchise for Amazon MGM Studios — presumably to satisfy those who have pined for a Christmas movie but with, you, know, more military industrial complex.
“Red One,” which is brightened by its other A-list star, Chris Evans, is a little self-aware about its own inherent silliness. But not nearly enough. There is a better, funnier movie underneath all the CGI gloss. But overwhelmed by effects and overelaborate world building (there are trolls, ogres and a headless horsemen here, all loosely connected as mythical creatures), “Red One” feels like an unwanted high-priced Christmas present.
“I love the kids. It’s the grown-ups that are killing me.”
So announces Callum Drift (Johnson), a long-serving security operative for Santa. He’s not an elf but a member of ELF, Enforcement Logistics and Fortification. (Don’t you just feel the holiday cheer welling up inside?) But after years, even centuries on the job, Callum’s faith in Christmas traditions is waning. For the first time, those on the naughty list outnumber the nice. On a mall visit two days before Christmas, he looks despondently at adults bickering over presents, if not outright stealing them.
Callum and other operatives with earpieces shuttle Santa (“Red One” in their secret service-styled lingo) in a fleet of Suburbans to his sleigh, which, while pulled by reindeer, moves more like a spaceship. Back at the North Pole — picture a sort of wintery Abu Dhabi — Santa is kidnapped. The culprits leave only spilt milk behind. The ensuing hunt, overseen by the chief of a special ops group protecting mystical beings (Lucy Liu), leads immediately to a hacker who helped an anonymous client geolocate Santa.
The for-hire hacker, Jack O’Malley (Evans) is a deadbeat dad to his son (Wesley Kimmel), and, we’re informed, a “level-four naughty-lister.” Evans might be most famous for his Captain America, but smarmy smart-aleck (like in “Knives Out”) is really his wheelhouse. And he gives “Red One” some comic energy as it transitions into a sort of buddy comedy with him and Johnson.
But “Red One” keeps overdoing it. As they race to rescue Santa before Christmas Eve, the hunt brings in the villainous Christmas Witch, Gryla (Kiernan Shipka) and Krampus (Kristofer Hivju), here defined as Santa’s brother. The sensation, with these characters and others, is of stuffing too much into an already gaudy stocking, and yet somehow forgetting to add any charm.
“Red One” comes off a little like the holiday version of “Cowboys and Aliens” — enough so to make you nostalgic for leaner tales about folkloric figures starring Johnson, like “The Tooth Fairy.” But if we’re to have every possible brand of Christmas movie, it seems a shame that when the phrase “The North Pole has been taken!” Gerard Butler is nowhere to be seen.
“Red One,” an Amazon MGM Studios release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for action, some violence, and language. Running time: 133 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.
Ahad Raza Mir and Dananeer Mobeen are making headlines with their ongoing drama ‘Meem Se Mohabbat’, which has garnered a great deal of attention from viewers.
However, it’s not just their on-screen chemistry that has fans talking. Off-screen, the duo has also become the subject of dating rumours, with fans speculating about the growing bond between them.
Ahad and Dananeer’s families have also become close in recent months. Ahad’s father, Asif Raza Mir, stars alongside Dananeer in ‘Meem Se Mohabbat’, and Ahad’s mother.
Adding fuel to the dating speculations, Dananeer recently shared a heartfelt Instagram story featuring a picture of her favorite dish, Dumba Karahi, cooked by Ahad’s mother Samra Asif using her own mom’s recipe.
This thoughtful gesture from Ahad’s family has left fans wondering if there’s more to their relationship than meets the eye.
It is to be noted that a few months ago rumours were rife that Ahad is in relationship with actress Ramsha Khan. But now latest buzz suggests that he is no longer seeing her.
However, there has been no official confirmation regarding any of these speculations.
Earlier, Ahad and his father also celebrated Dananeer’s graduation, further strengthening the bond between the two
A leaked video from the film’s set recently went viral on social media.
It shows Salman stepping out of a kaali-peeli taxi in a rugged look, wearing a blue shirt and jeans. The shoot took place in Mumbai under tight security, and parts were also filmed near Hyderabad’s famous Falaknuma Palace.
While the Ek Tha Tiger actor is seen sitting beside the driver, a few others can be seen sitting in the backseat. As the taxi stops, two other taxis coming behind are seen pulling their brakes.
A couple of months back, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan reportedly purchased bulletproof SUVs from Dubai, amid the death threats issued by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
After around 8 months of the firing incident, Salman also upgraded the security of his home in Mumbai’s Galaxy Apartment.
However, recently, Sallu was spotted travelling in a ‘Kaali Peeli’ taxi and the video has gone viral on social media.
Salman Khan is ready to wow his fans once again with his upcoming film Sikandar. Directed by AR Murugadoss, known for hits like Ghajini and Thuppakki, the movie promises intense action and drama. Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, Sikandar will release on Eid 2025.
Richard Gere has opened up about moving to Spain from the United States with his family.
In a recent interview with Elle España, the 75-year-old said that since making the move with his wife Alejandra Silva and their children — sons Alexander, 5, and James, 4, in addition to Silva’s 11-year-old son Albert from her previous marriage to Govind Friedland — they are “happier than ever.”
“The truth is that you are seeing us in our momentum. We are happier than ever,” he told the publication. “[Alejandra], because she is at home and I because, if she is happy, I am happy.”
The Pretty Woman actor first revealed he was selling his home in Connecticut with the goal of moving to Spain back in November 2024.
The home had been originally purchased in 2022 for $10.8 million.
Back in April that year, the Runaway Bride actor opened up about wanting to leave the U.S. and start a life with Silva in Spain so she could spend more time with her relatives.
Silva, 41, is originally from La Coruña, Spain, though she’s spent considerable time with Gere in the States since their 2018 wedding.
Gere met Silva in Positano, Italy, in 2014 when he was still married to his second wife, Carey Lowell — with whom he shares 24-year-old son Homer. Before Lowell, the Hollywood star was married to supermodel Cindy Crawford from 1991 to 1995.
“For Alejandra, it will be wonderful to be closer to her family, her lifelong friends, and her culture,” Gere told Vanity Fair Spain at the time. “She was very generous in giving me six years living in my world, so it is only fair that I give her at least another six living in hers.”
The Agency actor further discussed the move while speaking on The Today Show in November. “My wife is Spanish, and we’re going there for her family, her friends, her culture,” he said. “The kids are bilingual, so it’s really going to be great for them.”
Gere isn’t the only well-known figure to have left the U.S. Eva Longoria also revealed in a November interview with Marie Claire that she and her family were splitting their time between Spain and Mexico City.
“I get to escape and go somewhere. Most Americans aren’t so lucky. They’re going to be stuck in this dystopian country, and my anxiety and sadness is for them,” she told the outlet.
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