Red One 4K UHD Review
“Red One” is unlikely to become a Christmas classic.
Having worked together on 2 entertaining Jumanji films, Dwayne Johnson and director Jake Kasdan reteam for a high concept Amazon/MGM Christmas action-comedy with “Red One.” Unfortunately, the result is less of a gift to film fans and more of a Bah Humbug.
After a quick mall excursion, the real Santa Claus and the head of North Pole security (Cal) head back to the North Pole to prepare for Christmas. Cal is on the verge of stepping away from his job as he is put off by the rise of people on the naughty list. Before he spends one last Christmas with Santa, however, all hell breaks loose when Santa is abducted by the shapeshifting Christmas witch Grýla and her minions. Grýla is planning to punish those on the naughty list to make the world a better place. MORA (Mythological Oversight And Restoration Authority) investigates how someone was able to break into the North Pole Complex and they discover that a mercenary/tracker/thief/hacker known as The Wolf (AKA a wisecracking divorced father named Jack who happens to be on the naughty list). Needing Jack’s help to locate Santa, Cal and Jack team up on a wild and perilous adventure together, but will they be able to find Santa in time for Christmas?
Written by Fast and Furious franchise veteran Chris Morgan, “Red One” is everything wrong with blockbusters rolled into one. It looks and feels like other films (“Men In Black” and “The Santa Clause” especially), it’s crammed with rough looking CGI (Garcia the talking polar bear, the numerous cartoony vehicles, etc.), the humor falls flat, there’s too many action set pieces, and it seems to just throw stuff at you as if it was being made on the spot (Krampus, shapeshifters, hellhounds, trolls, high tech gear, and so on). The film’s biggest sin is that it’s just a joyless bore that has very little to say outside of there still being good people in these troubling times.
Visually, the film does have some noteworthy aspects. The big sets and the practical make-up work (especially with Krampus) is impressive. It makes you wish some of the other creatures were practical instead of CGI abominations.
The cast is stacked with talent that includes Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, Bonnie Hunt, Kiernan Shipka, Nick Kroll, and J.K. Simmons. The only cast member with any sort of personality here is Chris Evans. He’s trying here, but everyone else is merely going through the motions with their ultra bland characters.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 2.39:1 2160p With Dolby Vision. How does it look? Say what you will about the movie itself, but the picture quality is pristine in 4K.
Audio Track: Dolby Atmos. How does it sound? From the action to the score, this is a perfectly lively Atmos track.
The lone extra is a Digital copy.
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