HNS Recommendation: RED ONE

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Even though Christmas has passed, it’s never too late to enjoy a fun holiday film. We get an original Christmas movie from Warner Bros. and Amazon MGM Studios starring Hollywood A-Lister heavyweights Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Lucy Liu, Chris Evans and J.K. Simmons as Santa Claus AKA Red One. It tells the story of world-class tracker Jack O’ Malley, played by Chris Evans, who lost his Christmas spirit years ago. His aim is just to take on jobs as a mercenary tracker for hire. But when Nick (J.K. Simmons) is mysteriously kidnapped on the eve of Christmas, it puts the cosmic balance of the world in danger. He is recruited by the North poles elite security team headed by Callum Drift (Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson) and his chief Zoe (Lucy Liu.) The film’s tone reminded me of Christmas movies from the 1980’s and 1990’s such as The Santa Clause (1994), Jingle All The Way (1996), Scrooged (1988), and more in which the protagonist finds the true meaning of being selfless and understands the spirit of helping others during the festive period with fun and adventure. This film does have some darker elements of the mythology as it explores various mythical creatures from folklore which is overseen by Zoe. The movie did very well on Prime Video after its theater release, becoming Amazon MGM Studios’ most-watched film debut ever on the on the Prime Video platform with over 50 million views worldwide. These sort of high budget Christmas movies are rare, so time will tell if it goes on to become an annual staple of the festive movie season like its predecessors, but by how well it did on streaming, this seems to be a good sign going forward.

Official Synopsis from Warner bros. pictures :

Directed By:

Jake Kasdan 

Starring:

Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, Kiernan Shipka, Bonnie Hunt, Kristofer Hivju, Nick Kroll, Wesley Kimmel and J. K. Simmons 

Starring Dwayne Johnson, “Red One” is a must-see action-comedy event that delivers a fresh twist on Christmas forthe holiday season. Directed by Jake Kasdan, who has previously teamed with Johnson on the blockbuster “Jumanji” movies, this multigenerational global spectacle features such megawatt stars as Chris Evans teaming up in a high stakes adventure packed with adrenaline and attitude.

After Santa Claus – Code Name: RED ONE – is kidnapped, the North Pole’s Head of Security (Dwayne Johnson) must team up with the world’s most infamous bounty hunter (Chris Evans) in a globe-trotting, action-packed mission to save Christmas.

The film also stars Lucy Liu (the “Charlie’s Angels” franchise), Kiernan Shipka (“Twisters”), Bonnie Hunt (“Cheaper By the Dozen”), Kristofer Hivju (“Game of Thrones”), Nick Kroll (“Big Mouth”), Wesley Kimmel (“The Mandalorian”), and Oscar winner J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash”).

Kasdan directs from a screenplay by Chris Morgan (the “Fast & Furious” franchise), story by Hiram Garcia (the “Jumanji” and “Fast & Furious” franchises). The film is produced by Garcia, Johnson, Dany Garcia, Morgan, Kasdan and Melvin Mar. The executive producers are Barry Waldman and Ainsley Davies.

The director’s creative team includes director of photography Dan Mindel (“Twisters,” the “Star Wars” films), production designer Bill Brzeski (the “Aquaman,” “Jumanji” and “Fast & Furious” films), editors Mark Helfrich, Steve Edwards and Tara Timpone (the “Jumanji” films), Oscar-nominated visual effects supervisor Jerome Chen (“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” “Stuart Little”) and costume designer Michael Crow (“Star Trek: Picard,” “Hawkeye”). Casting is by Jeanne McCarthy and Nicole Abellera Hallman. The music is by Henry Jackman (“Jumanji: The Next Level”).

Amazon MGM Studios Present a Seven Bucks Productions, Chris Morgan Productions, Detective Agency production, A Film By Jake Kasdan, “Red One.”

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