​A Christmas Adventure of Magic, Mischief and Mayhem

Would you be shocked that in this film Dwayne Johnson plays Santa’s body guard? Probably not. But you most likely have other questions about this early Christmas season movie. This pre-Thanksgiving film attempts to lure those who want to get a jump on the Christmas spirit, but the critic’s Rotten Tomato reviews are dismal. Can Red One succeed at the box office with low critic scores? Is this a family-friendly film? In this Red One Christian Movie Review & Parent Guide, I give you the information you need before viewing this movie with your children.

Red One Christian Movie Review

Studio Synopsis:

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.

My Synopsis:

Jack O’Malley (Chris Evans) has been on the naughty list for years, but he finds himself embroiled in a real Christmas dilemma. He is a for-hire hacker and is ultimately responsible for the kidnapping of Kris Kringle on Christmas Eve. Unless he helps find Santa, not only will there be no Christmas, but all the naughty people in the world are in serious danger. He teams up with Callum Drift, head of the ELF (Enforcement Logistics and Fortification) security and Santa’s bodyguard, who is disillusioned with the state of the world and the number of people on the naughty list.

Red One Christian Movie Review – What Parents Want to Know

Language:

​Several instances of taking God’s name in vain. Multiple and repeated uses of foul language such as “bulls-it” and “holy s-it,” along with “h-ll,” “d-mn,” “d-mnit,” and “a-shole.” Additionally, there is potty language such as “pain in the butt” and “d-ckhead.” Finally, there is one implication of the f-word, but it is cut off before the word is completed.

Violence:

This film has plenty of action sequences. Some are mild, while others are intense. Evil forces are at play in this film. In one scene, a Christmas witch with glowing eyes morphs into a 40-foot giant evil monster, and other monster-like creatures and mystical beings appear throughout the film.
Furthermore, in a dungeon scene, multiple creatures engage in combat. In other action scenes, giant ice-sword-wielding CGI snowmen monsters fight humans. The movie includes human-to-human fighting and taser-like devices that stun people. A man is kicked in the testicles, people are thrown through the air, and there are a few explosions.
In a shopping center, people fight over toys. Santa is kidnapped, a boy says he slashed tires on a bike, and there are fistfights and fighting throughout the movie.

Spiritual Content:

​Santa Claus has “magical powers” and an intuitive knowledge about people, though there are also evil forces at work. The Christmas Witch and Krampus represent underworld figures, and there’s mention of the Dark Lord of Winter and a giant demonic goat man. The Christmas Witch creates a snowglobe that causes someone to disappear upon picking it up, and others are trapped within it. Additionally, reindeer fly and Santa’s head of E.L.F. has devices that enlarge objects and can manipulate size. There are also magic portals for instant travel between countries.

Adult Content:

​There are several scenes of drinking, including one with an empty bottle and a drunk man shown passed out in a bathtub, fully clothed.
A beach scene in Aruba shows multiple women in bikinis and thong-like bottoms.
A character expresses a desire to use growth devices on a Wonder Woman doll.

Deception & Other Devious Behavior:

​A young boy steals his uncle’s keys to access a closet, showing other kids the Christmas presents inside. Thirty years later, he continues stealing—throwing garbage on the ground, drinking from a flask, starting a fire, stealing a nametag, and even taking a sucker from a baby. Another young man changes his school attendance record, and his dad advises him to “never trust anybody.”

Jack is a deadbeat dad who rarely sees his son. He advises his son to avoid getting caught and not to let others know what he is up to.

Positive Content:

Santa Claus AKA Red One has the ability to see people as they can be. There are several scenes where he says something profound and almost Biblical. For instance, he says, “We choose everyday who we want to be” which I just loved. This lines up with the belief that we all have free will and can choose who we serve, God or Satan. Additionally, St. Nick says, “It’s not our job to change people.” 

Christian Review of Red One – My Viewing Recommendations 

While I didn’t find this movie to be as horrific as the critics make it out to be, it really does deserve a PG-13 rating. I have been reviewing films for 2 decades, and this is one that has the potential to scare young children. My adult autistic son did not like this movie because of one scene where there is a giant evil creature. Furthermore, with the addition of the scantily clad women along the sandy beaches of Aruba, this is one film that most families will want to pass on. 

While Red One could have been a cute PG film, I am unsure of why this Christmas story was twisted into an action-packed Christmas movie devoid of the charm that you expect from Christmas films. With a little bit of tweaking this film could have been the next ELF or at least a funnier movie than it turned out to be. In fact, I am shocked they labeled this a comedy.

One final note: Chris Evans plays a bad guy, which is a departure from his Captain America roles. 

About the Movie Red One: 

Rating: PG-13 for action, some violence, and language

Release Date: November 15, 2024

Runtime: 2 hours, 2 minutes

Genre: Action Movie/Adventure

Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Seven Bucks Productions

Directed by: Jake Kasdan

Written by: Chris Morgan

Story By: Hiram Garcia

Produced by: Hiram Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Chris Morgan, Jake Kasdan, Melvin Mar

Edited by: Mark Helfrich, Steve Edwards, Tara Timpone

Music by: Henry Jackman

Distributed by:  Amazon MGM Studios 

The Cast of Red One

Callum Drift played by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

Jack O’Malley played by Chris Evans

Zoe Harlow played by Lucy Liu

Santa Claus played by J.K. Simmons

Gryla (The Christmas Witch) played by Kiernan Shipka

Mrs. Claus played by Bonnie Hunt

Agent Garcia (polar bear agent) played by Reinaldo Faberlle

Krampus played by Kristofer Hivju

Ted played by Nick Kroll

​Dylan played by Wesley Kimmel

Olivia played by Mary Elizabeth Ellis

Uncle Rick played by Marc Evan Jackson

Krampus Guest played by Jenna Kanell

Drako played by Gursharn Arya

Young Jack played by Wyatt Hunt

Other Movies starring Dwayne Johnson:

Jungle Cruise

DC League of SuperPets