‘Red One’ (2024) Review
'Moana 2' (2024) Review : A Mediocre Christmas Movie At this time of year, many are likely gearing up for the familiar past time of watching Christmas movies. Red One has emerged as a contender for holiday entertainment that audiences can add to their lists before they check them twice. This time, it’s a hyper militarised operation at the north pole, led by the world’s largest elf played by Dwayne The Rock Johnson, whose only mission is to protect Santa Claus, and Santa just went missing.The movie begins with a large amount of set up. Red One introduces viewers to a north pole that’s run like a well organized army compound, and shows Santa moving at hyper speed to deliver presents all around the world. The methods may be different, but the aesthetics are largely the same. There are elves running around, the sleigh is pulled by reindeer, though Santa Claus swaps his big belly for big arms.It’s a unique take on a classic story, and its the best part of Red One. It’s when the plot kicks in that things go awry. Santa’s kidnapping kicks off an action sequence that’s conceptually sound, but looks too fake to take seriously. The visual effects are too unpolished to convey any sense of stakes, and end up being an ugly distraction.Some action scenes fare better than others. A fight against 3 snowmen on a beach is a pretty solid sequence, but it’s held back…
