Red One Reviews Call Dwayne Johnson Christmas Movie ‘Ineffective,’ ‘Franchise Nonstarter’

The embargo has lifted for Red One and most critics aren’t impressed with the Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans Christmas adventure comedy movie.

Amazon MGM Studios’ Red One opens in United States theaters on November 15, 2024. Directed by Jake Kasdan, the film stars Johnson, Evans, Lucy Liu, Kiernan Shipka, Bonnie Hunt, Nick Kroll, Kristofer Hivju, and J. K. Simmons.

What are movie critics saying about Red One?

ComingSoon’s Jonathan Sim said that Red One is “one of the most ridiculous movies” he’s seen in a long time and described it as “outrageous but ineffective Christmas schlock.” Comparing it to a “Christmas take on Men in Black,” Sim wrote, “While watching Red One, you may struggle to believe this is a real movie. One of the most incredulous aspects of this film is its $250 million production budget. It’s genuinely insane that this movie cost that much money because many moments, particularly during the exterior daytime scenes, look flat.”

He also noted the humor largely doesn’t work, as Red One “doesn’t muster up more than the occasional chuckle.”

Indiewire’s Ryan Lattanzio said Red One is a “franchise nonstarter” and called it “ho-ho-horrible.”

“You don’t watch Red One so much as stare ahead at the screen,” Lattanzio wrote. “It is a movie that is playing in front of you, I can comfortably give it that much, and for one meant to summon up the Christmas spirit, there’s not a whiff of mirth from the screenplay to the production level.”

Variety’s Owen Gleiberman, meanwhile, said, “The odd thing about the movie is that while it’s a little bit tongue-in-cheek, it’s not really a comedy. Directed with charmless energy by Jake Kasdan, Red One is at once an action movie; a kidnap-rescue thriller in which the doors to supply closets in toy stores are mystic portals; and an exercise in Christmas world-building, as if that’s the thing that’s been missing from Christmas.”

Deadline’s Glenn Garner further pointed out, “[The movie takes] itself so seriously that it whips back around to being totally absurd, 100% committed to the bit, with dialogue about the Naughty List that sounds like they could be talking about nuclear codes.”