--- title: "Red One: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/red-one/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/red-one" critics_score: 41 critics_reviews: 13 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Red One (2024): what the critics said Critics' score 41 from 13 reviews: 1 positive, 4 mixed, 8 negative. Most critics find Red One charmless: an effects-heavy action comedy that spends a great deal and delivers little Christmas feeling. The complaints cluster around the screenplay, which several reviews call lazy or confused, and around action sequences judged poorly staged and swamped in CG. Tone is the other problem: too intense for small children, too bland for teenagers, with no clear sense of who it is for. What praise there is goes to J.K. Simmons as Santa, singled out by more than one review as the most committed thing in the film, and to the world-building around Christmas mythology. The spread is wide at the lower end, from mild disappointment to outright hostility, with The Times calling it the poorest film of Dwayne Johnson’s career. The dissenters are few: Deadline finds it a self-aware, entertaining commitment to a silly premise, and Film Stories thinks it a good-humoured crowd-pleaser, though even it notes some cheap-looking effects. ## The AV Club Rating C-. 13 November 2024. The critic finds it a joyless slog that reimagines the holiday as an Amazon subsidiary, with a few moments of inspiration amid the cheerlessness. They single out the muted, grounded production design that drains the fun from the premise. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/red-one-review) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 14 November 2024. The review frames the film as a bold but uneven attempt to turn the Santa story into a Marvel-style action spectacle with Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/14/movies/red-one-review.html) ## Slant Magazine — Justin Clark Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 14 November 2024. The critic says it tries to straddle naughty and nice but ends up being nothing, with not enough memorable moments for a holiday classic. They single out the mild eccentricity and J.K. Simmons' committed performance as Santa as the elements that slightly elevate it. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/red-one-review-dwayne-johnson-chris-evans/) ## Empire — Helen O'Hara Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 6 November 2024. The critic finds the film engineered and lacking fresh ideas despite some heart and fun moments, criticizing its focus-grouped approach and bombast over character focus. They single out the mismatched heroes' arcs for mild praise but note the overall small amount of cheer. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/red-one/) ## Radio Times — Terry Staunton Rating 2/5. This disappointing action comedy features lazy and predictable spy spoof tropes with gags that land with a dull thud, making it feel like an overlong, formulaic yarn despite occasional bright spots from supporting cast members. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-6ooddu/red-one/) ## RogerEbert.com — Zachary Lee Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 14 November 2024. The critic notes the film's sprawling scale and ambition in reimagining Santa but finds it lacks narrative depth and emotional substance, with action sequences that are poorly executed and a garish visual style. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/red-one-dwayne-johnson-chris-evans-film-review) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 6 November 2024. The review sees it as a technically passable but unoriginal action-comedy transparently stitched from parts of better movies. They single out the familiarity as the point, with elements reminiscent of many holiday films without following through. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-netflixs-red-one-will-remind-you-of-better-movies.html) ## The Guardian — Wendy Ide Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 10 November 2024. The film is a cynical, soulless action-adventure that imagines Santa as a quasi-militaristic operative whose kidnapping forces a partnership between a tough security chief and a hacker. It is a charmless, CGI-heavy spectacle that falls into an ill-considered audience no man’s land: too intense for little kids and too bland for teens and genre fans. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/nov/10/red-one-charm-free-festive-caper-dwayne-johnson) ## Los Angeles Times — Katie Walsh Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 13 November 2024. The critic finds the film a confounding mess that fails to connect action and Christmas elements, with poor chemistry between leads, awful action sequences, and jokes that do not land. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-11-13/red-one-review-dwayne-johnson-chris-evans) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 6 November 2024. The critic argues the film kicks off the holiday season with less true Christmas spirit than most, directed with charmless energy as an overstuffed action fantasy and buddy movie rather than a comedy. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/red-one-review-dwayne-johnson-chris-hemsworth-j-k-simmons-1236199619/) ## IndieWire — Ryan Lattanzio 6 November 2024. The review deems it a charmless, blockbuster-sized lump of coal and a franchise nonstarter that will make you wish Christmas was canceled. They single out the absence of mirth in the screenplay and production. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/red-one-review-dwayne-johnson-1235062639/) ## Screen Daily 6 November 2024. The effects-heavy action comedy has a disarming sweetness undone by an overly complicated plot and tired blockbuster conventions, but offers enough novelty in its world-building and some heart from Dwayne Johnson to satisfy undemanding families. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/red-one-review/5198830.article) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 5 November 2024. The critic calls it a high-concept, CG-saturated bore that lacks heart and infectious humor despite huffing toward some poignancy. They single out the stubbornly unmagical quality of the mythology and fantasy elements. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/red-one-review-dwayne-johnson-chris-evans-christmas-1236054244/) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★☆☆☆☆. 8 November 2024. This Christmas-themed action movie is tedious, confused and the poorest film of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s career, a gobsmackingly awful hotchpotch with a near-illiterate screenplay. Gross, grim yuletide yuck. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/red-one-review-the-rock-movie-chris-evans-00lqn5v58) ## Deadline — Glenn Garner Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 5 November 2024. The critic finds the film a self-aware, absurd Christmas action comedy that commits fully to its high-concept premise of rescuing Santa, blending family-friendly fun with mythological elements in an entertaining way. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2024/11/red-one-review-dwayne-johnson-chris-evans-1236165948/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 5 November 2024. The review describes the expensive action comedy as not nearly as awful as its premise suggests, delivering a functional, breezy and slightly above average experience with some fun ideas despite inconsistent execution. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/red-one-review-dwayne-johnson-chris-evans/) ## Digital Spy — Ian Sandwell Rating 2/5. 6 November 2024. The critic calls it a festive flop with no energy or funny banter, generic plot, poor action, though praises JK Simmons as Santa. Verdict is negative, best as sleepy post-dinner viewing. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a62801725/red-one-review/) ## Collider — Nate Richard 13 November 2024. The film is not a disaster but also not particularly memorable or worth rushing to theaters for, landing in a middling spot between self-parody and franchise setup. The critic singles out the creative Krampus sequence and Chris Evans' charm for praise while criticizing the inconsistent tone, unclear target audience, and wasted mythology. [Read the review](https://collider.com/red-one-review/) ## Film Stories — James Harvey 6 November 2024. The critic finds the film a perfectly entertaining and good-humoured festive action flick that delivers as a solid holiday crowd-pleaser with big stars and cheeky humour. They single out the imaginative world-building around Christmas mythology and the pleasingly physical stunt work for praise, while noting some visual effects look disappointingly cheap. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/red-one-review-a-jolly-action-sleigh-ride/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/red-one.md