Dwayne Johnson is no stranger to an on-screen buddy action film, and while Kevin Hart has been a mainstay partner for this position over the last decade, a new challenger has arrived in the form of Chris Evans.
Johnson and Evans co-star in the upcoming Christmas-action film Red One, which looks to be this year’s most obscure holiday movie. Ahead of its holiday release, Red One has held its first screenings, and according to those who attended, the best part of the movie is the chemistry between its two main players.
That’s right, The Rock and Evans might just be the next big cinema tag team, as bromance-loving fans have championed the duo after seeing them share the screen in Red One. Almost every reaction, positive or otherwise, has mentioned just how great the two actors play off of each other in the holiday-themed romp.
Red One has been described as a thrilling Christmas adventure for the whole family by film journalist Rama’s Screen, and this sentiment was shared by several other moviegoers. Some praised the unique, fresh take on a holiday movie which seems to be taken entirely seriously by its cast despite the ridiculous premise. Alongside Evans and Johnson, Red One also stars J. K. Simmons, Lucy Liu and Kiernan Shipka.
Of course, not all of the first reactions to the movie have been quite as glowing. Reviewer Jonathan Sim slammed the movie by calling it mind-numbing and cheap-looking despite its hefty budget. “[Red One] isn’t funny enough to justify the absurdity,” Sim wrote on social media.
The look of Red One is something that has been criticized ever since the very first trailer dropped. Many fans were shocked and surprised about how it looked visually, especially given the amount of money thrown at the production which exceeds that of several Transformers movies.
While we can’t speak on the quality of the film just yet, fans aren’t wrong about the cost. Red One is one of the most expensive Christmas movies ever made, with a gigantic budget of $250 million. However, Amazon MGM Studios is hoping to grow this release into a franchise, so the big upfront investment isn’t unexpected.
According to Deadline, Red One is expected to have a US opening of $36 million, which isn’t fantastic but isn’t completely awful. With the star power on display, it shouldn’t be a surprise to see the movie perform well, but we should have a better idea of just how successful it will be once full reviews are made available.
For those who aren’t familiar with the movie, in Red One, Santa has been kidnapped and it’s up to his assistant, played by The Rock, to rescue him. For this task, authorities also recruit a “level four naughty lister” played by Chris Evans to help. Yeah, the premise is as ridiculous as it sounds, but every year there’s always that one holiday action movie, and this year Red One has taken that title.
If you’re interested in seeing the movie either for the bizarre plot or for Evans and The Rock’s apparently likeable chemistry as early reactions suggest, then you should head out to theaters starting Nov. 15, 2024. Heck, bring along a Santa hat and any “level four naughty listers” in your life.