STORYLINE: 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.  (IMDb)

• Die Hard (1988) – Violent Night (2022) – Fatman (2020) – Lethal Weapon (1987) – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

       That list of excellent movies are action Christmas movies. Let me repeat that, action Christmas movies. Why should the genre be dominated by family films?  If your kids are old enough I bet you expand their horizons and watch Die Hard.  After all what is more in line with the holidays than a father coming home to see his family and that is a very general plot synopsis of the holiday classic.

    Two weeks before Thanksgiving 2024, another action holiday release came kicking into theaters. Red One stars Dwayne Johnson. Chris Evans, and the always reliable J. K. Simmons as Santa Clause. 

   The premise is homey enough to be fun.  Santa is kidnapped, his loyal bodyguard and a tracker go to save while kicking butt along the way. All adds up to a fun, run of the mill action film for the holidays. 

     That’s what it should have been for me.  As I sat back with my popcorn, in my favorite seat I did enjoy the action sequences.  I was a tad disappointed that they were not as over the top as Violent Night.  I understand the difference between the two features is the rating. Red One is PG-13 while Violent Nighf boats an R.  White that title no one should really be surprised. 

    Where the film really falls intp mediocrity is when it goes from mindless action to a film with a sense of morals. There’s nothing wrong with that. In the end this is a holiday film, it shoul be expected.  I was just caught off guard when I was expecting a mindless, over the top action film. 

   There were action sequences I enjoyed, primarily on the middle of the film. The climax was a bit of a let down though. 

   In the end this film was mediocre and fell short of my expectations.

    Until next time I will see you at the movies!