Bringing action, comedy and fantasy together, Amazon MGM Studio’s Red One made its debut on November 15, 2024, in an early kick-off to the Christmas season. The film was initially set to release in December 2023 on Amazon Prime Videos but was delayed a year due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes. However, echoing the sentiment that every cloud has a silver lining, the delayed release date also meant that Red One was able to have a worldwide theatrical release.
With a star-studded cast that includes Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu and J. K. Simmons, Red One weaves a story which centers on the kidnapping of Santa Claus. Johnson’s Callum Drift, the head of the North Poles Enforcement Logistics and Fortification (ELF) and Evans’ Jack O’Malley, a hacker and bounty hunter, despite being an unlikely duo, have to team up to rescue both Santa and Christmas. Taking viewers on a wild yuletide adventure, Red One delivers a heartfelt, yet action-packed, watch, adding to the Christmas action film genre which has gained increasing popularity in recent times.
Who Is Grýla and Why Did She Kidnap Santa?
Release Date November 15, 2024
Cast Dwayne Johnson , Chris Evans , J.K. Simmons , Lucy Liu , Kiernan Shipka , Bonnie Hunt , Kristofer Hivju , Nick Kroll , Wesley Kimmel , Mary Elizabeth Ellis , Wyatt Hunt , Lanz Duffy , Marc Evan Jackson , Ashleigh Domangue , Cody Easterbrook , Jon Rudnitsky , Morla Gorrondona , Jenna Kanell , Rod Maxwell , Fedor Steer , Octavia Grace , Matthew Zuk , Cora Kass , Ahmad Ghafouri , Jeff Chase
Runtime 123 Minutes
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Red One is not your average Christmas movie, and Grýla is not your average villain. While Grýla is the winter witch, she is also an ancient troll with shapeshifting abilities. Played by Kiernan Shipka, Grýla is fed up with society. She is frustrated with how wicked it has become, and taking the Thanos route, believes that the only way to restore balance to the world is to permanently get rid of everyone who has wound up on Santa’s Naughty List.
While Grýla’s sentiments regarding the world may be somewhat correct, the plan she hatches to rectify it is extreme. The winter witch kidnaps Santa so that she can use the ‘glaskafig,’ a magical snow globe that imprisons whoever touches it, to execute her mission. Since the Naughty List is considerably long, Grýla plans to duplicate the ‘glaskafig’ and use Santa’s sleigh to distribute the globes to those on the Naughty List and thereby trap them.
How Is Santa Rescued in ‘Red One?’
Santa Claus, code named Red One, is kidnapped on Christmas Eve just after his head of security, Callum Drift, leaves him alone. Chaos is unleashed as a seeming black ops team breaks into the North Pole and whisks Santa away. Despite all of Callum’s calls for eyes on Red and heroic jump off of Santa’s balcony, the armored snowcat carrying St. Nicholas makes a getaway.
Jack O’Malley, hacker extraordinaire, is then brought in, albeit reluctantly, to help with Santa’s rescue. Little does everyone know that Grýla has everyone duped and is, in fact, hiding just under the North Pole and forging ahead with her plan of duplicating the globes. The unknowing Callum and Jack embark on their rescue mission, one which takes them to the strangest places, including Aruba, and has them fight all sorts of creatures, including enormous, unnaturally formed snowmen.
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When Callum and Jack finally establish that Santa was kidnapped by Grýla and track their way to her, the rescue mission goes somewhat awry. Instead of freeing Santa, Jack and his son Dylan end up trapped in one of Grýla’s magical snow globes. Callum and Zoe (Lucy Liu) come to their rescue but Grýla escapes with her sons and an unconscious Santa.
With the minutes to Christmas counting down, and the rescue of Santa being of the utmost importance, Callum and Jack do all they can to stop Grýla and fight her. Throughout the encounter, Santa remains unconscious. However, all teams rally, including Krampus (Kristofer Hivju), Santa’s estranged brother, to stop Grýla from setting her plan into motion. As all hope begins to seem lost, Santa recovers from his stupor and defeats Grýla. Thus, both Santa Claus and Christmas are rescued from doom through teamwork, mended bonds and newfound appreciation of each other, in a fitting testament to the spirit of Christmas.
How Do Jack and Dylan Escape Their Snow Globes?
One of the major subplots of Red One is the relationship between Jack O’Malley and his son, Dylan. The duo have a tense and strained relationship, with Jack struggling with the concept of being a father. Owing to this, Jack and his son are distant and unconnected. However, Grýla uses the father-son relationship to her advantage. Knowing that imprisoning Dylan will put a pin in Jack and Callum’s pursuit of her, the winter witch sends one of her snow globes to Jack and another to Dylan.
Dylan gets his hands on the globe before his father, and mistakenly believing it to be a gift from Jack, calls him and shows him the snow globe. Having touched the globe, Dylan is trapped inside it. Refusing to leave his son, Jack, too, touches his snow globe and ends up trapped next to his son.
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The manner in which the duo escape their prisons has to do purely with the father and son mending their bond. They have a heartfelt conversation about their relationship, admitting and owning up to their mistakes. The hard shells fall away and Jack and Dylan finally find a connection. This effectively gets them off of Santa’s Naughty List, and given that they are no longer on the list, the globes break, letting Jack and Dylan make their escape.
Does Grýla Die at the End?
Red One is packed with action akin to a film which deals with the CIA or Secret Service and threats to national security. The film has it all; high-tech devices, huge screens with maps spread across them, enough and more combat and organizations with the most action-movie-like names. Given this, one would almost think that Grýla would meet a gruesome fate at the end of the film.
However, retaining the Christmas spirit and the family-oriented nature of the film, nothing too traumatic occurs. Santa defeats Grýla by barreling into her and causing the villain to fall into her own snow globes. Given her vengeful thoughts, she is instantly trapped inside. By not having Grýla die, the film concludes on an open-ended note, leaving the path open for a possible sequel.
For all its action and strained relationships, Red One has a happy ending for everyone. Pushing the spirit of Christmas forth, relationships are mended, truces are called, villains are defeated and goodness and happiness reign. St. Nicholas sets out to distribute the Christmas cheer, Callum decides not to retire, and all appears to be right with the world once again.
Red One
is now playing in theaters worldwide.
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