With a huge budget, the action movie "Red One" was expected to be a blockbuster at the end of the year. However, the work was criticized by critics for its outdated and shallow script, and the lackluster performances of its two stars, Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans.
With investment up to 250 million USD, Red One (Vietnamese title: Code Red ) was one of the most expensive blockbusters of all time when it was announced for production. The project brought together a star-studded cast including Dwayne Johnson – namely The Rock, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, Kiernan Shipka… promises to blow up the box office when released.
Unfortunately, the film did not receive the positive feedback expected. Most critics commented that the script was outdated and the character development was outdated. Even the acting of Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans was not impressive enough to save the film.
Few special elements
The film brings viewers the Christmas atmosphere when telling a humorous perspective about Santa Claus (JK Simmons).
The story begins when a famous character is kidnapped by a group of strangers, causing the big holiday of the year to be ruined. The retirement plan of Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson) - Head of Arctic Security - is therefore also unsuccessful.
At this time, Drift is forced to put aside personal interests to set out to rescue Santa Claus. Following the clues, he discovers that the incident is related to Jack O'Malley (Chris Evans) - the world's most notorious bounty hunter.
Coincidentally, Jack's son is also kidnapped, so he agrees to help Drift on his intercontinental mission.
Sitting in the director's chair is Jake Kasdan - was successful with many comedies like Bad Teacher (2011), Sex Tape (2014), especially two parts Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019). The script is by "golden screenwriter" Chris Morgan - author of Furious 7 (2015), The Fate of the Furious (2017) - written by.
Therefore, Red One possesses the dream elements of a Hollywood blockbuster. However, the film's script is monotonous and boring to the point of being difficult to understand.
The story is still up build following the familiar "couple of circumstances" motif in many Hollywood action movies. From strangers, full of differences, Callum Drift and Jack O'Malley gradually understand each other better, from there coordinate well to complete the goal.
The crew tried to mix many genres from comedy, action to adventure, fantasy to create a movie with a lot of entertainment. Therefore, many absurd situations appeared, such as the main character being beaten up by a snowman, or many monsters appearing to make the world of Santa Claus even more terrifying.
The way the situation is overdone makes the film surreal, reminiscent of superhero movie projects. Marvel.
Through the rescue of Santa Claus, the film still embeds the message of the "good child" inside everyone. Anyone with a dark past always has the opportunity to become better. Even Jack O'Malley, a long-time skeptic of Christmas, has to look back and change himself.
In addition, the film also tries to convey the meaning of family affection and friendship, like many films shown at Christmas.
The Rock, Chris Evans can't save the movie
With many years of experience, Dwayne Johnson had no trouble playing Santa's bodyguard. The actor himself had worked with director Jake Kasdan many times before, so he was given many preferential roles.
Star Fast & Furious demonstrated his versatile acting ability. He played Callum Drift naturally and humorously, bringing much laughter to the audience. However, it must be said that the actor did not create many surprises for the audience, his acting style was somewhat repetitive with previous projects.
According to The Wrap , Dwayne Johnson encountered many problems while filming. The actor often arrived 7-8 hours late and missed many days of work, causing the filming process to be delayed and the producer to lose an additional 50 million USD for the project.
This is the first time Chris Evans has collaborated with The Rock on a film project. The two top Hollywood action stars have combined well to create humorous dialogue and eye-catching action scenes.
Coincidentally, both were once featured in the magazine. People Voted "Sexiest Man Alive": The Rock in 2016 and Chris Evans in 2022.
However, Chris Evans' role is somewhat obscure because the character is simply built and lacks depth. The actor has not been able to fully express his abilities, so he is sometimes overshadowed by The Rock's strong role.
When launched, Red One was not well received by critics. The film is rated “Rotten” on Rotten Tomatoes with only 34% positive reviews. Writer Kevin Maher of The Times rated this film as "boring, confusing and the worst of The Rock's career".
The IMDb score is average, reaching 6.9/10. Most viewers think that the film is still funny and entertaining but the script is weak and not very interesting. In return, the project has an impressive look with most of the budget poured into the production design. The computer effects are also elaborately staged, helping the story appear vivid.
In general, Red One disappointing because it still follows the familiar Hollywood filmmaking formula. The film's script is monotonous, the story construction lacks surprises, and is not really worthy of the 250 million USD budget.
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