Chris Evans and Dwayne Johnson’s Christmas movie that’s “pure entertainment” has landed a new UK streaming home in time for the festive week – and as an extra present, it’s totally free to watch.
2024’s Red One follows Johnson as Callum Drift, Santa Claus’s head of security, who plans to retire from the role after one last Christmas delivery.
But when Santa is kidnapped by clandestine forces, he brings in Evans’ character Jack “The Wolf” O’Malley, a hacker and bounty hunter, to track down Santa and save Christmas. During the ride, they encounter talking polar bears, fight evil snowmen on a beach and face a showdown with Krampus in a thriller-meets-Christmas-comedy adventure.
Alongside Johnson and Evans, the star-studded film features JK Simmons as the missing Santa, as well as Lucy Liu, Kiernan Shipka, Mary Elizabeth Ellis and Bonnie Hunt.
Red One, which was previously only available on Prime Video to subscribers, is now available to watch for free on ITVX, having receiving its terrestrial premiere on Friday night on ITV1.
Warner Bros.
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If the plot all sounds a bit ridiculous, that’s because it is. The general consensus is that this is a film that doesn’t take itself too seriously and you have to lean into the weirdness to enjoy the ride.
One reviewer on IMDB called the film “pure entertainment”, writing: “If you’re tired of agenda-driven, over-serious films that forget to actually entertain, Red One is a breath of fresh air. It’s unapologetically fun, smartly written, and a reminder of why we love movies in the first place.”
The critics were not so forgiving, with the film scoring 30% on Rotten Tomatoes from 186 reviews. However, the viewers’ opinion was much more positive, scoring an 89% popcorn rating, with viewers praising the film’s fun and entertaining premise.
Warner Bros.
In Digital Spy’s review, we wrote: “You’re left with an overwhelming confusion over who Red One is actually aimed at. The humour is largely too juvenile for adults, but the language is also too crude for young ones. Even the villain Grýla (a wasted Kiernan Shipka, who mostly just glares at the camera) is likely too scary for the youngest viewers.”
So, we’d say don’t go in expecting a masterpiece, but it might be one to watch for a bit of Christmas comedy fun.
Red One is now available to watch on ITVX.
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Rachel Finn is a freelance sub-editor at Digital Spy.