“Red One” is an ultimately charming addition to the canon of Christmas films. Its inventive story makes all the difference in setting it apart from past Yuletide lore. The excellent visual effects complement the screenplay in creating an enjoyable movie that is sure to appeal to families.

The picture begins with two aspects that eventually coincide. On the first track, a younger version of Jack O’Malley (Chris Evans) shows his cousins a room full of Christmas gifts. The implication is that Santa is a fraud.

Cut to the present, and Jack is seen creating chaos as he enters a seismology lab. After inserting a device to track seismic events, he literally steals candy from a baby.

The second track finds Santa (J.K. Simmons) on Christmas Eve in a Philadelphia mall talking to children. He is accompanied by Cal (Dwayne Johnson), his head of security. Cal has to take charge when an unruly customer tries to monopolize Santa’s time.

When Santa and Cal leave, they are driven to a military base. There Santa’s sleigh with eight massive reindeer awaits him and Cal. With a military escort, Santa takes off to go to his secret headquarters up north.

As the sleigh enters the North Pole village, a seismic event is recorded. Jack receives an alert and contacts the people on the Dark Web who contracted with him for this information. Per their agreement, he is wired half of his funds up front.

At the North Pole, Santa is busy working out. Cal wants to resign because he no longer sees the good in adults. The Naughty List keeps growing, and he is fed up with humanity. Santa tries to convince him that there is good in all people but accepts Cal’s resignation.

A group of intruders arrives at the coordinates given to them by Jack. They are able to use tools to enter the North Pole.

Cal does a check on Santa and no one has seen him. A vehicle is seen racing away, and Cal goes in hot pursuit. It turns out to be a decoy, however. A jet is seen flying away overhead and Santa has been kidnapped.

Cal contacts Zoe Harlow (Lucy Liu), the head of M.O.R.A. (Mythological Oversight and Restoration Authority). Her staff determines that Jack O’Malley is the cause of the problem. Her agents go to find him.

Jack is captured and brought to an interrogation facility. In passing, we get to see the parts of the Headless Horseman as Zoe is interviewing all of the usual suspects to see if they kidnapped Santa.

Jack tells Cal and Zoe that he uses the Dark Web precisely because it guarantees anonymity. He does not know who paid him to plant the seismic tracker. Since Jack claims to be able to find anybody, he is deployed with Cal to hunt down the kidnappers of Santa in what needs to be record time as Christmas is coming soon.

Their first stop is Aruba, which they get to through a toy store portal. This is just the beginning of a wild adventure across the globe.

I always say about films that it is story, story, story that matters. Here the screenplay is full of new twists on existing tropes about the North Pole, Santa, and Krampus, to name a few. The sheer lack of predictability about what would happen next kept my interest throughout the movie.

What could have been a predictable action-packed pursuit of Santa’s kidnappers is enhanced by the screenwriters’ imagination in creating new obstacles that seem organic to the story. To be sure, there are some great action sequences. Yet there is more to this picture than these set-pieces.

I particularly loved the take this film had on Krampus. Spoilers don’t allow me to reveal the best twist of all. Krampus is portrayed as a larger-than-life scary figure. I am not sure if it was makeup or visual effects or both that were used to create this character but it is a complete success.

The overall visual effects in general were top-notch. The story gives the creative team plenty to work with. The depiction of the North Pole as both homey and high-tech is a perfect balance. Seeing the original home of Santa enshrined in a park is a highlight.

This movie has the best explanation of how Santa delivers all the gifts to everyone in the world that I have ever seen. In some ways, the team ELF (Enforcement Logistics and Fortification), which Cal heads, gives a clue in the word “logistics.” Santa turns out to be a team effort all the way around.

The faults in this picture occur in the beginning as Cal and Jack start to work together. The predictable “odd couple” griping, attempts at one-upmanship, and lack of communication skills grows old fast. It isn’t until Krampus comes on scene that this relationship starts to become more real and less stereotyped.

J.K. Simmons is perfect as Santa. He strikes a nice balance between being focused on task and kind at heart. He is more physically fit than the typical portrayal of Santa has been, but that seemed in character given how healthy he needs to be on Christmas Day.

Kristofer Hivju as Krampus seems born to have played this role. He can be strict and demanding. But he also can be understanding and flexible to changing circumstances. His relationship with Santa is fascinating.

On the other hand, both Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans could have been played by other actors. Don’t get me wrong—they are good at what they do. But there is nothing intrinsically unique in their performances to make them stand out as characters.

This film is too scary for very young children. Plus, while it reaffirms the belief in a real Santa Claus, it may not be the version they have been told. On the other hand, I think that tweens can see this. The movie is rated PG-13, not R, and this designation is appropriate.

This is an excellent family film for those with older children. The inventiveness and new Christmas lore are well worth the investment of time.

Four and a half out of five stars

After a villain kidnaps Santa from the North Pole, an E.L.F (Extremely Large and Formidable) operative (Dwayne Johnson) must partner with the world’s most accomplished tracker (Chris Evans) to find Santa and save Christmas.

Starring Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Kiernan Shipka, J.K. Simmons, Bonnie Hunt, Lucy Liu, Kristofer Hivju, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Nick Kroll, Wesley Kimmel

Directed by Jake Kasdan
Original story by Hiram Garcia
Screenplay by Chris Morgan