Skip to content
24 October · 62 days to ChristmasThe advent calendar opens 1 December →
An empty red paper sleigh rests on a snowy rooftop beside a spilled sack of presents and a broken harness, with warm city lights below.

Essential Christmas · 2024

Red One

71/100Festive FactorWhy it scores 71 ↓
UK certificate 12A123 min
Comedy · Action

Blockbuster first, Christmas film second, and it spent a fortune getting there.

On Prime Video · UK subscription →
Plan this film night ↓Can the kids watch? ↓
Explore this film 10 sections

The CineClaus Christmas score

Festive Factor

Christmas all the way through.

Two paper elves examine a miniature rooftop with an empty red sleigh, spilled presents and broken harness straps beneath a glowing star lantern.

A little magic in the making.

Five ingredients make the Festive Factor.
Open an ingredient to find out more.

Christmas in the storyIt can't exist without Christmas.30/30

What we ask: Take Christmas out. Does the plot survive? Worth up to 30 of the 100 points.

A world dressed for ChristmasVisibly Christmas for most of it.15/20

What we ask: How much of the running time is visibly Christmas? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

The little seasonal details3 of the 10 kinds of Christmas icon we count turn up on screen.5/15

What we ask: How many kinds of Christmas icon turn up on screen: trees, lights, snow, carols and the rest? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

A Christmas heartHow far the ending rests on goodwill, family and belief: substantially.15/20

What we ask: Does the ending depend on what Christmas means: goodwill, family, redemption, belief? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

A returning traditionA December regular (25,000+).6/15

What we ask: Is it actually watched at Christmas in the UK? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

64/100

Cosiness Rating Rating

Mostly warm in tone. Real jeopardy, but survivable. A happy ending.

How we score →
What do these scores mean?

Festive Factor measures how Christmassy a film is. Five ingredients add up to 100: story (30), setting (20), seasonal details (15), emotional heart (20) and returning tradition (15).

Cosiness is a separate score for warmth of tone, sense of safety, visual comfort, a reassuring ending and how easily you can settle into it.

How the Festive Factor works →
Your next film night

Where to watch

United KingdomChecked

Prime Video

Included with a subscription
In the catalogue

Apple TV

Rent or buy
See viewing options on Apple TV (opens in a new tab)

Prime Video

Rent or buy
See viewing options on Prime Video (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)

Rakuten TV

Rent or buy
Search the service for it

Sky Store

Rent or buy
Search the service for it

Red One · Rental and purchase cost extra, separately from membership.

As an Amazon Associate, Cine Claus earns from qualifying purchases. Buying through a link helps pay for the site - it never changes a score.

Streaming changes constantly and we cannot promise it is still right - check the service before you settle in. Streaming availability information provided by Streaming Availability API by Movie of the Night (opens in a new tab). Sky and Rakuten TV data by JustWatch.

The story

About Red One

When Father Christmas is snatched from his secret headquarters just before Christmas Eve, the head of his security detail has to team up with a cynical bounty hunter who happens to be the world's best tracker. Their chase across the globe pits them against figures from winter folklore, with the whole of Christmas at stake if they cannot bring him home in time.

The CineClaus verdict

Blockbuster first, Christmas film second, and it spent a fortune getting there.

The premise is a good one: Father Christmas kidnapped days before the big night, with J.K. Simmons playing him as a man who clearly lifts. Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans bicker amiably, but long stretches of the chase could belong to any franchise film, and it runs long enough to outstay its welcome.

The ending does find real sincerity about goodwill. A good fit for older children who reckon Christmas films need more punch-ups.

The family desk

Can the kids watch?

12A

Our take: rated 12A for punch-ups, fantasy weapons, a few menacing creatures and the odd cut-off swear, but the jokes keep undercutting the threat, so most confident nine-year-olds will cope with a grown-up alongside.

Content advice & accessibility
Our age guidance
Editorial, separate from the official 12A certificate, and never looser than it.
The people behind the film

Cast and crew

The faces in front of the camera, and the people who brought the story to life.

Main cast

In billing order
A bald man in thin-rimmed glasses and a light grey double-breasted suit with a pocket square, looking off to one side at an outdoor evening event.Dwayne Johnsonas Callum Drift
A bearded man with short brown hair in a navy zip-up jacket, looking attentively to the side against a dark background at a convention panel.Chris Evansas Jack O'Malley
A smiling woman with dark hair pulled back, in a sleeveless silver studded dress with a metallic belt, holding a clutch on a festival red carpet with sponsor logos behind her.Lucy Liuas Zoe
J. K. Simmons, bald with a white and ginger beard and a faint smile, wearing a navy jacket in front of a festival backdrop.J. K. Simmonsas Nick
Close photograph of Bonnie Hunt smiling, with blonde hair and amber-framed glasses, wearing a dark jacket at an awards event.Bonnie Huntas Mrs. Claus
Kristofer Hivjuas Krampus
Smiling woman with long wavy brown hair, dark lipstick and a cream sleeveless collar, with a delicate silver pendant necklace.Kiernan Shipkaas Gryla
Mary Elizabeth Ellis with shoulder-length blonde hair, in a floral top, seated at a panel microphone with a convention backdrop behind her.Mary Elizabeth Ellisas Olivia

Behind the camera

Directed by
Jake Kasdan
Original score
Henry Jackman
Writing & production credits
Writer
Chris Morgan
Photo credits

Portraits via Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence, approved for this page by a person. Sources and full photographer credits:

Dwayne Johnson · Harald Krichel · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab).

Chris Evans · Philip Romano · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab).

Lucy Liu · Adam Chitayat · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab).

J. K. Simmons · Jay Dixit · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab).

Bonnie Hunt · Greg Hernandez · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

Kiernan Shipka · Amy Martin Photography · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab).

Mary Elizabeth Ellis · Gage Skidmore · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab).

Jake Kasdan · Genevieve719 · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

Keep the Christmas feeling

Music & soundtrack

That tune you recognised. That score you loved. Take a little of the film into the rest of your Christmas.

The original score album, track by track.

Behind the music. Henry Jackman composed the score.

About this music list

These are the songs and soundtrack we hold for the film, not a complete cue sheet, and they give no scene timings. Album track lists and durations come from MusicBrainz. Spotify and Apple Music links open the matched recordings; links marked Search open a search on that service. Album covers are each release's own, from the Cover Art Archive, credited under the cover.

MusicBrainz ↗ (opens in a new tab) TMDB ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Step into the story

Filming locations

The real places behind Red One. Choose one to explore.

Find it on the mapDunwoody, Georgia

© OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in a new tab)

Open larger map ↗ (OpenStreetMap, opens in a new tab)

Map shows the selected place. Drag to explore; use + and − to zoom.

Choose your next scene

Photographs of the real places

There’s more behind the film.
Explore the next place.

Photo credits & location sources

These are photographs of the places, not film stills. Dates vary; photographs do not show current conditions or guarantee access.

Dunwoody, Georgia · Mmann1988 · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab) · Georgia Entertainment (opens in a new tab)

Honolulu, Hawaii · Ueutyi · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab) · Georgia Entertainment (opens in a new tab)

Map pins mark the place, not a camera position or a route. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), including any pin positions read from OpenStreetMap.

A little more Red One

Film facts &
behind the scenes

For the fans who stay after the credits.

Movie magic

Krampus is a man in a suit, not a computer model

Kristofer Hivju played Krampus in a full practical costume with horns, built with prosthetics by Oscar-winning makeup artist Joel Harlow. Dwayne Johnson said having a real performer on set gave the scenes something CG could not, because Hivju's eyes had to carry the emotion through the make-up.

Read the story
On your next watchHow much of the creature's face still reads as an actor's performance.

Source: Moviefone press conference report ↗ (opens in a new tab)

On set

Lucy Liu did not expect to be doing action

Lucy Liu has said she arrived for costume fittings without expecting a fight sequence. The stunt coordinator then showed her previsualisation of a full action scene, and she trained with sticks to get ready for it.

Read the story

Source: Moviefone press conference report ↗ (opens in a new tab)

And at a glance

Releases and certificates
: In cinemas (US). US cinema release date as listed by Rotten Tomatoes. A UK cinema date was not confirmed by a source we can cite.
At the UK box office
£7,716,971, as of .
Sources & a note on these facts

Each production story is linked to its source, in our own words. Ending details stay behind a spoiler reveal.

Good to know

Questions about Red One

Who directed Red One?

Jake Kasdan directed it, from a screenplay by Chris Morgan.

Who stars in Red One?

Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans and Lucy Liu lead the cast, with J. K. Simmons, Bonnie Hunt, Kristofer Hivju and Kiernan Shipka in support.

Who wrote the music for Red One?

Henry Jackman composed the score, and an official soundtrack album came out on Sony Classical in November 2024 with 22 tracks.

Where was Red One filmed?

Coverage of the film's trailer names Dunwoody, a suburb of Atlanta in Georgia, and Honolulu in Hawaii as filming locations.

More like this

If Red One is your kind of Christmas…

Find another favourite →

Home Alone

1990 · UK certificate Parental Guidance · 103 min

The premise is a child's daydream — the empty house, the freedom, the shopping — and the film is smart…

Festive Factor 88 out of 100: Christmas at its heart.
Swipe to browse all three →

Collections, stories & Christmas memories

Elsewhere on CineClaus

More places to find Red One, and a few good reasons to keep exploring.

In this collection

Best family Christmas films

Red One is in this collection

Explore the collection
Stay for another story.All collections · The Christmas Edit