Amazon MGM's $250-million bid at a Marvel-level Christmas franchise is a charmless, level-four naughty-lister that will make you wish Christmas was canceled.

The latest in an ongoing trend of action-packed Christmas movies, J.K. Simmons takes on the white beard from Kurt Russell, Mel Gibson and David Harbour in Red One, a $200 million Amazon MGM Studios streaming-turned-theatrical production that blends genres for some family-friendly holiday fun with a generous dose of self-aware absurdity.

And it's not nearly as awful as it sounds. The film, which cost nearly $250 million to make, is an effectively constructed high-concept action-fantasy-comedy that waffles inconsistently between entertainingly imaginative and merely perfunctory.

I’m not sure that a Hollywood movie has ever kicked off the season with less real Christmas spirit than "Red One."

The movie's shining light is JK Simmons as a muscly Santa who can easily do 500 press-ups in five minutes. He manages to sell the schmaltzy lines and is a great fit as Saint Nick in his second Santa movie outing following Netflix's exceptional Klaus. Unfortunately, the plot means he's off-screen after the first act and the movie suffers for it.

The Rock gets knocked silly by monsters and murderous snowmen in his bid to save Santa Claus in a festive film devoid of Christmas cheer 2/5 stars Christmas with The Rock is not nearly as much fun as one would hope.

Red One, Chris Evans and Dwayne Johnson 's new Christmas movie, has received its first reactions, and critics are divided. Announced in 2021, the festive action movie about a task force on a mission to find Santa Claus didn't fully convince viewers.