Red Oneis Netflix’ take on the classic holiday genre, following a group of Santa’s closest associates as they team up with a professional tracker to hunt down Santa Claus himself after he goes missing.It’s got everything audiences have come to expect from these kinds of Netflix original movies: a hugely recognizable cast, very stylish editing choices, and an adventure that’s constantly raising the stakes and getting bigger in scope.Red Oneis filled with fun characters, many of whom are played by very famous faces.
Red Oneis led by Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans, the latter of whom has been on a fairly disappointing streak of movies lately. While his appearance inDeadpool & Wolverinewas a fun return to form,his lead roles haven’t managed to live up to the same expectations. Movies such asGhostedandThe Gray Manhave proven how difficult it’s been to continue his career after the MCU - so there’s much riding onRed Oneto live up to expectations. Thankfully,the Rock and Chris Evans teaming up inRed Oneis a good sign for its commercial success.
Red One Continues Chris Evans' Disappointing Rotten Tomatoes Form
The Film Isn’t As Strong As Those From Earlier In His Career
Unfortunately,Red Oneisn’t the saving grace to Evans’ post-MCU career that the actor was surely hoping for. The film has received just 32% onRotten Tomatoes, ranking among the star’s least-popular films yet. As with many Netflix original movies,Red Onespends too much of its extensive budget on hiring the biggest names, collecting the most striking visual effects, and producing the most detailed sets, soit often forgets to spend that much time on refiningthe script. It’s pure entertainment, and while that works in certain areas, it leaves the film feeling somewhat hollow.
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And none of that is Chris Evans’ fault: his performance inRed Oneis actually one of his strongest of recent years, leaning into the character’s mischievous side and totally letting himself disappear into the role. It’s a comedic performance, which is something the actor has only made his trademark quite recently, but it works very well. WhileRed One’s critical reception has been divided, most can agree that it’s not the actors causing the film’s problems.
Red One Breaks A Golden Chris Evans Trend
Excluding the years that he spent confined to the MCU,there’s been one rule that essentially dictates whether Chris Evans’ new movies are going to be successfulor not - and while it may be partly a coincidence, it’s worked fairly well until now. When Evans plays a comedic villainous role, the movie is usually a hit. The two main contributors to this theory areKnives OutandScott Pilgrim vs The World, two excellent comedies where Evans steps outside of his comfort zone and plays a comically villainous character.
Red Oneseems to adhere to this rule, with Evans’ character displaying a fairly tilted moral compass - in one scene, he literally steals candy from a baby. By this metric, that meansRed Oneshould have been a smash-hit. However,the film ultimately doesn’t take advantage of Evans’ comedic abilityin the same ways thatKnives OutandScott Pilgrimdo, and the script simply isn’t as funny.Chris Evans’ best non-MCU moviesare those where he shines as the villain, butRed Oneoften pushes him to the side of Johnson’s more stoic protagonist.
What Red One’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Means For Chris Evans
The Future Is Looking Uncertain For The Post-MCU Actor
Previously, it looked like Evans playing eccentric bad guys was a form-bucking trend and recipe for success, butRed Oneproves that even this mini-rule can’t be relied upon.The actor has simply struggled to find his nicheafter spending so long playing the same character, and whileKnives Outmade it seem like he was going to continue making excellent movies following his Captain America departure, it now seems like that was a one-off, lightning in a bottle scenario.
While his performances have never been the issue, the actor seems to be favoring larger, big-budget productions with renowned studios like Netflix and banking on their success rather than taking some risks with more auteur filmmakers.
UnlessChris Evans decides to return to the MCU, the future trajectory of his movie career looks very uncertain.Red Onewas a significant misfire that proved many audience’s concerns that his rough streak is far from over. While his performances have never been the issue, the actor seems to be favoring larger, big-budget productions with renowned studios like Netflix and banking on their success rather than taking some risks with more auteur filmmakers. This is the route that his MCU co-stars Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo have taken, finding more success with movies likeOppenheimerandPoor Things.
Red One
Cast
After Santa Claus is kidnapped, the North Pole’s Head of Security (Dwayne Johnson) must team up with a notorious bounty hunter (Chris Evans) in a thrilling, globe-spanning mission to save Christmas. This action-packed holiday adventure mixes comedy and festive magic, with an ensemble cast that includes Lucy Liu and J.K. Simmons.
