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    Dwayne Johnson’s New Holiday Movie Receives Some Scathing Reviews

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    Dwayne Johnson’s New Holiday Movie Receives Some Scathing Reviews

    The new Dwayne Johnson Christmas action comedy Red One is facing some backlash as early social media reviews come in. J.K. Simmons, Lucy Liu, and Chris Evans also star in the holiday action feature. Johnson has been promoting the film ahead of its weekend premiere. The story follows an E.L.F (Extremely Large and Formidable) operative on a mission to rescue Santa Claus after he is kidnapped by a mysterious villain. E.L.F. joins forces with the world’s most accomplished tracker to find the big guy and save Christmas. The premise sounds like run-of-the-mill, family-friendly holiday fun, and with a massive cast, you’d think it’d be a hit.




    There are some positive reviews for the film, such as Kristen Maldonado’s from Pop Culture Planet, who writes, “Red One is an action-packed holiday showdown. […] They level up the holiday magic we know and love, while adding a fresh perspective with mythological characters we don’t often see represented. A blast for the whole family!” Not everyone found the feature so “fresh,” however, as evidenced by its 34% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. One person writing for Toisto puts it about as harshly as you can, calling it “the worst Christmas movie ever made,” and writing:

    It’s a film so bereft of genuine emotion that I can’t imagine even the most desperate Christmas fans getting anything out of it. Why bother scaring kids with lumps of coal when the alternative is to make them sit through this mess?


    Reviews on X, formerly Twitter, have been mixed to outright negative. Some users are ripping the holiday mess to shreds. One reviewer said it was genuinely one of the worst films they had ever seen.

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    MovieWeb’s own Julian Roman reviewed the film and had both praise and criticism to share about the feature, saying that its world-building is impressively imaginative but that it’s all bogged down with too many characters, subplots, and CGI. That balanced opinion has been shared on social media as well:



    Upcoming Blockbusters For Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson

    Red One likely won’t stay in the cultural zeitgeist for too long, and it follows his viciously panned movie Black Adam as well. But there is hope for the actor, who is returning to voice Maui in Disney’s Moana 2, which lands in theaters November 27. The magical ocean adventure is sure to drown out any negative online chatter. Johnson is also set to portray ​​mixed-martial arts and UFC champion, Mark Kerr, in the upcoming biopic The Smashing Machine. Emily Blunt also stars in the film, which is sure to attract WWE and UFC fans along with even a more arthouse crowd, considering the film comes from A24 and is directed by Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems, The Curse).


    Jumanji fans also received fantastic news last week. Sonny Pictures finally announced a release date for Jumanji 4, nearly 5 years after 2019’s Jumanji: The Next Level. Reports predict that Johnson and his original co-stars, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black, will reprise their roles. Director Jake Kasdan is also anticipated to return to the franchise. The next installment is set to hit theaters on December 11, 2026. It still seems so far away, but better late than never. And let’s not forget Fast X: Part 2.

    Needless to say, it’s unlikely Red One will have any effect on audiences showing up for The Rock. The Hollywood titan has some serious blockbusters and franchises under his belt and on the horizon, although a sequel for Red One probably won’t be one of them. We’ll see what more people think when the film premieres Friday, Nov. 15.


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