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‘Red One’ Movie and 4K Review

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

“Red One” is the latest film from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, one of the biggest names and highest paid actors in Hollywood. I am very familiar with Johnson’s work from his time in the professional wrestling industry, which is something I follow closely. He has become one of the biggest brands in the world. It is rare to find someone out there who does not know who Johnson is, either from his time in professional wrestling or his movie career. Personally speaking, I cannot help but respect and admire how he has built his career in two different industries, but lately, I am starting to suffer from a major case of Dwayne Johnson fatigue.

The film follows the story of Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson) who oversees and protects Nick, aka Santa, aka Red One, played by J.K. Simmons. Callum Drift informs Santa this will be their last Christmas together, and then he is calling it quits. He has seen the naughty list grow by over twenty percent, and he feels as though too many people are losing the real meaning of Christmas. They are more interested in their own selfish needs as opposed to being good human beings. Santa tells him there are good people all around the world still, and he should not lose his hope in humanity. In classic movie fashion, Callum is going to retire so, of course, this means his final days will be filled with peril, stress, and action.

On Christmas Eve of all nights, Santa is kidnapped thanks to the help of a mercenary bounty hunter named Jack O’Malley, played by Chris Evans. Callum’s boss, Zoe (Lucy Liu) puts him in charge of tracking down Jack to find out the whereabouts of Santa. Jack confesses he does not know anything about the kidnapping, and he follows the money when it comes to his job opportunities. Lucy Liu oversees the MORA (Mythological Oversight and Restoration Authority), and they take their job of protecting Santa very seriously. In order for Santa to be able to do his job, Jack and Callum must put their differences aside, team up together, and find out who was behind this mission and save Santa.

“Red One” is an absolute mess of a film from start-to-finish. One of the biggest issues with the film is that Johnson and Evans have no chemistry together on screen. This is not a fun buddy movie as Johnson takes this role too seriously while Evans is a goofball. The dialogue written for their characters is also bland and unfunny. When you have two actors with the charisma of Johnson and Evans, it should make for a fun, silly and enjoyable thrill-ride. Instead, this movie is dead on arrival. Johnson looks like he is sleepwalking throughout this movie.

The movie is searching for a consistent tone. As stated earlier, Johnson gives a one-note performance throughout the film. He is supposed to be a funny tough guy who takes himself too seriously, only he is not funny at all. His performance is so wooden, and it does not work with this material. Johnson and Evans should have played up their dynamic of being polar opposites in a way that was natural, organic, and funny. It is hard when the script does not give either of them anything of interest to say. J.K. Simmons, by the way, is barely in the movie. He is there at the beginning and he only shows up again at the end.

The film also tries to do too much in its over two-hour running time. It introduces shapeshifting, Krampus and scenes involving snowmen attacking the two main characters at the beach. What is going on here? The writer, Chris Morgan, has written such films as “Cellular,” “The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift,” “Wanted,” “Fast and Furious,” “Fast Five” and “Furious 7,” and he has worked with Johnson before. Morgan has also worked in the action genre before, and he has had a lot of success. On paper, this film should have been a big hit at the box office. You have Johnson and Evans working together for the first time, Morgan as the writer, and the backdrop of Christmas.

For whom was this movie made? Was it made for children? I cannot see children really getting into this movie. It is not that it is too violent or too intense for children, as that is not the problem. The problem is the film does not have a sense of wonder or a sense of fun. It is also not really for adults as it is too silly and juvenile for an adult audience. I do not really know who “Red One” is going to appeal to, unless you are a diehard fan of Johnson or Evans. They should have kept this movie simple. They should have kept it under two hours, focused more on the dynamic between Johnson and Evans, given them better dialogue, and it should have been a lighthearted unlikely buddy comedy with heart. Instead, it is a brainless and soulless action flick. “Red One” is one of the worst movies of 2024.

½* out of * * * *

4K Info: “Red One” is being released on a single disc 4K from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. It also comes with a digital copy of the film. The film has a running time of 123 minutes and is rated PG-13 for action, some violence, and language.

4K Video Info: Warner Brothers is one of the most consistent studios when it comes to their home video releases on 4K, and “Red One” is no exception. The Dolby Vision transfer is vivid, colorful, and full of life. This is an exceptionally clean and crisp-looking 4K.

4K Audio Info: The Dolby Atmos track is also perfect for this film, as it has a good thump to it during the action sequences. Subtitles included are in English, Latin Spanish, Castilian Spanish, Italian, German, Parisian French, Canadian French, Dutch, Chinese – Complex, and Cantonese.

Special Features:

NONE

Should You Buy It?

With certain movies, you can feel the length of its run time. “Red One” is a movie where I felt every minute of its 123-minute run time. This film needed to focus on the strengths of its two main actors and not get bogged down with a convoluted backstory and mindless action that did not mean anything or go anywhere. This film was restlessly boring, and I did not chuckle or smirk once while watching it. I just wanted it to be over. This should have been an enormous success especially considering Hollywood is always in the market for new Christmas movies. Instead, they really lost the plot here.  On the bright side, the 4K looks and sounds terrific. There are no special features included here, and I think that says a lot about the film.  If you did enjoy this film, I’d recommend buying it when it goes on sale.  If you are a Dwayne Johnson or Chris Evans superfan, you might enjoy it, but you must really love everything they do. For everyone else, this is a hard pass.

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free. The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.

‘Black Adam’ Movie and 4K/Blu-ray Review

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

I always make sure to preface my review of any superhero film by informing the reader that I go into these films as a novice. I do not know anything about the backstories, the characters, or if it’s true to its source material. However, I am a firm believer that if a film is good, it can be enjoyed without an audience member knowing anything about the superhero.  It should be able to stand on its own merits. There is no denying the movie star appeal of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, but I do have serious questions about some of the film roles he has picked for himself. He has proven both in wrestling and in certain films like “Central Intelligence” that he has a charisma very few can match.  He is an authentic human being who is filled with charm for days, and I would like to see more of that in his future projects. This film, though, called for a different type of performance out of him.

“Black Adam” is initially set in 2600 B.C. where a crown was created by Ahk-Ton of Kahndaq in order to give him the powers of a demon. The film then moves to the present day, and it shows Kahndaq in a state of distress at the hands of Intergang, a crime syndicate that doesn’t like to play by the rules. Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi) is looking to obtain the Crown of Sabbac, and she has enlisted the help of her brother, Karim (Mohammed Amer), along with their associates Samir (James Cusati-Moyer) and Ishmael (Marwan Kenzari). It should be noted she has good intentions for the Crown. Once Adrianna gets her hands on the crown, she awakens Teth-Adam (Dwayne Johnson) from a lengthy slumber. She is under the impression that he is the hero of Kahndaq after he saves her from Intergang.  Government officials from America, however, believe Teth-Adam is dangerous and not a hero, and they bring in the Justice Society to make sure he will not inflict any harm on anyone.

The Justice Society consists of Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) and Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo). However, Adrianna’s son, Amon (Bodhi Sabongui), believes there is good inside of Teth-Adam as, after all, he saved his mother from Intergang.  There might be some darkness and a past to Teth-Adam, but Amon believes if Teth-Adam can come up with a cool catchphrase and harness his powers for the right cause, he can be a really special superhero.  There is a past with Teth-Adam, one which still haunts him to this day, and he is a complex character with an interesting backstory and more layers than one would expect.

I found the story of “Black Adam” interesting, layered and geared more toward adults than children.  I cannot imagine this is the kind of superhero film that will appeal to many children.  The first half does a good job of laying out the stakes, allowing the characters to develop, and letting us spend time with them where we get to know them.  This is a more restrained performance from Johnson. As soon as you find out his backstory and what happened to him in his past, you understand why.  This is not the Dwayne Johnson we are used to seeing in his other films, and he gives a solid and understated performance. He has to express a lot of emotions throughout the film, and he does a great job with that. Sarah Shahi is really, really good here and shows just the right amount of powerful vulnerability and humanity throughout.

With the Justice Society, the standout performer was clearly Aldis Hodge. I have been enjoying his work for a while now, and he holds his own with Johnson and even steals a few scenes. I felt like Pierce Brosnan was not given a whole lot to do with his role as Doctor Fate, but he does come across as wise and insightful with his performance.  He is an observer of what’s going on and trying to come to terms with what he knows is going to happen because he’s aware of when people are going to die.  The younger actors, Quintessa Swindell and Noah Centineo, are very, very effective, but again, they are not given enough screen time to really shine and show off their acting chops. I liked what I saw from them, but I wanted to see more.

Overall, “Black Adam” is an entertaining superhero film with a dark backstory that I enjoyed.  The special effects, action, and pacing are lacking, however, and they hold the film back.  I wish they had a tighter script as the last forty-five minutes are really lagging and keep everything from ending on the right note.  I see elements of a really, really good superhero film here, but they don’t all come together.  There are actors, moments, and scenes where I said to myself, “Now, this is working.  Let’s stay here.”  Other times, I was thinking to myself, “This is sound and fury, signifying nothing.” It is an average film but with good to great signs of life sprinkled throughout its running time.

* * out of * * * *

4K Info: “Black Adam” is being released on a two-disc 4K/Blu-ray combo pack from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. The set also comes with a digital copy of the film.  It has a running time of 125 minutes and is rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, intense action, and some language.

4K Video Info: We do get Dolby Vision here, but I have to say, I was pretty let down with the visuals of this film.  Don’t get me wrong, it is very clear and crisp, but it doesn’t quite pop like it should.  I understand the film is called “Black Adam,” and it’s supposed to have muted and hushed tones, but there is a way where you can use these to create an interesting 4K transfer with great visuals.  I thought it looked just OK.  There was not anything which really impressed me or stood out.

4K Audio Info:  The Dolby Atmos track brings the power.  It really enhances the action scenes without being too loud or overpowering to where it is distracting and you are reaching for your remote to turn the volume down on your soundbar.

Special Features:

The History of Black Adam

Who is The Justice Society?

From Soul to Screen

Black Adam: A Flawed Hero

Black Adam: New Tech in an Old World

Black Adam: Taking Flight

Kahndaq: Designing a Nation

The Rock of Eternity

Costumes make the hero

Black Adam: A new type of action

Should You Buy It?

I do not think “Black Adam” as a film or as a 4K disc is something you need to add to your collection at its current price.  It was entertaining for two hours, but it did not reinvent the wheel or leave me with any lasting impressions which stayed with me after the credits rolled. I did not hate it nor did I love it.  It was an entertaining superhero film which, of course, is fine, but I think fans are looking for something a little more than just “fine.”  There are some good special features here, though.  I was disappointed with how the film looked on 4K, as I was expecting an impressive and powerful transfer.  It is just OK as well.  The audio is really good, as I mentioned earlier.  I can see what they were going for here and what their intentions were, but the pacing and the special effects really stop this film dead in its tracks. I recommend you check it out on HBO Max, but I would not add it to your collection.

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free.  The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.