Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s new action-comedy film looks set to continue a recent Christmas movie trend after the trailer revealed a few surprises. Red One will star The Rock and Chris Evans’ character trying to save Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons) who has been kidnapped. While the idea of saving Santa has been done numerous times before in some of the best Christmas action movies, Red One will do so in a completely unique setting, giving the film a distinct personality. However, in the process, The Rock’s upcoming project looks set to follow a fun trend involving modern Christmas movies.

Red One is set to be released in theaters on November 15, 2024, and will be the perfect warm-up for the Holidays. The action mixed with comedy will fit Johnson and Evans’ brand of acting perfectly, while Simmons looks perfect as a more serious Santa Claus, making Red One 2024’s most exciting Christmas movie. Despite the project having a seemingly fun and humorous tone, the trailer did suggest that Red One may have a few more adult themes as it looks set to follow in the footsteps of two recent films to continue a surprising recent Christmas film trend.

Red One Looks Set To Continue The Violent Christmas Movie Trend

Red One Will Become The Next Graphic Christmas Film After Violent Night & Fatman

Violent Christmas movies have surprisingly become more common in recent years, and The Rock’s Red One seems like it will continue this. In 2020, Mel Gibson and Walton Goggins teamed up in Fatman, before David Harbour brought graphic Christmas movies back with Violent Night in 2022. While there have been some great takes on the usual family-orientated style of Christmas movies over the years, festive films have been getting more violent lately, and Red One looks destined to repeat this as the trailer already indicated there will be plenty of fighting and combat when the film releases in November.

Like Fatman and Violent Night, Red One will mask some of its violence with comedy, and while the trailer suggests it may be less bloody, it still looks like there will be plenty of fighting. Considering Fatman and Violent Night were both received positively by audiences, the market for graphic Christmas movies is certainly there. Red One also appears to have more family appeal than its predecessors, and if it manages to balance its action with comedy, it could compete critically while also having a more mainstream appeal, potentially giving The Rock a holiday franchise if it performs well financially.

Red One’s Setting Makes It One Of The Most Unique Christmas Movies Yet

The Fantasy Elements Make Red One’s Violent Setting Even More Interesting

Alongside having a slightly more graphic nature, Red One‘s setting is completely unique due to the way it brings the Christmas setting to life. The idea of Santa Claus being real has been showcased in multiple films, but Red One goes the extra mile in the live-action setting by utilizing plenty of other Christmas creatures. The trailer featured a talking Polar Bear, snowmen fighting on the beach, and even Krampus slapping The Rock, proving this Christmas movie will be like nothing that has been done before.

Using all of these different themes and trying to make them all realistic may be difficult to pull off, but regardless of whether Red One sticks the landing or not, it is gearing up to be a one-of-a-kind Christmas film. The movie will need to avoid taking itself too seriously in order to work, but the trailer shows promising signs, as there is plenty of humor which seems to be the main selling point. Combining this with some violence, adult themes, and a unique environment gives Red One a great opportunity to become a modern classic Christmas hit.