Although Dwayne 'the Rock' Johnson is currently having an amazing time promoting his new movie, Red One, the Jumanji star has been dealt a sad blow with the early social media reactions and the critics' response to the festive film.
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, to discuss, one person calling it the "worst film [they] have ever seen," writing: "Soooo… #RedOne is genuinely one of the worst films I have ever seen. The visuals are atrocious, the dialogue is bland and unfunny, the usually talented cast have zero chemistry and even the action sequences fail to deliver on the entertainment scale. Abysmal stuff."
Another person wrote: "It’s not so much that #RedOne is bad, it’s just a cynical piece of overly digital Hollywood content masquerading as a feel-good, 'edgy' Christmastime action flick. The cast dutifully do their jobs, but for all the supposedly creative fun on display, it feels rote and uninspired."
A third viewer added: "#RedOne is baffling, lifeless & genuinely dispiriting combo of trad meaning-of-Xmas tale & fantasy pic. Tonally it’s all over shop skipping from one ill-conceived, visually unappealing setpiece to another, & despite lengthy passages of exposition it’s rarely clear what’s going on."
Red One has been panned by critics
However, not everyone was negative about the movie - which has received just 32 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes - with one posing: "#RedOne is pure Christmas magic! Fun, funny, and full of what makes it the most magical time of the year. Also, unexpectedly amazing world building that begs further exploration, and a surprisingly emotional performance by @TheRock that genuinely had me shed a few tears."
© Frank Masi
Dwayne Johnson stars in the new Christmas film
Another person wrote: "I can forgive a lot about a movie if I have fun with it…and god damn did I have fun with #RedOne. Johnson and Evans are a great pair and the world building/mythology bought out my inner child perfectly. Is it good? Not necessarily but damn, I had a blast! A Christmas joy!"
The synopsis for the new Christmas movie reads: "After Santa Claus – Code Name: RED ONE – is kidnapped, the North Pole's Head of Security (Dwayne Johnson) must team up with the world’s most infamous bounty hunter (Chris Evans) in a globe-trotting, action-packed mission to save Christmas."
© Karen Neal
Chris Evans co-stars in Red One
Despite the online discourse, Dwayne has been all smiles during his press tour for the movie, posing with fans while sharing their stories on social media. In one post, he shared a clip of a young fan speaking to him while in tears at the premiere, writing: "This lovely girl was tearing up as we met, she said some beautiful things to me and asked if we could take a selfie - I said yes but first let’s take a few deep breaths together to compose ourselves a bit - we don’t want no crazy looking selfies.
"She was the absolute sweetest thing. And to me, these kind of interactions with people will always always always be the best part of fame."