Upamanyu Biswas
At the end of Jake Kasdan’s Christmas movie ‘Red One,’ Callum Drift and Jack O’Malley’s efforts to rescue Santa Claus take an unforeseen twist as they realize, to their surprise, that he has been kept captive right under their noses. After brushing paths with mythical figures and underworld brokers, the unlikely duo has to overcome their differences and operate as an effective team to make some headway into the problem. However, with time ticking down, they must hurry before a world full of children wakes up to a Christmas morning with no gifts under their trees. Meanwhile, Santa’s supernatural abductor hatches a nefarious plan to punish all the naughty listers on Christmas Eve, making it even more crucial Callum and Jack step up their hunt before the holidays are spoilt! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Red One Plot Synopsis
During Christmas, a young boy named Jack O’Malley goes upstairs to his Uncle Rick’s house with his friends. He tells the children that Santa Claus is a myth by showing the gifts stockpiled within his uncle’s cupboard. Uncle Rick is unhappy to witness Jack’s skepticism, telling him that he will find himself on the “naughty list” for his behavior. However, the young boy states that he does not particularly care either way. Thirty years later, Jack is in his adulthood and remains a staunch non-believer in Santa. He is a bounty hunter and black-hat hacker known by the anonymous alias the Wolf. Struggling with financial debt, he takes on a mission to deliver information to an unknown client about a location in the North Pole, an act that triggers a chain of events.
Santa Claus is listening to children at a local mall in another part of the country while preparing for Christmas, which is just a day away. The commander of ELF (Enforcement Logistics and Fortification), Callum Drift, who is also in charge of Santa’s security detail, keeps a social media influencer from disrupting the proceedings. At the same time, more children line up to meet him. Once their jobs are complete, they fly back to the North Pole complex, where the military organization MORA (Mythological Oversight and Restoration Authority) prepares for the Christmas day celebration and the job that Santa has in his hand. Callum hands in a resignation letter to Santa, explaining that after years of being with him, he is disillusioned by the increasing number of naughty listers worldwide and wishes to leave his post.
Moments later, a black ops team breaks into the North Pole complex and abducts Santa just hours before Christmas Eve. Callum chases the kidnappers but fails to bring them in after learning that the vehicle he is following is a decoy. In the aftermath, the director of MORA, Zoe Harlow, begins investigating Santa’s abduction. She tracks down the person who leaked the guarded secret of the North Pole complex’s whereabouts—Jack. He is brought in for questioning, only for him to state honestly that he has no clue who the abductor is. However, realizing he has a talent for finding things, Zoe makes Callum team up with him to track Santa’s whereabouts and defuse the disastrous situation before Christmas is canceled.
Red One Ending: What is Grýla’s Plan? Where is She Keeping Santa?
Soon after partnering together, Callum and Jack head off to find Ted, the middleman who brokered the job between the hacker and his mysterious client. They find him in Aruba, learning through him that the person behind Santa’s abduction is the winter witch, Grýla. Although Ted warns them against saying her name, Jack repeats it recklessly, attracting her attention from miles away. She immediately sends a van full of snowmen to hunt them down. After defeating them, Callum and Jack head off to meet Santa’s brother, Krampus, the anthropomorphic goat-like man. They learn from him that Grýla has taken plans for the Glaskäfig, a snow globe that imprisons people magically. Using the blueprint, the antagonist plans to mass-produce the device and lock up all the naughty listers who have ruined Christmas.
Callum and Jack find it difficult to leave Krampus’ kingdom after the horned man decides to lock up the former for eternity. However, the hacker manufactures an escape route for both, gaining his companion’s trust and respect in the process. While driving away, Jack discovers that Grýla has sent him a Glaskäfig as a present. The same gift is also delivered to Dylan, Jack’s son, who calls his father and asks why he sent it. The snow globe performs its magic and imprisons the young boy, while his father, desperate to rescue his child, follows him in. Although it jeopardizes the mission, it allows MORA and Callum to figure out something bizarre. Using the tracker chip that had been installed inside Jack’s body, the team learns that Santa has not left the North Pole and is being held under everyone’s noses at the North Pole complex.
Is Santa Rescued? How Do Callum and Jack Defeat Grýla?
After discovering Santa’s whereabouts, MORA and ELF agents team up together to find him. However, these plans prove to be futile as Grýla has an army full of shapeshifters at her disposal. Using their chameleonic abilities, they have taken over Santa’s North Pole complex from the inside. Meanwhile, Santa himself is in a weakened state as the winter witch uses a contraption to siphon off his magical energy and focus it on producing more Glaskäfig devices. Jack and Dylan find a way to break out of their snow globes by having a heartfelt and honest conversation, as the former comes clean about his estrangement from his son. The globes crack open as they overcome their differences, allowing them to escape. Callum and Zoe arrive to reunite with them while Grýla prepares to mount the sleigh with Santa in tow.
Realizing that they must stop Grýla before she delivers her snow globes to children worldwide, Callum and Jack make one last effort to block off the winter witch’s exit and derail her flight. A fight breaks out between the three, with Grýla finally revealing her monstrous form to them both. The surprise arrival of Krampus bolsters Callum and Jack’s chances as the trio gears up to battle her. Their scuffle goes back and forth before a rejuvenated Santa calls upon his trustworthy herd of reindeer, and they fly in and tackle the witch from every direction. She is eventually boxed into one of the Glaskäfigs, ensuring her capture and the end to her Machiavellian plans. Meanwhile, with only seconds before midnight, Santa hurries to mount his reindeer sleigh and deliver much-awaited Christmas gifts to the children awaiting him.
Do Jack and Dylan Amend Their Relationship?
With Santa and the North Pole complex working at full steam, Jack and Dylan are amazed to see the magical compound spur itself to life. As the only humans in the place, they are stunned to realize that all their childhood expectations of Santa and his presents are real and tangible. They are especially delighted when Santa invites them to join him on his sleigh as he heads off to deliver the gifts. In some ways, this is his way of thanking Jack for the latter’s help and saving Christmas for billions worldwide. Moreover, it adds the cherry on the proverbial cake for the father-son duo as they get to enjoy a magical and transformative moment together, particularly after bridging the gaps in their estranged relationship.
From the movie’s beginning, it is evident that Jack has become somewhat lost in life. As someone who has been an eternal skeptic from childhood, the protagonist has always been a stickler for going against the grain and bending the rules wherever possible. He even imparts those lessons to his son while picking him up from school. However, deep down, he struggles to make amends with the shattered pieces of his life. He feels particularly guilty for his estrangement from his son. Jack has remained distant from Dylan throughout his childhood because of a divorce and his work as a bounty hunter. Yet, he also realizes that part of the fault lies within him for not pushing himself to correct things. Hopefully, their journey on Santa’s sleigh signifies new beginnings as they look to reinvent their bond.
Does Callum Rescind His Resignation? Why Does He Decide to Stay On?
‘Red One’ ends with Callum turning to Santa and asking for an annulment of his resignation request. The ELF commander makes a one-eighty on his earlier decision and asks his master if he can stay on and continue being an integral part of the latter’s job to shower gifts and warmth to children worldwide. The change of heart occurs after he notices Jack and Dylan talking on the sleigh. Watching the father-son pair revive their relationship fills Callum with a renewed sense of purpose as he can finally see the child in Jack. Subsequently, he turns to Santa and asks him to cancel his resignation request from earlier. Although somewhat out of the blue, it personifies a full-circle moment for Callum, who reignites his passion for his job and finds something to keep him going.
Throughout the movie, Callum is characterized as a person with a firm resolve and willful personality. As such, everything he does is from the heart and brimming with verve and enthusiasm. Therefore, when he becomes disillusioned with his job, he wonders if it is worth carrying out. However, after seeing the transformation in Jack, a tier four naughty lister, he realizes that despite people being less respectful towards Christmas and the myth of Santa, there is an inkling of belief alive within everyone’s heart, and it is his and Santa’s job to bring that out in individuals. Callum realizes that leaving his job would be to give up on that pursuit. Thus, he decides to give it one more go, which can only mean more Christmas-themed adventures for the ELF commander in the future.
Read More: Where Was Red One Filmed?
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