Christmas action with Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans

Festive flick Red One also marks a return to action films for American actress Lucy Liu

- Alison de Souza

LOS ANGELES - An action comedy to start getting you in the mood for Christmas, Red One sees Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons) being kidnapped and the North Pole's head of security (Dwayne Johnson) working with a bounty hunter (Chris Evans) to save him.

Opening in Singapore cinemas on Nov 7, the globetrotting adventure boasts big action scenes of the sort rarely seen in Christmas films, says Johnson at a Zoom press conference from Berlin, Germany, on Nov 4.

"The material lent itself to big action and scale, which you typically don't see in Christmas movies," says the 52-year-old. The American star has appeared in dozens of action films, including the Fast & Furious (2001 to present) and Jumanji (1995 to present) franchises.

Evans, who played Captain America in Marvel movies such as Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), agrees.

And the American actor believes Christmas stories are well suited to the action genre.

"There's such great Christmas folklore - not just the stories we all grew up with, but internationally," says the 43-year-old.