Although the film has many mythological creatures, Krampus is the best part Red (and it’s not even close). Red is 2024’s newest holiday franchise, with the cast featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Chris Evans and many more stars. Despite that, Red was a box office and critical failure, with many critics and members of the public not being fans of the film. However, there is a part Red which received praise from everyone, this being the film’s use of the holiday villain Krampus.
2024 Red sees JK Simmons’ Santa Claus kidnapped, leading Dwayne Johnson’s ELF commander Callum Drift to team up with Chris Evans’ master hacker Jack O’Malley to bring him back. Interestingly, the North Pole isn’t the only area full of magical characters in the Red universe, as the film confirms that almost every mythological figure exists in the franchise. Red features the Headless Horseman and a variety of other non-Christmas characters, and while they’re cool, none of them are cooler than Krampus’ appearance.
Kristofer Hivju’s Krampus brings some fun to Red One
He is the best performance in the film
In RedKristofer Hivju plays Krampus, and he’s easily the best part of the film. Krampus’ design is incredible, with the villain being the most beautiful part of the film. Instead of just using CGI to create the character, as is the case with many of the RedIn Krampus’ other cameos, Krampus’ design clearly employs a lot of practical effects. Krampus’ makeup and costume work is fantastic, and the design manages to combine Krampus’s classic look with an updated look that fits into the world of Red.
Furthermore, Kristofer Hivju’s performance is very entertaining. He is energetic, mean and hilarious, with many of Redthe funniest moments coming from conversations involving Krampus. Despite being a holiday villain, Krampus’s story in Red He also has a lot of heart, being Santa’s estranged brother. Krampus’ character arc is probably the best in the entire film, making the villain even more special. Overall, Krampus has the best performance, design, and story in Redwith all the scenes involving the villain being too good for the film.
Krampus allows Red One to delve into his mythological world
It makes red look much bigger
Introducing Krampus in Red was a fantastic idea as it allows the film to delve deeper than many originally thought. Until then, there was talk of other mythological creatures, but Red it was mostly limited to displaying generic Christmas figures at the North Pole. However, Krampus’ kingdom is a unique location that is not as saturated as the North Pole, with Red likely bringing the lore of Krampus to many members of the public who are unfamiliar with the legend.
Krampus isn’t the only character to appear in his castle, as his sequel features a variety of other terrifying monsters. Before they even meet Krampus, Callum and Jack are confronted by two Hellhounds, setting the stage for the horrors to come. The scene where the duo meets Krampus for the first time is full of extras and supporting characters with unique designswhether they are using practical CGI effects. Krampus makes the world of Red looks much bigger, and it would be a great addition to any Red sequelae.
Red One needed more Krampus energy
Instead of whatever the rest of the movie was doing
Red it was a disappointment, but it could have been much better if it had more of the energy that Kristofer Hivju brought to Krampus. When compared to Krampus, The Rock and Chris Evans deliver surprisingly low-energy performances, making their roles as protagonists quite boring. They needed to match Krampus’ fun, wild card energy, something that would have made the film much better.
Furthermore, give Red A greater focus on practical effects and makeup would have made the film stand out much more among the many blockbuster CGI films of recent decades. Rarely do major studios invest in blockbuster franchises that use practical effects to create their monsters, but after seeing how well this approach worked in Krampus, it should have been used throughout the film. Red.