Red One Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Red One Blu-ray Movie Review

More like "Brown Two", amirite?

Reviewed by Randy Miller III February 28, 2025

Jake Kasdan's bloated holiday bomb Red One failed to connect with audiences last November, so you know it's gonna play even worse in March. Essentially, this overlong film smells like warmed-over MCU/DCEU leftovers mixed with the thinnest of Christmas movie plots and struggles to gel long before it reaches the finish line. I may have given them the same ratings but, in all honesty, I enjoyed Red One even less than Dwayne Johnson's last project for Warner Bros., 2023's Black Adam, if only because this product feels like two generic films were lazily mashed together.

For a synopsis and light roast of the main feature, please see my recent 4K review or Brian Orndorf's similarly brutal theatrical coverage. Interested newcomers should still give Red One a shot, of course, and this separate Blu-ray edition might surprisingly be the more recommended home video option: not only is it cheaper, but it might play just as well (or perhaps slightly better) on a small to medium-sized display for reasons outlined below.

Red One Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

I'm used to most WB 4K and Blu-ray editions being proportionately identical within the boundaries of their respective formats, so I was surprised as anyone to find out that the Blu-ray's 1080p/SDR transfer actually pulls a bit more of its own weight. Sure, there are expected drawbacks from this down-conversion: contrast levels aren't always as buttery-smooth, color reproduction isn't as robust, and extremely light compression artifacts can be spotted despite this dual-layered disc's supportive bit rate. Yet brightness levels are overall higher... which normally might not be a good thing, but I found the 4K's image to be too dark during key stretches including scenes shot in the North Pole and several stops on our two protagonists' episodic journey (and of course the final showdown). Nothing was truly lost in the darkness but it just looked kind of dim and generally unappealing, whereas those same corresponding scenes on the Blu-ray are brought up to more reasonable brightness levels. While neither edition gets it exactly right, I'd argue that this Blu-ray scores proportionately higher. The race may not be nearly as close on all setups, though: depending on your TV or projector's size and native brightness levels, the 4K might come out further ahead from every angle.

Red One Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For my thoughts on the default Dolby Atmos mix, please see the 4K review linked above as both tracks are identical.

Red One Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with poster-themed artwork and a Digital Copy redemption code. Just like the 4K edition, no bonus features are included.

Red One Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Are there a few funny moments during Red One? Sure. Do a couple of ideas land? Of course. But the majority of this overlong and otherwise lifeless production is pretty dire, and almost every bit of it feels like designed by committee and contains the absolute bare minimum of Christmas spirit. It's the kind of bloated, big-studio product we could use a lot less of these days, to be honest... and if that weren't enough, neither this Blu-ray edition or its separate 4K counterpart include any bonus features. Though both options serve up identically great Dolby Atmos tracks, the video's surprisingly more of a toss-up depending on your equipment so prospective buyers should judge accordingly.