Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans deliver a bro-themed Christmas in “Red One,” which features slapstick fights, muscular snowmen, and a very buff Santa.

Directed by Jake Kasdan, this fantasy Christmas adventure (★★ out of four; rated PG-13; hitting theaters on Friday) is certainly a step up from Hulk Hogan’s infamous “Santa With Muscles,” but you might find more of the holiday spirit in “Terrifier 3.” It’s a movie that, while earnest to the point of dullness, showcases a vibrant and busy world of animated action figures. Yet, despite its colorful attempts, “Red One” fails to evoke the joy and emotional warmth usually desired from a holiday film.

Johnson portrays Callum Drift, Santa’s security chief (played by J.K. Simmons), who decides to retire after 540 years in the job, grumbling that holiday spirit is diminishing. “I love the kids. It’s the adults who are driving me nuts,” Callum expresses to the buff Santa during a workout session at the North Pole gym. Santa oversees a technologically advanced settlement filled with elves, airships, and specialized forces; delivering gifts is a meticulously organized affair devoid of any nonsense.

However, just two days before Christmas, things go awry. Jack “The Wolf” O’Malley (played by Evans), a bounty hunter and known naughty lister, inadvertently reveals Santa’s whereabouts while completing a job for an unidentified client using advanced stolen tech. This leads to Santa’s kidnapping by Gryla the Christmas witch (Kiernan Shipka), who plans to harness Santa’s magical powers to punish everyone who’s ever been naughty—essentially, most of the population.

Jack is captured by Zoe (Lucy Liu), the leader of the Mythological Oversight and Restoration Authority. At this point, the storyline begins to gain traction, introducing elements reminiscent of “Men in Black” as Jack discovers the hidden world behind festive traditions, including the necessity for Santa to “carb up” before his big night.

The unlikely duo of Jack and Callum occasionally manages to work together, utilizing children’s toy supply rooms as teleportation hubs and transforming Hot Wheels into actual vehicles. Despite this, the rescue mission soon loses focus. While Evans does a decent job embodying the typical Scrooge character found in many Christmas movies, Johnson doesn’t exhibit his usual charismatic presence.

Everything is amplified in this film, from menacing snowmen surfacing in a submarine/ice cream truck (yes, you read that correctly) to Santa’s sibling Krampus (Kristofer Hivju), a brawny figure with a hellish sleigh. Yet, despite its absurdity and some overdramatic performances coupled with clichéd dialogue, “Red One” holds back from embracing true merriment.

Simmons contributes a light-hearted touch to his role, making him a fairly likable Santa overall. However, his character spends a good portion of the movie in slumber, and the comedic moments are sparse and not particularly sidesplitting.

With a heavy dose of holiday bravado and icy fight scenes, “Red One” may entertain young viewers and action enthusiasts who enjoy explosive chaos. But when it comes to being a holiday classic, it’s something that Rudolph and his reindeer would likely refuse to ride.