Movie Review: Red Dawn

It’s another reboot. Does this one live up to the original? SIDEWALKS’ J.P. reviews “Red Dawn,” starring Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson.

Red DawnRED DAWN
Film District presents A Contrafilm Production

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson, Adrianne Palicki, Isabel Lucas, Connor Cruise and Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Directed by: Dan Bradley

Studio Synopsis:
In Red Dawn, a city in Washington state awakens to the surreal sight of foreign paratroopers dropping from the sky – shockingly, the U.S. has been invaded and their hometown is the initial target. Quickly and without warning, the citizens find themselves prisoners and their town under enemy occupation. Determined to fight back, a group of young patriots seek refuge in the surrounding woods, training and reorganizing themselves into a guerilla group of fighters. Taking inspiration from their high school mascot, they call themselves the “Wolverines”, banding together to protect one another, liberate their town from its captors, and take back their freedom.

“Red Dawn” is a re-boot of the 1984 box office cult-classic hit film that made stars of Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, Lea Thompson, Jennifer Grey, C. Thomas Howell, Darren Dalton, Brad Savage and Powers Booth. The timing on the release of that action film couldn’t have been better; it was in an era when the Cold War was still kicking and then-President Ronald Reagan was calling the Soviet Union the “evil empire.” Now under the direction of first-time director Dan Bradley, the 2012 release boasts a cast of Hollywood’s new up and coming actors including Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson, Adrianne Palicki, Isabel Lucas, Connor Cruise and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. And now, the timing of this re-boot couldn’t be better. The essential themes of the original remain the same – fighting for what you believe in and protecting your homeland. Home on leave from the Marines, Jed Eckert (Hemsworth) and his brother Matt (Peck) have the initial instinct to fight back when their small town is attacked by North Korean soldiers- a different take from the Soviet Union invasion of the original film. The brothers and their friends form an insurgent group to take their fight to the streets in a valiant attempt to outwit and overcome the intruders, save their homes and their country, and take back their freedom.

Producer Tripp Vinson says, “The re-boot is heavily inspired by the original. There are a lot of fans out there that loved the original, but we spent a lot of time thinking about the story and how to augment it to make it work in today’s world. I think we’ve done a pretty good job of it.”

The contemporary action thriller is directed by Dan Bradley (Quantum of Solace as second unit director) and is produced by Beau Flynn (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, The Guardian) and Tripp Vinson (The Guardian). Kevin Halloran (Tooth Fairy) and Vince Newman (A Man Apart) served as executive producers. The screenplay was written by Carl Ellsworth (Disturbia), Jeremy Passmore (Special) and Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton). Richard Pearson (Iron Man 2) edited, with a score by Ramin Djawadi (Iron Man).

The cast features Chris Hemsworth (Thor, Snow White And the Huntsman, Avengers, Star Trek), Josh Peck (The Wackness), Adrianne Palicki (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, TV’s “Friday Night Lights”), Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island), Connor Cruise (Seven), Isabel Lucas (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), Edwin Hodge (“Young Americans”), Alyssa Diaz (Oh Baby!), Julian Alcaraz (Becoming Eduardo), Will Yun Lee (Elektra), Brett Cullen (Reunion), Michael Beach (Hell Ride) and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen, The Possession and ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy”).

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGoe7BdGdlg’]

 

Red DawnJ.P.’s Take:
Set in an alternate 1984, the original “Red Dawn” was a reflection of the actual fear that many United States citizens had, over a possible communist take over in our own backyards. Sparked by news reports around the country, the fear of this hypothetical scenario of a hostile invasion by the Soviet Union with their allies Cuba and Nicaragua was truly exploited on the big screen. When I look back on the ’84 classic today, it reminds of the Golden Age of Sci-Fi (50’s 60’s), where many movies of that time created tension over the ramifications of a nuclear fall out.

“Red Dawn” 2012 is simply a modern retelling of those same types of scenarios, as the old ideals are stripped away and new ones plugged in … where those fears arise again. Reflecting on today’s headlines, we hear news reports of a weakened economy, while other reports paint a picture of terrorist threats from countries such as North Korea and Iraq. After watching both the original again and the retread, I found that a common theme did remain within the new film. The audience will no doubt recall the patriotic symbolism; touting American pride through out this movie. Yet, I couldn’t help but to feel as though it were going though the motions of being an action flick.

Red DawnFor a movie that boasts a realistic theme, most of the actions taken didn’t feel genuine enough for me to consider this a real nail bitter. Much of the time was spent knocking down North Korean intruders like toy soldiers, who seem powerless against teens with virtually no military experience. The uninspiring dialogue didn’t help matters much either, as it lacked anything meaningful to invigorate the audience.

Although I enjoyed heightened special effects, as we watched war planes streaking across the skies and paratroopers land on the lawns of the U.S. citizens they come to imprison. Usually I expect remakes to excel past their predecessors, unfortunately, story wise there wasn’t much going for this retread for me to care.

In essence “Red Dawn” 2012 has all the makings of a war movie, but suffers somewhat from a contrived and convenient plot line with characters I didn’t feel much for and an anticlimactic ending. But if anything, see this movie simply for a patriotic boost and for some of the action sequences. I personally prefer the original and similar films like it.

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