'Red Dawn' Review- It Should Have Been A Standalone Flick

If the original didn't exist, this one might have made it.

As soon as first-time film director Dan Bradley (a veteran stunt coordinator) was announced to be at the helm of this remake of Red Dawn, mainstream critics were already trying to criticize the film. Is that fair?

The intro informs us that NATO has almost fallen apart and an Asian “Pacific Rim” alliance has come to power. One day, America is invaded by the Army of North Korea and Russia. It also incorporates some more modern developments. Brothers Jed Eckhart (Chris Hemsworth), a US Marine, and his younger brother Matt (Josh Peck), a high school football quarterback, are forced to flee with some friends from their homes in Spokane, Washington, and engage in guerilla-style tactics against the invaders using their school mascot The Wolverines as their team name. However, Captain Cho (Will Yun Lee), is a ruthless adversary who will stop at nothing to stop the young freedom fighters.

Despite what the mainstream folks are saying, this is not a bad film. It is not as epic as the original, which is a masterpiece, but this one is definitely entertaining. It highlights the growing national debt, cyber-warfare, and many other political hot spots that most filmmakers would try to avoid or fall into political correctness when trying to describe.

The acting is decent. No one did terribly and everyone was believable. It was good to see Peck grown up after watching him on Drake & Josh. Hemsworth did an excellent job leading the cast and truly took charge of the action. I also thought Adrianne Palicki delivered in this one.

I will say, the battle scenes are realistic, and even the impact of death is very emotional. My only problem with the film is that it leaves the film wide open for a sequel and it lacks a certain epic quality that the 1984 original nailed when it first came out. It does present its narrative and story well, at least. Of course, anytime you can watch Americans take on some commies, even in modern times, it makes for fun viewing.

Bottom line, the Red Dawn remake is an excellent popcorn film that takes risks most Hollywood filmmakers avoid while managing to keep itself entertaining. It suffers from being a remake. Had it been a standalone film, it might have had a chance.

FAVORITE QUOTE: Marines don’t die, they go to hell and regroup.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Foul language and violence.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, or novel you would like me to review.