Red Dawn

Following in the footsteps of the1984 film of the same name, Red Dawn replaces Patrick Swayze with Chris Hemsworth, and invading Soviets with the more timely North Koreans. For those unfamiliar with the original, Jed Eckert (Chris Hemsworth) is on a short leave of duty from the US Marine Corps, and spending time with family in his hometown of Spokane, Washington. After an extremely brief introduction to the cast and a brief summary of Jed’s time in Iraq, the action begins.

“Marines don’t die. They go to hell and regroup.”

After a power outage, the town is invaded by North Korea. Full-on land invasion and occupation. This concept of occupation of the United States is a terrifying one, and there are a myriad of ways that the citizenry copes with these conditions. Our subjects choose to fight, using guerilla warfare tactics to face their enemy; amassing a small militia along the way to oppose the enemy forces. For the remainder of the film we follow the group, who adopt the name “Wolverines” after the local football team, as they wreak surgical havoc on the invading forces. Stealing equipment, freeing prisoners of war, and training a cast of high school aged young adults. While some of the interactions feel a bit forced, the performances are well done overall, and the writing and dialogue compliment the feel on screen.

My biggest complaint (which is a minor infraction) comes in the montage style training cycle upon which Eckert leads his rag-tag team, which instantly makes them proficient enough to face an invading force that is assumedly formidable enough to not only reach US Soil, but also conquer and occupy it from both sides. I understand the concepts of guerilla warfare, using a smaller number to strike critical blows to a larger seemingly insurmountable force; it just seemed a stretch, even for the suspension of disbelief. I took this as homage to the film’s roots in the 1984 original rather than implied realism, as I did the majority of the film.

“Even the tiniest flea can drive a big dog crazy.”

The story is straightforward, there are no twists or turns; the goals are apparent and predictable. However, it’s a proven concept, a formulaic action film that doesn’t break any new ground or test any boundaries. With that being said, Red Dawn is a better action film than most of the watered down / forced comedy / hack and slash entries of late. With the drawing power of Thor’s Chris Hemsworth it’s hardly a ride the viewer would regret sitting through.

Red Dawn is entertaining, and other than a few unbelievable aspects that need to be overlooked, there aren’t many negatives I could say about the film; but it definitely falls into the category of junk-food cinema that works much better if you don’t put too much thought into it. If you go into the movie knowing you won’t be changed, that there are no standout performances, and that there’s nothing of profound nature in the dialogue, then you certainly won’t be disappointed. There isn’t anything that appears wholly unbelievable, so much so that it removes the viewer from the content on screen, and it never loses its pacing. Red Dawn was originally released to theatres on September 27th 2012, receiving mostly negative reviews from critics, but as is so often the case, generally more positive reviews from viewing audiences.