I was never one who held the original 1984 RED DAWN from director John Milius in the highest regard. However, thanks to Ronald Reagan's paranoia (justified or not) regarding the Soviet Union, the arms race, and a series of dreams I used to have in my teens about dying in a nuclear firestorm, the film pushed a few buttons in my fragile psyche and made a lasting impression. The problem with the long-delayed remake isn't that an invasion by North Korea seems far less possible or likely than one from Russia. The deeper issues have to do with an audience caring about these new characters, most of whom seem intent on making one stupid choice after another.
The film opens with a brief overview of life in a small town in Washington state. Matt Eckert (Josh Peck) is his high school football team's quarterback. His brother Jed (Chris Hemsworth) has just returned from several years with the Marines in the Middle East. The morning after a big game, the brothers wake at their father's house to the almost-inconceivable sight of hundreds of paratroopers falling from the sky and into their neighborhood and others just like it. A small group of their young friends manage to escape and find refuge in the Eckert cabin in the woods. Among the frightened bunch are HUNGER GAMES' Josh Hutcherson, Adrianne Palicki (who doubles as a potential love interest for Hemsworth), and Connor Cruise. The group does not include Erica (Isabel Lucas), Matt's girlfriend--a situation that comes back to haunt the group more than once.
Here's what works in RED DAWN--and it should come as no surprise since the director is stunt coordinator extraordinaire Dan Bradley, directing his first feature--the action sequences are phenomenally choreographed to the point where some fairly complicated staging never get confusing. There's one particular sequence where the Wolverines (the football team's name, now a noted resistance group) must break into the enemy's headquarters to steal a communications device. There are several teams split up throughout the building, but once the fighting and shooting starts, Bradley does a great job keeping things straight and intense.
I'm pretty sure the North Koreans' initial reign of power is only over the Pacific Northwest (including Northern California), which doesn't seem quite as menacing as the original film. I was especially fond of actor Will Yun Lee, who plays the badass in command, Captain Lo, who has something of an old-fashioned strutting villain here who is not above killing a few POWs to get the Wolverines to come out of hiding, a move that only makes them stronger.
One of the film's more energizing developments comes when the Wolverines cross paths with three retired soldiers (including Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Col. Any Tanner), who have come out of hiding and retirement to assist the Wolverines however they can. Morgan adds a much-needed sense of maturity to the cast and the story. I'm effectively done with film or TV storylines that involve an immature character willing to sacrifice dozens or hundreds of people just to save a loved one. In the middle of one exceedingly complicated and important missions, Matt spots his girlfriend and leaves his post to go chase her down and free her from her chains (literally). I'm not saying young people don't do dumb things, but I'm fairly certain Matt knows the stakes and would never do what he does in this movie.
In watching RED DAWN, the thing that jumps to the forefront of your mind is how charismatic Hemsworth truly is. If this film had come out when it was supposed to, it would have been after CABIN IN THE WOODS and well before THOR, but Hemsworth's presence and command of the scene around him are blazingly clear. What you don't realize until fairly deep into the proceedings is that the film is actually Matt's story; he's an immature, impulsive kid who learns the consequences of his actions and how to be a leader of people from his brother. Matt has the most learning to do and a personality in most need of altering, and Peck does a terrific job getting us to want Matt to become a better man.
Occasionally, director Bradley feels like he's painting by the number, in terms of mimicking the original work, and it's those moments when the production strays from the source material that I tended to like the best. If all you care about are the moments of action, you're in for an undeniable treat. If you have loftier goals, such as character development or relevance, you may need to look elsewhere. And right now, there are plenty of other places to look for substance in the cinema. Still, there's a little something here for everybody. The problem is there may not be enough of any one thing to necessarily make RED DAWN worth your while.
