Red Dawn [2012]

This movie didn’t make it in the regular review section, but instead ended up in the random mainstream crappy movie category. The only reason why I am including it in the reviews is to try to counterbalance the people who are hating the movie just because of its premise. Is an all out North Korean invasion such a distant possibility that any movie with that subject should be scorned? Granted, they did absolutely nothing to explain how did the Kim Jongs manage to destroy or paralyze American defenses and calmly parachute down… But, in this case that is both a plus and a minus, since it leaves us with an open mind and a task to figure out how is this possible. If someone finds an answer for this, the makers will simply say that’s what we were thinking, and I guarantee you, there is a way. No matter how complicated and difficult, the most important thing is that it exists, and as long as it exists we can see this movie as a: what if.

After the initial warning, here comes the second one and this one is called Josh Peck. I don’t even know the guy and he bugs the shit out of me, I hate him and his character in this movie(just blowing off some steam, I don’t know the guy). A whiny, mopey guy that looks like he is forty while playing a teenager is something that this movie did not need. In the original from 1984 his character was played by a young Charlie Sheen, and he was quite good for that classic cold war eighties flick. The main reason behind casting Josh Peck is his hipster appearance, a face that looks like he just ate a couple of lemons and is about to regret yesterdays chili peppers, so the studios thought that he is that sensitive guy that all girls dream about. What a mistakea to makea… If you thought that you hate the actor, just wait ’till you see his character.

One scene was just too ridicules, and I have to walk you through it: after the initial takeover of USA, a small group of ragtag teenage renegades is attacking the North Koreans with guerrilla tactics (all they need is a couple of Che T-shirts). They decide to plant a bomb at some ceremony, and as they are about to set everything in motion, we see one of the teenagers father in the crowd that is about to get blasted. The leader of the attack, Jed Eckert asks the kid is he ok with the attack and he just nods his head giving the signal to commence the attack. At the same time our hero Josh Peck sees his girlfriend in some bus and decides to set the diversion charge too early in order to try and rescue her, abandoning his post and assignment. The dumbest decision ever, just too irritating to talk about, and at this point I decided that there is a limit to an amount of shit I am willing to watch. You can keep saying to yourself it could happen a couple of times, but not during the entire movie…

The only two redeeming points of the movie are the scenario  where someone manages to invade America and gets away with it and performances by Chris Hemsworth and almost all of the other actors. Chris is a perfect example of a guy who does his job very well, no matter what the movie is about and how his character is written, so we can expect a lot of him in the years to come…

If you want to see what means to force scenes and characters into emotional situations, without any regard for reality or believability this is a perfect example. The only way you can watch this movie is under the influence of something and with some friends to shit all over it. And when I say it, I mean a pirated copy, this isn’t worth a penny.

Director: Dan Bradley

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson, Adrianne Palicki, Isabel Lucas, Connor Cruise

Fun Facts:  Originally scheduled to be released on November 24, 2010, the film was shelved due to MGM’s financial troubles. While in post-production, the invading army was changed from Chinese to North Korean in order to maintain access to China’s box office.

IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1234719/