Which is more implausible: that the North Koreans would invade the West Coast of the U.S., turning friendly suburbs into occupied territories? Or that “Thor” star Chris Hemsworth and “The Wackness” and “Drake and Josh” alum Josh Peck are brothers? (It doesn’t help that Hemsworth happens to have a very believable actual younger brother named Liam currently starring in films.)
Let’s be honest: The original 1984 “Red Dawn” (with Patrick Swayze and Harry Dean Stanton) retains its cult classic status despite — or because of — its lack of quality. It’s a silly, cheese-ball piece of late-Cold War paranoia, and at least it had the chutzpah to feature a big bad guy in the Soviet Union. The remake’s decision to rewrite the Chinese villains as North Korean in post-production — without any reshoots or recasting — was apparently done to improve its chances of playing in China and taking advantage of the country’s box office. It’s an example of a “playing it safe” mentality that ultimately sinks the film itself. If they had just embraced the cheese, this could’ve actually been a lot of fun.
If you go
“Red Dawn”
Director: Dan Bradley
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Adrienne Palicki. Josh Hutcherson
Rating: PG-13
Grade: 2/5
