Most of the talk surrounding “Red Dawn” is negative–it received many poor reviews from critics and some fans of the original film don’t expect much from this remake. While I wouldn’t call this movie a favorite, it is worth seeing.
Red Dawn” tells the story of the Eckert brothers, Jed (Chris Hemsworth) and Matty (Josh Peck). When North Korea invades the United States, they survive with a group of young people and create a resistance known as the Wolverines (named after their high school football team).
Biggest Strength, Biggest Weakness
The talented cast of this film is its biggest asset. “Red Dawn” is well cast, though some of the high school characters looked a bit old. Unfortunately, it seems impossible to remember the names and faces of all of the Wolverine characters-there are just too many to focus on in the short amount of time. This proves problematic for the audience when unfortunate events befall certain characters.
Much of the story is told through actions and facial emotions. This is particularly true in the interactions between Jed and Matty. In fact, both Hemsworth and Peck provide such a high level of nonverbal acting talent that I am left wondering why the movie didn’t give me more information about their stories. Was their pain just over losing their mother and having a strained relationship? It seems like there is a lot of unexplored backstory, especially for Jed. I have a feeling that some of this might have to do with his military service. He isn’t exactly upbeat in the beginning of the movie and when he meets other Marines he doesn’t reveal himself as one although he sports dog tags and a USMC tattoo in other scenes.
It seems like Hemsworth had been given (or himself developed) a very carefully constructed backstory, which made his performance admirable. Unfortunately, the movie leaves no room for further character exposition.
Casting
Every role in the movie was cast well. The relationship between Sgt. Tom Eckert (Brett Cullen) and his sons is incredibly believable as was the fraternal relationship. That said, Josh Peck doesn’t look like he’s related to Cullen and Hemsworth.
Female Characters
While the movie focuses on a relationship between brothers, there are female characters present: Erica (Isabel Lucas), Toni (Adrianne Palicki), and Julie (Alyssa Diaz). Two of these characters serve as love interests for the males and one learns some field medicine. They’re both portrayed as adequate fighters, but neither has any depth or definition to their experiences except for what is tied to their relationships with the male characters.
Maybe I’m spoiled by more forward-thinking movies that center around male characters but still offer progressive, gender-equal experiences for viewers, but I found myself a bit disappointed here. While the females aren’t objectified, they are flat characters. It would have been easy for the movie to pass the Bechdel test considering, but the females do not share any long or significant conversations with each other.
Script
The “Red Dawn” script is incredibly bare when it comes to dialogue. This put a great deal on the actors in terms of action and expression. There are a few important speeches in the film, but they are filled with clichés. There are no incredibly memorable lines. I was hoping for something like the speech given by President Whitmore (Bill Pullman) in “Independence Day,” but no such speech appeared.
While the pace of the movie was well-timed and it balanced plot, characterization, and action well, it was too light on dialogue. If the characters must say so little, what they do say should hold more gravity. With an invasion plot to cover, “Red Dawn” is ambitious. We have just enough time to get to know the characters before the invasion occurs.
Plausibility
Before seeing the movie, I didn’t think the plot was plausible. How could North Korea invade America? Although the movie doesn’t entirely answer this question, it does reveal information about the unfolding conflict in opening credits. This is accomplished masterfully by intertwining real-life footage of President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with fabricated late-stage news reports, making it seem realistic. (That said, many foreign policy experts are not enthusiastic about “Red Dawn”).
The plot still seems far-fetched, but it’s introduced quickly and coherently. This is something that could have made the movie’s pace drag, but it is done effectively within the opening credits.
Cinematography
The worst feature of “Red Dawn” is undoubtedly how it was filmed. There were too many documentary-style shots, and many of them were extremely blurry. Some of these shots occur outside of combat. It’s hard to relate to a character when you can’t even discern his eye color because the camera is shaky. A more reserved use of documentary style ‘shaky cam’ would have made the action scenes in which they were used feel more intense.
While “Red Dawn” isn’t the most spectacular film out there, it’s definitely still worth seeing. It showcases talent raw and at the beginning of refinement and the plot is easy enough to follow.
