Red Dawn
Rated: PG-13
Genre: Action, Drama
Street Date: March 5, 2013
Available On: DVD and Blu-ray/DVD Combo
The Film: When a North Korean army invades their Pacific Northwest town a group of teenagers come together to retake their homes from the invaders.

The Extras: None
Recommendation: When the original “Red Dawn” was released in 1984 the Cold War between America and Russia was still very much alive. The idea of a Russian army invading was, at least in the mind of the general public, plausible. The “Red Dawn” remake originally cast China as the invading army, but the role was recast as North Korea in hopes that the film might find some box office success in China. The problem with 2012’s “Red Dawn” isn’t that a North Korean invasion seems implausible (a Chinese invasion is only slightly more plausible); the problem is that it lacks the tension of the Cold War. Without this subtext even the original “Red Dawn” is just a silly action film. The “Red Dawn” remake isn’t terrible; it just has no reason to exist. It doesn’t reinvent, update or revive anything. It’s hardly even a revision, more like a carbon copy with younger and newer faces (Chris Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson). “Red Dawn” should have been left in the past where its nostalgic attributes made it look far better than it actually was.

-Ryan Michael Painter