Red 2 (11/25/2013)

Rated PG-13 for pervasive action and violence including frenetic gunplay, and for some language and drug material.

Starring Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, John Malkovich, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren and Byung Hun Lee

Directed by Dean Parisot (Fun with Dick and Jane and Galaxy Quest)

If you liked RED, you’ll enjoy RED 2.

In RED 2, the high-octane action-comedy sequel to the worldwide sleeper hit, retired black-ops CIA agent Frank Moses reunites his unlikely team of elite operatives for a global quest to track down a missing portable nuclear device. To succeed, they’ll need to survive an army of relentless assassins, ruthless terrorists and power-crazed government officials, all eager to get their hands on the next-generation weapon. The mission takes Frank and his motley crew to Paris, London and Moscow. Outgunned and outmanned, they have only their cunning wits, their old-school skills, and each other to rely on as they try to save the world—and stay alive in the process.

There are three basic reasons to make a sequel: to continue the story, to reunite the beloved characters for another adventure or simply just to make money. And let’s admit there are plenty of movies that should never have been made but were just to make money (Transformers 2, Speed 2 and Jaws 4).

RED 2 is all about reunite the beloved characters for another adventure. And they follow the sequel formula to a T – bigger action, bigger budget and bigger stars.

The action is definitely bigger. There are more guns, explosions and fist fights than the first one and honestly most of the action is ridiculously cheesy. The crazy thing is most of the over-the-top cheesy action works.

The budget is bigger with more special effects and some very cool scenes. Like when Han fires so many bullets from his gun that he cuts a van in half.

And the cast is bigger. The cast from RED is back (minus Morgan Freeman) and they added Catherine Zeta-Jones and Anthony Hopkins to the mix. I will have to say that the cast is the one area that takes the biggest hit for me. I love Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren and Byung Hun Lee…but Mary-Louise Parker is like nails on the chalkboard. If they replaced her, this would have been “Theater Worthy.”

Finally there is the story. Earlier I said RED 2 is all about reuniting the beloved characters for another adventure and I’m glad the filmmakers put some thought into the story. These are fun characters and there is an enjoyable, smart story in this film.

It’s not going to win any awards, but it’s an amusing movie with some decent action and more than a handful of funny scenes. I give it a “Rental.”

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
This one should be fine for most teenagers.

There is no sex or nudity in this film, but the violence is over the top. It’s not gory or bloody, but there’s just a lot of it.

There is 1 not fully enunciated F-word, 4 S-words, 7 mild obscenities and 6 religious exclamations.

CONVERSATIONS STARTER

1. What are some of the things the RED crew have spent their lives doing?


2. What are some of the ways they demonstrate sacrifice?


3. What are some of the ways they demonstrate putting the needs of others first?


4. Read John 15:12-15
   
   “I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.”
   
   Most of us will probably not ever be in the situation where you need to dismantle a bomb capable of destroying a city block, but what are some other ways we can put our lives on the line for our friends?


5. What are some ways we can put the needs of our friends before our own?