Red Dawn (3/5/13)

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense war violence and action, and for language.

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson, Adrianne Palicki, Isabel Lucas, Edwin Hodge, Connor Cruise and Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Directed by Dan Bradley

You know you want to scream it, so go ahead …Wolverines!!

In Red Dawn, a city in Washington state awakens to the surreal sight of foreign paratroopers dropping from the sky – shockingly, the U.S. has been invaded and their hometown is the initial target. Quickly and without warning, the citizens find themselves prisoners and their town under enemy occupation. Determined to fight back, a group of young patriots seek refuge in the surrounding woods, training and reorganizing themselves into a guerilla group of fighters. Taking inspiration from their high school mascot, they call themselves the Wolverines, banding together to protect one another, liberate their town from its captors, and take back their freedom.

I was in middle school when I watched Red Dawn for the first time. I remember being blown away at the thought of Russians attacking my small town. I actually remember sitting in English class and looking out the window for Russian paratroopers. I thought about where I’d go and who I would take with me. Well it’s been 25 years since those days and the Cold War is over…and the Russians never attacked.

So when my kids asked me to take them to the midnight premiere of the remake, how could I resist? Now my son thought the movie looked cool and he really likes Chris Hemsworth because of Thor. My daughter on the other hand could care less about the movie – she thinks Josh Hutcherson is cute. So as we settled into our seats, I wondered if this movie would live up to the original. Well it didn’t.

The storyline was almost identical to the original. But one of the things I really did enjoy was seeing a fresh twist on some of the more iconic images from the original film. Scenes like the “spider holes” and the drinking the blood were there and just different enough to know the filmmakers were paying homage to the original, while not just going for cheese.

As far as the cast, Chris Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson did a great job while Josh Peck was one of the more annoying characters in the film. And Jeffrey Dean Morgan was perfect as the veteran soldier.

The pace and action scenes were good. The film moved along nicely and the action scenes were intense at times…I said intense not necessarily believable. In fact there was really very little about this movie that was believable. I hate to say you need to check your brain at the door in order to fully enjoy the movie, but the truth is the more I thought about it the more I didn’t like it.

I mean why are some people in prison camps and other people allowed to walk freely in the streets? Why is the North Korean army not actively searching for this band of rebels? And why is it never raining in this part of Washington?

One final issue I have with the movie was the last minute decision to change the invading army from the Chinese to the North Koreans. Due to fears of political and economical backlash, the studio decided to digitally change the Chinese flag to a North Korean flag although none of the actors were changed.

I was hoping for a smarter more believable Red Dawn, but what I got was a lot of explosions and some pretty faces, it’s only a “Rental” for me.

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
I was glad to see that there is no sex or nudity.

The PG-13 rating is for sequences of intense war violence and action, and for language which includes 1 F-word and a few other profanities.

Some of the violence is graphic as the characters fight an army. Jed and Matt witness their father’s execution and another character is told that his parents were murdered.

CONVERSATIONS STARTER

1. One of the reasons the Wolverines have success against the North Korean army is the fact that they underestimated these “kids.” Have you ever felt underestimated by an adult? Tell me what happened?


2. How did you deal with it?


3. Read 1 Timothy 4:12
   
   Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.
   
   
4. What does this verse tell us about Timothy. (He was young and Paul knew he would most likely be underestimated by some adults in his church.)


5. So how does Paul tell him to deal with it?


6. How can you be an example to the adults in your church?