As distributor MGM got its house in order, the remake of Red Dawn sat on a shelf for several years.
According to the critics, it should have stayed there.
Directed by Dan Bradley and starring Thor’s Chris Hemsworth and The Hunger Games’ Josh Hutcherson, this action pic hits theaters with many viewers shaking their heads. Is it worth your time? Let Celebuzz help you decide…
Red Dawn centers on a group of small-town youths-turned-soldiers struggling to defend their hometown from a North Korean invasion force.
The 1984 original, starring Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen, capitalized on then-relevant Cold War fears by having its heroes combat Russian bad guys. That film has since gathered quite the cult-following, but all the remake seems to be collecting are some of the worst reviews for a film this year.
Celebuzz has rounded up a cross section of critics’ reviews from across the country to help audiences make their ticket-buying decisions for the weekend.
Todd Gilchrist, Celebuzz:
“Red Dawn is at best the cinematic equivalent of a voting-day robocall to people who are susceptible to nailbiting, apocalyptic paranoia – even as a fantasy -actioner, it’s too cartoonish to embrace and too dangerous to indulge.”
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune:
“Many of the original film’s booby-trap scenarios are repeated here, but without [the original’s] grandiosity and nihilism. There’s less of both in the new Red Dawn. It’s not a disaster. It’s just drab.”
Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter:
“An already silly premise is given a ham-fisted treatment in this ill-advised remake of John Milius’ 1984 hit action film.”
Hugh Ryan, Salon.com:
“Red Dawn is a ghoulish parody of reality, served up earnestly and obliviously, to an audience whose enjoyment will, perforce, be directly proportional to its ignorance.”
Stephen Whitty, The Star-Ledger:
“For a movie that’s supposed to be about bravery and independence, Red Dawn doesn’t have much of either.”
Evan Saathoff, BadassDigest.com:
“Red Dawn is such a vapid, ephemeral film that I half expect it to disappear from the Earth altogether a month after its eventual transition to digital media. At every turn the film appears to strive for blandness and succeeds.”
What do you think of Red Dawn? Let us know in the comments below. And in the meantime, check out the trailer!
