In 1984, America was introduced to the Wolverines. A group of brave—some may say plucky—teenagers who were willing to do
whatever it took to save their friends, their families, and their homes from an
evil Communist intrusion.
It’s going to
happen again in 2012, but will it be anything like the first time?
On to the review!
This week I
double-down on Red Dawn. I’ll check out the new one in Black Friday
when everyone else is fighting over the last can of air at Best Buy; not
because they need it, but because it’s the last thing left that’s marked down
in the entire store.
In the
original version America is attacked by a Communist threat. Russians, Cubans and (apparently) Nicaraguans
come out of nowhere and completely overwhelm America’s defensive capabilities.
(Thanks IMDB. I always assumed everyone was only Russian or Cuban.)
Of course,
this being Amer’ca, we don’t take kindly to invading forces. If our gub’ment can’t protect us, we’ll just
do it ourselves!
So it’s no surprise that when a small
Colorado town is invaded by paratroopers, several high school students flee
into the surrounding countryside. Why
invade a small Colorado town? He who
controls the slops controls the universe, apparently.
Once safely hidden in the woods the
kids demonstrate both their survival skills and their…hunting…abilities. They make such a nuisance of themselves that
the enemy is forced to expend a far greater amount of troops hunting them down
than should have been necessary. Once they
join forces with a downed Air Force Colonel they become the greatest threat to Communist
plans in all of Colorado.
While the
plot and the action are fun, Red Dawn
ultimately combines two things that the 80’s did very well: action and our fear
of the Red Menace. And boy oh boy did
they do just that! It’s one of the most
entertaining action flicks of the 80’s and it’s a rite of passage for many a
young man.
Fun fact: Watching Red
Dawn as a teenage male is the absolute fastest way to grow pubic hair.
Then there is the fact that nowhere
else in memory has a film showcased so many relative unknowns that went on to
become well-known movie and television stars.
Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey had yet to do Dirty Dancing. Lea Thompson
was still a year away from Back to the
Future. Charlie Sheen was (allegedly)
not yet a huge fan of hookers and coke.
Name another ensemble film that somehow cast 4 relative unknowns who went
on to have even greater Hollywood success.
Do I like Red Dawn? Hells yes I
do. Do I want to like the new one? Of course!
Do I think I will? Ummm…..
No comments:
Post a Comment