The first, explosive, action-packed trailer for the notoriously delayed Red Dawn remake is a time capsule in more ways than one: Not only does it lay on nods to the gloriously cheesy 1984 original, it features three-years-ago Chris Hemsworth before he packed on all that Thor muscle AND cute little Josh Hutcherson before he made it to the big time with The Hunger Games gig. Kids with guns vs. evil Chinese North Koreans after the jump.
Red Dawn was initially slated for a 2010 release, but MGM's bankruptcy threw a kink into those plans. Last March producers opted to take even more time to digitally change the film's already-shot invading villain force from China to North Korea in a bald, bold bid for more of that Chinese box office, which is just one of a few gambles we'll see play out come release on November 21. Thanksgiving: a time for family, armed patriotism, and putting firearms in the hands of children!
Because as much as Red Dawn promises to be the kind of ubercool explosion-y action pic you'd expect from a remake of an explosion-y '80s action classic (It's got rampant violence! It's what audiences crave!), the kind of straight-faced militancy that made the original Red Dawn so damn heavy at its core doesn't quite translate to the slick Expendables-esque fetishism of violence of today's popcorn action flicks.
And maybe it's just me, but in the wake of the Aurora tragedy and last weekend's Sikh temple attack I'm not too juiced to watch a bunch of kids with an arsenal of assault weapons righteously gun down their ethnic invaders in the name of freedom. The difference between watching Stallone and his beefy cohorts blast their way through nameless baddies and seeing Hemsworth lead his Wolverine pack into battle is that there's zero seriousness underlying the mindless shenanigans of Sly & Co. (which entertain me to no end, incidentally). Red Dawn, on the other hand, toys with more concerning, actual issues — war, nationalism, geopolitics, self-defense, the Second Amendment, guns, violence in the media (Red Dawn is rated PG-13). And, benefit of the doubt, maybe the remake is conscious of these things and will turn out to be more thoughtful and thought-provoking than a sexy, attention-grabbing 2 1/2 minute trailer.
But you tell me. I'm still in it for the cast and the curiosity factor, and maybe a few months' time will help me get over myself.
Via Yahoo:
Synopsis:
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.
Red Dawn hits theaters November 21.